Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/488317
april 2015 / the tasting panel / 79 Dining with The Duke Dish No. 2: Chicken N' Sausage Stew At Yardbird in Las Vegas, Southern Comfort food is the name of the game. "Everything we do has a Southern twist," says Executive Chef Todd Harrington. "But I do upscale French plating, which adds a touch of 'Vegas' quality to things. Here, bigger is better: I have an 18-ounce smoked porkchop tomahawk on the menu that's so big I had to order special 20-inch plates for it," Harrington laughs. So when we challenged Harrington to pair a dish with the Porkchop cocktail, which features Duke Bourbon, he knew big, bold flavors would be the way to go. "It's an untraditional cocktail that only speaks for itself when you taste it—and so does our chicken and sausage stew. Although we end up seasoning every component in that dish together, each element has its own cooking procedure," explains Harrington. "We grill the chicken, sear the shrimp and pre-cook the Andouille sausage, resulting in a lot of robust flavors. Everything complements each other, from the char on the grill to the sweet-spicy from the sausage, and those flavors marry beautifully with the Porkchop cocktail." When we asked Chef how he'd pair Duke neat, he told us his options were nearly endless: "Bourbon is almost a guaranteed pairing with Southern food!" Dining with The Duke Dish No. 3: The Duke and The King In the heart of Miami's vibrant Design District, MC Kitchen offers garden- fresh, greenmarket Italian cuisine—but when it comes to pairing with Duke Bourbon, chef/owner Dena Marino turned to two American icons on par with John Wayne: a classic cheeseburger and Elvis. "We like to call our pairing 'The Duke and The King,'" explains Marino. "It's an eight-ounce Black Angus bleu cheese burger topped with crunchy Duke pickles, caramelized onion and Duke Bourbon–infused mayo, served with a side of Duke Bourbon battered onion rings and Duke Bourbon–infused honey mustard for dipping." So where does Elvis come in? It's the Red Velvet Elvis cocktail, a sweet-and-savory offering featuring fennel honey, beet juice, white Balsamic and, of course, