The James Beard Foundation

I was fortunate enough to visit the James Beard House during a Food Bank for NYC event. Very nondescript from the street, I walked in to a small foyer, through the kitchen, and into the back patio. After the cocktail hour, we moved upstairs to a small, dimly lit room where dinner is usually served.
My event was just for passed plates, and we brought our own chef. But based on recommendations from friends, I am very much looking forward to coming back for an actual meal here!

Attended the Harlem EAT UP event… my oh myyyy. it was fantastic! the chef line up was amazing:
Celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson (too many credentials to list)
Chef Joe“JJ” Johnson — The Cecil
Melba Wison — Melbas’s
Alliyah Baylor — Make My Cake
All the courses were artfully done! the flavor combinations were divine ! Cannot wait to go back!

We were there for The NYC Steak dinner. All the entrees and appetizers were wonderful. See the list in my photos. The house is small and there were about70 people seated at round tables. When you arrive you are assigned a table and you don’t know who you will be sitting with until after the cocktail hour. We would have rather been seated at a different table.
There were wine pairings with every course. All were spot on. Also there was an explanation of each pairing prior to each course. Including the cocktail hour, we were served a total of nine wines!
I deducted one star from the fabulous meal because of the seating tightness and excess noise. Still I would go back.

I love the idea of eating in someone’s home, especially when his name is James Beard. We enjoyed champaign with appetizers of pressed pig ear salad and octopus bites. We then went into the upstairs dining rooms which are just small rooms in the house. It’s a very intimate setting. Chef April Bloomfield was sitting at the next table over. The chef from her restaurant in San Francisco was the star chef of the evening. He prepared amazing rustic Italian dishes such as summer minestrone soup, melt in your mouth meatballs and the best short ribs I have ever had. They served us a walnut liqueur with the tiramisu. This was a great dining experience and one I hope to enjoy again one day.
I highly recommend this experience for anyone into good food.

I’m sitting here enjoying amazing cuisine at a foundations de for supporting chefs and farm to table philosophy of dining. Each 5 course meal is prepared for the entire house which was James Beard’s home until he died. There are tables dining in his bedroom living room and outdoor shower, while food is prepared by executive chef Kyle Itani from all over. Tonight our chef was from Hopscotch in Oakland (bay area) California. Had amazing oyster hors d’oeuvres with salmon roe. The cold smoked hamachi was incredible way to start… I had 3, it was so good. The main course was the best buttermilk fried game hen I’ve ever had. Great philosophy, exquisite food, incredible atmosphere! I’ll be back as much and as often as possible!!! James Beard House.

