Sotto Terra

Last Wednesday I attended an event organized by Ketchum that was billed as an underground pop-up restaurant called Sotto Terra in Manhattan’s West Village.

However, this evening of food and conversation with chef George Duran and Phil Lempert really turned out to be a focus group/product launch for Marie Callender’s frozen lasagna. Given the reputations of Ketchum, Lempert and Duran I’m sure it must have been an error. In public relations it is really important that an event accurately reflects what it is since a company can easily lose credibility and alienate influencers if it is not transparent.

In spite of this, I really did enjoy the dinner table conversation and connecting with the other attendees. We had a spirited debate about meat and whether or not seeing an animal butchered affects a person’s desire to eat meat. There was also a nice story by one woman there about growing up on a farm in South America.

Phil Lempert leading the discussion

Mr. Lempert also engaged everyone in a discussion about whether the calorie counts at restaurants and on nutrition labels affect purchasing decisions. Personally, if I go to a McDonalds or fast food joint I don’t want to know how bad I am being to myself. Every now and then it is okay to indulge in the pleasures and you shouldn’t feel shameful about it because you will not enjoy the experience. As a fellow food enthusiast once eloquently told me

After you decide to do smoke. Enjoy it for the moment because otherwise it will ruin your experience. Later, think about it and decide whether or not or how much you want to smoke.

At the event, much of the food served was Chef Duran’s. His cocktails turned out to be very refreshing and perfect for a summer evening in August. The White Sangria contained strawberries and apples and had the perfect ratio of alcohol to fruit so that neither flavor overwhelmed. Duran told us that he used that Sangria, albeit a much stronger version, to propose to his wife and I can see why it worked. Duran also creatively combined the she sweet and savory again in his Watermelon and Cucumber Gazpacho shots. (click below for the sangria recipe). The endives with oranges, goat cheese, walnuts and Balsamic Vinegar accompanied these drinks nicely. I always have enjoyed the combination of goat cheese with nuts. The vinegar and oranges gave the appetizer just a slight zippiness.

The Strawberry Arugula Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette was an excellent first course because it echoed the tartness and summer feeling of the cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

The Double Stacked Four Cheese Lasagna main course which was one of Marie Callender’s frozen products was somewhat mediocre and the marinara sauce lacked the complexity of flavors that I am used to in a lasagna. Also, the meat tasted somewhat over processed. I do understand that sometimes people simply do not have the time to cook a gourmet meal, but I think lasagna really is not a very difficult dish to make and is one that can always be made ahead of time, refrigerated and reheated. I would suggest to ConAgra that they should perhaps look to Trader Joe’s for examples of really unique gourmet frozen food, which can easily be reheated.

Also, I thought Chef Duran’s Herbed Cheesy garlic bread was a little bit too heavy and loaded with cheese. I would have preferred a more traditional version.

The palate cleansing mojito granita was a great transition from the savory to the sweet Razzleberry Pie which even though it was frozen really did taste like it had been home baked.

Click below for some more photos from the event and the recipe for Chef Duran’s Sangria.