Culinary Coup
Austin chef wows New York City with fresh farmhouse fare
For the second year in a row, Chef Harold Marmulstein of Austin’s Salty Sow wowed the James Beard House in New York City with a special dinner. He presented a gastropub-focused menu with wine pairings for 74 diners on May 7.
Marmulstein worked in his father’s upstate New York bakery as a child, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park and worked as an executive chef for more than 30 years in fine-dining restaurants across the U.S. He founded Salty Sow in 2012, where he serves contemporary farmhouse fare with fresh hand-crafted meats, cocktails and entrees sourced from local farms and purveyors.
In March and April, Salty Sow’s Austin location previewed the five-course New York menu, created to reflect Salty Sow’s gastropub style while incorporating fresh spring ingredients.
A selection of appetizers included fried bone marrow with spring pea chimichurri, beef steak tartare, and truffled chicken salad deviled eggs.
The first course, a Scotch egg with charred ramps and creole remoulade, was paired with Jester King's Farmhouse Ale. A chunky, zesty zucchini parmesan soup paired with Fall Creek Sauvignon Blanc formed the second course, and for the third, Hawaiian ahi tuna with wasabi butter was served with Signorello Hope’s Cuvee Chardonnay from Napa Valley.
The fourth course was a highlight. A tender, flavorful bone-in filet mignon featured Hudson Valley foie gras, morel mushrooms and a bone marrow red wine sauce. This was paired with a Cain Five 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon. Pearl tapioca pudding brulee with candied boiled peanuts concluded the meal.
Marmulstein said some of the dishes could end up on the Austin menu on a regular basis, perhaps the ahi tuna and pudding brulee.
“To know that so many mentors, contemporaries, friends and culinary talent have been in the James Beard kitchen before me is extremely thrilling and I love that the dinners go to a cause I’m passionate about,” said Marmulstein.
“They’re extremely selective with their chefs, so I was fortunate that I was selected.”