On April 13, 2015 the James Beard House held a special event titled «The Titanic Returns: Captain’s Table» It was to commemorate the untimely demise of what was the greatest cruise ship ever built to date.
We have supported the James Beard Foundation for years; yet never took the time to eat there. This year we decided to make it a priority. We love first class cruising and everything it has to offer. When we heard the theme was «Titanic», we immediately made reservations. After all, how could this be a disappointment? It should prove to be elegant and entertaining, right?
We arrived a bit early so spent some time exploring the area and working up an appetite. I have never spent much time in that neighborhood but really enjoyed seeing what is happening there. Lots of new and old architecture with some exciting looking restaurants.
The reception was held on the back patio of the house. To get there requires a short walk through a very small kitchen. It must be a real challenge to prepare a meal in such a space. An oyster bar was setup on the patio featuring four different styles from various regions. The oysters were fantastic but no plates were offered so it was a bit awkward.
Two drink specials were offered. They featured one of the evening’s sponsors, Macallan Distillery. White wine was also offered but you had to ask, it was not given openly. hors d’oeuvres were circulated but were not plentiful. I never was able to try the Bone Marrow with Potatoes, Fermented Pears, and Beet Reduction. However the Macallan 12-​Year-​Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky Spheres with Crispy Barley exploded in your mouth and the Wild Sturgeon Caviar with Crème Fraîche and Grapefruit and Beet-​Cured Salmon on Foie Gras Blinis were delicious.
Shortly after being seated the waiter brought a bowl with some ingredients at the bottom. We weren’t sure at first if this was the chef’s amuse bouche or part of the actual dinner. After consulting with the menu, we figured out that this was part of the soup course. The waiter offered no explanation. As a matter of fact, the wait staff was pleasant, but obviously overworked
The soup was Consommé Olga with Sturgeon Marrow, Celery Root, Mushrooms, and Vegetable Garn. A lightly seasoned soup that many felt was bland and heartless. I found it to be somewhat of a palette cleanser for the rich meal ahead. Unfortunately, it was a precursor for the sinking dinner we would be having.
The next course was Poached Wild Salmon with Cucumbers, Mousseline Sauce, and Crispy Salmon Skin. It was nicely prepared but served at below room temperature. As a matter of fact, we did not receive one hot entrée the entire evening. I found the salmon to be pleasant but instead of the «Crispy Salmon Skin» being like a chip, it was tough and inedible.
The next course was Filet Mignon Lili with Potatoes Anna, Artichokes, Foie Gras, and Black Truffles. The Foie Gras was perfect but he Filet was cold and tough. Cutting it with my knife was more than a challenge. The dish was paired with a 15 year old Macallan. A strange combination to be sure.
The Roasted Duckling with Barley, Cress, and Sous Vide Apples was overcooked and once again cold. Nobody at our table took more than three bites. We all volunteered to donate the dish to the pet cat of one of the patrons. I trust his animal might enjoy it more than we did.
The desert was Waldorf Pudding with Olive Oil Cake, Apple-​Walnut Crumble, and Smoked Sultana Grapes. It was tasty but dry. A small portion of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream would have complimented the dish perfectly. It was served with «Macallan Rare Cask» whiskey.
At the end of the meal, the chef Rob McCue came out to give a small presentation and take questions from the dining room. Someone at our table told me he was on TV’s Hell’s Kitchen. We all quickly deduced he didn’t last long on that show. He praised himself on his cooking abilities and became quickly obvious he knew absolutely nothing about the Titanic other than watching the Leonardo DiCaprio movie. Chef’s should cook their passion, not use a theme to carry their mediocre talent.
We never saw a head waiter and were never asked how we were enjoying the meal. I have had more attentive service at Chili’s. I passed the Chef on three or four different occasions; the last time while leaving the building via the kitchen. I had to squeeze around him while making my way to the exit. He was too busy pouring himself a drink and «yuking it up» with his friends to say hello.
Instead of being «A Night to Remember», this meal took all hands on deck down with it. Our dinner companions had all been to the restaurant on many occasions and were quickly to say that this was by far the worst meal they have ever had there. What a shame.
We still fully support the mission of the James Beard Foundation and will continue to give. However, we won’t run back for another evening soon. $ 130 per person for members and $ 170 for non-​members.

Came here for the annual cook book sale. While I didn’t really find cook books that were to my liking, I was able to snag a few food writing books that I’d been dying to read for a few dollars (much cheaper than strand!).
Will definitely have to come by here one of these days for one of their more food related events.

My one and only issue with The James Beard Foundation is that the first event I attended was so amazing that I’m afraid it’s going to ruin any future trips here.
I attended The Butcher and the Chef event on Thursday, February 12^th, for a delicious tasting prepped by John Vitale — head chef of Caffe Anello in Westwood, NJ. His team was joined by Salvatore Petruso from Prime Meats in showcasing some butcher-​shop favorites.
The first hour of the event, from 7−8pm, was a social hour filled with delicious Hor d’Oeuvres of homemade Italian meatball lollipops, maple-​glazed calf’s liver with bacon, knockwurst, drunken gin-​cured gravlax and aged beef sliders. An endless stream of Prosecco and Pinot Noir served to wash down the food and loosen your inhibitions.
Following the social hour, guests were seated accordingly as we all eagerly awaited the food.
The menu consisted of the following, with a glass of hand-​selected fine wine to accompany each:
Wild Mushroom Soup — rich and creamy, yet light enough to taste every individual component of the soup.
Long Island Duck Breast with Sweet Pinot Noir Chestnut Reduction — there’s nothing better than a well cooked duck breast, and chef John knocks it out of the park with this tender, juicy interpretation.
Fresh-​cut Fettuccini with Rabbit Ragù — probably my favorite thing from the menu. The freshly made fettuccini done al dente paired extremely well with the rabbit ragù, as the flavors meshed to form the perfect combination.
Bacon-​Wrapped 35 Day-​Dry-​Aged Rib-​Eye Loin — the ribeye is among my favorite cuts of steak, and this 35 day aged ribeye was one of the richest and smoothest cuts I’ve ever had.
Tiramisù — by this point, I was hit by the food and alcohol coma pretty hard, and wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep. However, the moment my eyes caught their tiramisù, my stomach complied and seemingly made more room. The layered dessert was a perfect ending to everything else and helped satisfy my sweet tooth in the process.
Aside from all the delicious food, my favorite part of the evening was observing the open kitchen and seeing everyone do their part.
It was a real pleasure seeing John’s team hard at work, as their passion for high quality, yet down-​to-​earth food translates into their preparation of each and every dish. Every menu item was handled with the utmost attention to detail, from the carefully picked fresh ingredients to the cooking methods to the presentation.
A wonderful night filled with delicious food, amazing company and great conversation — what more can one ask for?

