Winston's Restaurant [4] at Sullivan University has a creative way to celebrate the abundance of tomatoes that we get this time of year. The first two weekends (Friday and Saturday) in August, the restaurant will be hosting its annual heirloom tomato dinners.
As a former Winston's intern, I can attest to the fact that Chef Castro is super talented, so expect some great food, but don't expect the usual. The menu includes ingredients like kuhio foam and compressed melon that most people (including me) will have to Google. The meal includes a discussion between courses about the flavors of "naked" tomatoes so diners can learn about different tomato varieties. Even the dessert course includes tomatoes, which is impressive.
Cost of the dinners is $100/person with wine pairings, $75/person without. They start at 6:30 each night, and reservations can be made by calling 456-0980. Here's the full menu:
Winston’s
Heirloom Tomato Dinner
2010
Amuse
Cherry
Tomato Truffle
Tomato Juice Shooter
Dry Shot
Appetizer
Braised
Bacon, Tomato Relish
Compressed Melon, Mango
Pudding,
Aromatics
Soup
Charred and
Chilled Tomato Soup
Grilled Avocado, Kuhio Foam
Fish
Laughing
Shrimp with Bagoong
Bitter Melon, Fried Beans,
Eggplant,
Tomato
Intermezzo
Naked Tomato
Discussion
Entrée
Braised Beef
Short Ribs
Garlic, Herb, Horseradish
Cheddar Grits
Dessert
Tomatoes
Romanoff
Sweet Cream Biscuit with Tomato
Tomato
Brûlée
Photo: Flickr/Muffet [5]