Equinox Encore An Evening of Epicurean Excellence

Some reunions are long overdue. Our Bailliage enjoyed three memorable evenings at Equinox, in 2011, 2013 and 2017. Then the pandemic intervened, Equinox moved to a handsome new home at the corner of 19th and I Streets, and the years slipped by. On Wednesday, November 4th, we returned at last for a fourth evening together, and it lived up to its name: an encore in every sense.

Chef Todd Gray reserved his private dining room for our Bailliage alone and presented a menu conceived especially for us. Since founding Equinox in 1999 with his wife and partner, Ellen Kassoff, Chef Gray has championed seasonal cuisine drawn from the farms, orchards and waters of the Mid-Atlantic, long before "farm to table" became a catchphrase. Through a fire, a pandemic and a relocation, Equinox has stayed true to those principles, and Chef Gray, a five-time James Beard Award finalist, gave our group his full attention from the first canapé to the final spoonful of gelato. He was joined by Chef de Cuisine Ernesto Munoz, who runs the Equinox kitchen alongside him, and by Private Dining Manager Hannah Sherbrooke, who made sure every detail was right. To complement the cuisine, we uncorked a selection of wines from the Bailliage's own cellar, and each course found a worthy partner in the glass.

The evening opened, as every Chaîne evening should, with Champagne: the NV Charles Heidsieck Brut Rosé Réserve, from the house of the original "Champagne Charlie." Aged four to five years in chalk cellars carved by the Romans beneath Reims, more than three times the legal minimum, it poured a pale salmon-copper with a fine, lasting bead. Wild strawberry, red currant and a hint of blood orange rose from the glass, carried on a creamy mousse with notes of toasted brioche, while a touch of Pinot Noir from Les Riceys lent it its blush and depth.

The passed canapés seemed made for it. The Foie Gras Mousse on Toasted Brioche with brûléed mission figs echoed the wine's own brioche notes, the caramelized figs meeting its red fruit. The Tuna Tartare on Crispy Rice Chips arrived in a lacy, translucent rice crisp, the ruby tuna crowned with glistening pearls of balsamic caviar that the rosé's berry fruit picked up beautifully. And the Oyster Mushroom Tempura, golden and shatteringly crisp over a swoosh of black garlic aioli, showed why Champagne and fried food are such old friends: the bubbles swept away the richness and left us ready for more.

Once we were seated, Chef Gray turned to one of his great specialties: fresh pasta. He spent a number of years cooking alongside Roberto Donna, the Italian master chef whose name is woven into Washington's culinary history, and that training showed in every fold of his Tortellini of Sea Scallop and Maine Lobster. The silky parcels sat in a golden saffron mussel cream with leek fondue, scattered with plump mussels, bright tomato, shaved cheese and emerald drops of basil oil. Alongside came the 2022 Bruno Lorenzon Montagny 1er Cru "Le Choix du Roi" from Burgundy's Côte Chalonnaise. Lorenzon once ran a cooperage and now designs his own barrels from oak dried on his estate, and his Chardonnay shows that care: lemon zest, white peach and a whisper of hazelnut, held together by a taut, chalky minerality. That mineral spine was a natural match for the shellfish, its fresh acidity cut cleanly through the saffron cream, and its gentle oak met the natural sweetness of the lobster.

From Burgundy we traveled west to the Loire for the fish course. A pearly, golden-seared fillet of Baked Nova Scotia Halibut rested on wilted spinach and a velvety pool of truffled sunchoke cream, crowned with a delicate sunchoke crisp and brightened with a honey Meyer lemon vinaigrette. The 2022 Château Yvonne Saumur Blanc is Chenin Blanc, known locally as Pineau de la Loire, grown on the soft white tuffeau limestone that built the Loire's châteaux and farmed organically with biodynamic methods. It brought quince, baked apple, honeycomb and lemon pith, with a waxy texture and a chalky, saline finish. The honey in the wine found its twin in the vinaigrette, its rich texture stood up to the earthy truffle and sunchoke, and its lively acidity kept the whole plate bright.

Then it was back to Burgundy, and to red, for the main course. Rosy slices of Slow-Cooked Breast of Muscovy Duck arrived glazed in a glossy green peppercorn jus, the peppercorns glinting like dark pearls, alongside a sunny smoked butternut purée and earthy chanterelles. Poured with it was the 2015 Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Gruenchers." The Rion family has farmed in Vosne-Romanée since 1896, and Les Gruenchers is a stony premier cru on Chambolle's north side. The warm 2015 vintage gave the wine generous fruit, and eleven years in bottle have softened it into something silky and layered: red cherry and raspberry, violets, then forest floor and sous-bois. Duck and red Burgundy are a classic pairing, and this one showed why. The chanterelles mirrored the wine's earthy notes, and the gentle heat of the peppercorns lifted its fruit.

Alsace had the final word. Our Granny Smith Apple Croustade was made à la minute and came to the table hot from the oven, as fresh as a dessert can possibly be. The aroma alone was enough to quiet the room, and the taste lived up to it: a golden, sugar-crusted pastry filled with tender apple and almond streusel, finished with caramel sauce and a quenelle of vanilla mascarpone gelato slowly melting against the warm crust. With it came the 2022 Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer "Altenbourg," from vines first planted by Capuchin monks in 1612 and tended by the Faller family since 1898. It is a perfumed beauty: rose petal, lychee, ginger and candied orange, with a gentle sweetness balanced by fresh acidity. Its exotic spice played beautifully against the tart apple and buttery caramel, and its floral lift kept the dessert from feeling heavy, a lovely close to the meal.

As the evening mellowed, someone asked Chef Gray how dining in Washington has changed over the years, and he grew wonderfully reflective. It is rare, he observed, for a fine dining restaurant to endure for almost thirty years; many do not last half that long. He also spoke of his team. Many of the people in his kitchen and at the front of the house have been with him for years, and our own server that evening, Ronny, was no exception: he has worked alongside Chef Gray for twenty-two years. Sitting in that private room, surrounded by such loyalty and such cooking, it was easy to understand why Equinox has lasted.

In her closing remarks, Bailli Judith Mazza told Chef Munoz that she could tell the food had been made with love. He echoed that sentiment in his own words to everyone present, speaking about how important it is to cook with passion and love. It was a fitting reflection on an evening where we had tasted both in every course.

Before we said goodnight, we paused to thank the people who made the evening so memorable. Chef de Cuisine Ernesto Munoz received a Chaîne plate in honor of his excellent cuisine. Chef Todd Gray, who over the years has already received every other piece of Chaîne regalia we could think of, was presented with a Chaîne apron to complete his collection. And Ronny, who looked after us with grace and warmth all evening, received a special Chaîne pin in recognition of his excellent service.

There was, quite simply, "Chaîne love" in the room. Old friends and new ones lingered over the last of the Gewurztraminer, and everyone left already talking about our next encore. Our heartfelt thanks to Chef Todd Gray, Ellen Kassoff, Chef Ernesto Munoz, Hannah Sherbrooke and the entire Equinox team.

Vive la Chaîne!