I had the opportunity to attend a dinner here and was impressed. This is an amazing locale to mingle with foodies and sample meals from chefs all over the country. The chefs the night I went were Frank Stitt and Paul Yeck.
My favorite dishes that night were the lamb neck ragu with carrot agnolotti/​black truffles and the braised guinea hen with rice/​Brussels sprouts. The wine pairings were spot on (primarily whites.)
I highly recommend giving this place a try for any food lover. Just check on their website and pick a night that lines up with your tastes.

Never a waste of time or money if you enjoy food, the company of other foodies, and more food!

Just love the home & the foundation great place to have a meal from renowned chefs that guest chef in the home from the moment you enter & walk through the kitchen you get a sense of something very rare & special. Upon exiting the kitchen you enter what I would call the solarium where you are greater with Cocktails/​Champagne/​Wine & Hors d’ oeuvres depending on the event next you may mingle with beverage in hand with fellow guests in the solarium or move out to the backyard they have just finished construction of a wet bar in the backyard this summer. When it is time for dinner they call you & you are escorted upstairs to the dining room or if your fortunate enough you may be seated on the upper floor in the private dining room. Your dinner experience will vary depending on which chef or group of chef is scheduled to cook the evening you attend. It’s a great experience as well as a respected charity you should attend a dinner if you can you will enjoy yourself!

Had the opportunity to dine here with some friends in the restaurant industry. The experience i got in place place i will never forget. This place is really cool because they have different chefs from all over the world come to James Beard House to cook and showcase their food and techniques in cooking.
The Décor & Staff: When walk in the place it looks really small but you get to walk through the kitchen to walk upstairs where they are big round tables for people that are dining in. Its great atmosphere and a unique experience to dine in. The Staff are friendly and super knowledgeable on whats in every dish that was presented.
The Food: everything was amazing and awesome. The food presented was packed with flavors and awesomeness. all the flavors combine well with each other the food basically melt in your mouth yummy. this was hands down the best food i ever ate in my life (Sorry mom haha).
Overall this place is awesome and whenever i get a chance to go back i will hop all over it and go again. If you guys get the chance of going to this place i suggest you go for the wonderful unique experience.

Had a chance to dine here on a recent Saturday evening. The food was pretty good. Obviously it’s different each night so I won’t go into details other than to say I was a little disappointed most of the appetizers were sweet and not savory. I like dessert at the end of my meal not at the beginning.
The good: Great atmosphere, very fun to dine with other foodies. Unique experience unlike any others in NYC.
The bad: The wine that was pared with the first corse «didn’t arrive on time». That being said they decided just to serve us more champagne from the appetizer session. I’m not a big champagne and was craving red wine. I can’t believe they didn’t have a substitute (even if it wasn’t paired correctly… it’s not like they champagne was paired either). Not only this, but all night they were stingy with the wine pouring and hardly would allow a second glass. I’d almost rather them charge extra and let us actually buy or bring our own selections.
The only other thing that was disappointing was the very packed cocktail reception in the rear room. In the summer months they use the outside patio which would be great. That being said, going in the winter means you will be crammed into a room shoulder to shoulder with other guests. As they pass our hors d’oeuvres if you are in the back of the room you literally only get about 50% of what those in the front near the kitchen get to try. You find yourselves fighting with other guests to grab something off the plates as they are passed around. Since you don’t know who you are sitting with for dinner it can create a bit of an awkward experience later on when you find yourself sitting next to the lady you shoved out of the way to grab the last macaroon.
Overall it’s worth going once to see his house or if there is a particular guest chef cooking. They need to get better wine options (and quantities) and desperately need to allow people to spread out into other rooms during the cocktail reception (which only had champagne). The food on my visit was just pretty good. I didn’t expect to like everything but it was sadly lacking flavor and the portions were so tiny that the good stuff just left you wanting more.

