About two weeks ago—just before Hurricane Sandy turned our lives upside down and the election continued this trajectory—I had the good fortune to experience a pop-up dinner from Jason Hook's H2O Kitchen at McCarthy's. You know, the tea room formerly known as Granny McCarthy's, behind Donegal Square, in Bethlehem? It seems that taking Granny out of the equation better reflects the kind of creative Celtic fare cooked up by Chef Kelly Thos. Shay. And besides, if you hear the words “granny” and “tea room,” don't you think of doilies? At least we did, during a discussion at dinner. The doilies are, literally and figuratively, off the table; in truth, they never really were there in the first place.
All that aside, whodathunk the Great Room at McCarthy's, full of reclaimed Irish pine (which originally hailed from North America, but that's another story) would be home to a BYOB 12-course gourmet tasting dinner. But according to owner Neville Gardner, the space is “underutilized,” and after meeting Hook through a mutual acquaintance, graphic designer and photographer Marty Desilets, a plan was hatched for a communal-style pop-up dinner seating 25. Granted, events like this have been happening for years in larger cities, but it's a relatively novel concept for the Lehigh Valley, and one Gardner seems interested in exploring. “As a restaurant owner, I am always willing to look at something different,” he says. “I thought this sounded like fun. We might do more of this sort of thing.” (He's also considering making cider and beer on the premises—shhhhh!)
Chef Hook's approach to the plate can best be described as progressive American cuisine rooted in classic French techniques, with global inspirations. The Great Room's Celtic touches and interior details lend a Medieval, castle-like feel. Plating a dish involves just that—using plates—and most chefs prefer white as their blank canvas. Using McCarthy's green glazed pottery created an unusual juxtaposition: innovative French fine dining meets Celtic hospitality. Hook, keenly aware of the context, adjusted and accommodated for this in the composition of his dishes; he went slightly more rustic. The conversation between food and plate was admittedly more straightforward than usual for Hook, embellished by fewer dabs of gel and swirls of sauce. The very first thing we ate exemplified this balance—housemade brown bread paired with goat butter and smoked sea salt.
And it just continued from there. From start to finish, diners were presented with international mash-ups that may have sounded head-scratching upon reading, but were palate-pleasing upon eating. There was Asia, in the form of a spicy beef tartare, Asian pear and red Thai chiles, served—why not?—in a tiny chocolate ice cream cone. And at the end of the meal, we finished with a Spanish/Italian/Celtic dessert hybrid: white truffle flan, blackberry and scone crumble. In the middle, we had back-to-back foie gras dishes. The first, comprised of foie gras tourchon, spaghetti squash, medjool date and huckleberry, and the other, essentially a soup: foie gras velouté with crispy-crunchy turnip wontons, chicken confit, kale, and perfectly cubed butternut squash. The tourchon, which took the form of a cooked, chilled puree through a squirt bottle rather than the typical seared slices, turned into a creamy-dreamy spread for brown bread, and the velouté was just plain comforting.
There were respites of familiar tastes, presented creatively, such as the preserved tomato confit with shaved gruyere, whose concentrated tastes of tomato and sharp cheese felt like pizza—but without the sauce. And Hook's risotto with hen of the woods mushrooms, preserved black truffle, parmesan and mascarpone warmed everyone on the inside. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention his simple but effective treatment of a single carrot: roasted to peak sweetness, draped in a thin slice of his own cured lardo, with a dab of passionfruit gel. A fellow diner was moved to pronounce it, “the best carrot I've ever eaten.”
The evening was laid back, as many people in attendance knew each other, but well-paced and professional. Even the approach that night to photography was ad hoc; Marty Desilets says he didn't want to bring “a big rig,” a smart move even if it means some of the images here are a bit dark and, well, rustic. Are we onto something here at the Great Room? Perhaps. “Yes, I would do it again with Jason or another chef in a similar situation. We are also considering doing a fine dining experiment using our own chef, Kelly Thomas Shay, who has lots of experience,” Gardner says.
McCarthy's Tea Room at Donegal Square is open seven days a week for lunch, with dinner (including fish and chips) on Friday nights and Irish breakfast on the weekends. The Great Room is available for private events such as parties, dinners and corporate events.534 Main St., Bethlehem; Donegal Square 610.866.3244; McCarthy's 610.861.7631
