Restaurateurs competed in the kitchen –
and on sailboats – on Aug. 8 to raise funds for a teen sailing
program as part of the Restaurant Regatta 2004. After the chefs
and their crews each raced J-24 sailboats owned by the Manhattan
Sailing Club (a knowledgeable skipper from the club was assigned
to each boat), they sped into the Bubble Lounge champagne bar
at 228 West Broadway to set up for the second leg of the competition.
In the culinary contest, which paired hors d’eouvres with Nicolas
Feuillatte champagnes, Manhattan’s Butter restaurant won the
top prize for their brie and black cardamom sandwich with curried
mushrooms paired with the Brut Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru de
Chardonnay.
Bay Ridge’s Provence En Boite restaurant and patisserie received
a special citation – a magnum of champagne – for their elegantly
arranged, scrumptious variety of mousses paired with the Brut
Rose Premier Cru.
While Chanterelle restaurant of Manhattan came in first in the
boat race, Provence En Boite chef Jean-Jacques Bernat (pictured
at right with his wife Leslie, son Jacques, 4, and daughter Andrea,
6,) and his boating team (at left) came in sixth out of eight
boats. Not bad for a team with no boating experience – which
Leslie confessed at the boisterous party set in motion by French
girl band, Paprika.
The benefit raised $1,500 for the club’s free sailing program
for New York City teens.
For more information about the Manhattan Sailing Club, visit
the Web site at www.myc.org. For more information, about Provence
En Boite (8303 Third Ave. at 83rd Street), call (718) 759-1515
or visit the Web site at www.provenceenboite.com.