I agree with all of the other reviews about the James Beard House. I had an amazing time here a few weeks ago — I attended the Heartland Classic Revisited dinner with chef Justin Aprahamian.
The place itself is warm and inviting. The cocktails before dinner in the garden was a great touch and I met some really interesting people. Each course of the dinner was amazing — of note were the scallops, sea bass, and the toffee pound cake. I was in awe of the chef’s taste and talent — and got to tell him so at the end of the dinner when the entire kitchen staff came around to tell us about the meal.
What a fantastic experience. This is certainly a place for special occasions, but I’ll definitely try to go back soon.

What a great meal experience at the Beard House. If you have the chance to go, GOOOO!
Tagged along with a member one night. Started with cocktail hour, then a nice dinner. The events take place inside James Beard’s actual house so the meal has an intimate vibe with historic undertones. My friend knew all about JB’s house and life and had a lot of information to share. For dinner, we were seated at a communal round table which can be good and bad, although in this instance, the conversation went smoothly.
A BBQ team were the guest chefs that night and it was awesome! The food was fantastic.
Would love to go back for a different event!

The James Beard foundation does a lot of charity work and hosts guest chefs, so talking about the food is kind of pointless since it is different on any given event night. It is a fun experience (cheaper if you are a member) because you are in a converted house and could be sitting in any part. It is a beautiful townhouse, although they might be trying to fit a few too many people into the space.
Appetizers are passed around downstairs, where the space can get tight. The meal I went to had wine during this cocktail hour and 5 more pairings with each dinner course.
You sit with your guests, but also some strangers, which can me for a very entertaining, interesting night. The staff is always ready to refill your glass and the guest chef shared a few words, which makes for a very personal dining experience.

What a cool NYC experience! My friend who writes for a national magazine invited me as her guest to a dinner here hosted by Triomphe located here in Manhattan. The set-​up is really interesting since you have to walk through the kitchen after you arrive to get to a small room for cocktails and appetizers.
It was a little crammed which made it uncomfortable, but the amazing drinks and food made up for it! They had really great mixologists that prepared some pretty interesting and unique drinks. Not to the mention that the low ball glasses had GIANT (and I meant giant) ice cubes in them — which is just brilliant because it (obviously) keeps the drink cold without attacking your face when you take a sip. The appetizers came out frequently and were all delicious though I loved the lobster dumpling the most.
They moved us upstairs for the meal where there were several large tables set up which I believe was JB’s former bedroom and living room. The meal was also amazing with about 5 courses and a wine pairing for each dish. It was hard not to please me at this point because of my alcohol intolerance. The most memorable dishes was the smoked salmon starter with lovely mousse and touch of caviar as well as the dessert — the lightest mini chocolate cake I’ll ever have with a mini cookie ice cream sandwich.
Be warned that if you go to an event here — don’t eat all day because I was SO stuffed afterwards. One of the most memorable nights I’ve had in the city.

I came here on behalf of an invite from a good friend of mine who had a spare ticket a week and a half ago, when the spotlight was on French-​influenced Asian fusion dishes. The setup was really cool — you get to walk through the kitchen, where there were plenty of people admiring the preparation of the food and taking plenty of pictures. Before the main course was served upstairs (in what must have been James Beard’s living room area), the area just past the dining area was where the pre-​meal congregating and socializing happened, along with sipping on wine and trying out the hor d’oeuvres (and wow, was the pastry chef for this evening amazing — the goat cheese macaroons were phenomenal). The upstairs setup had space for several large tables (we got the table out of sight and elevated), where we then indulged in several dishes and wines to be paired.
I wouldn’t say that the food we had was phenomenal — it wasn’t the best Asian fusion I’ve had — but I really like the vibe here. You’re around a lot of people who are probably as much, if not more, of a foodie than you are, and you do get time at the end to ask questions and chat with the chefs who have made your evening experience possible. I’ve heard of the James Beard Foundation in the past, but this really is an excellent tribute to the man himself, as well as to the entire food profession. I do hope to come back sometime — the diversity of food that is showcased here is fantastic. The waiters and servers here are also really nice people who will definitely recognize and remember you if you’re a regular here.

What a terrific venue for the classic wine and food event.
You have to pass through the kitchen to enter the dining areas, which helps transport you into the event itself
Our hosts this evening (Favia Wines and chefs from Oenotri in Napa) and the staff was fantastic in executing the five course meal and wine pairing.
A tribute to its history and the award!

I have been a member for years — and a staunch supporter.
Great food related events, mostly in NYC.
The e-​newsletter and recipes are great — and membership, while pricey, is well worth it — especially if you live in NYC.
Event prices are much less expensive for members.
Food is always great (often prepared by «new» up and coming chefs as well as «star» or established chefs.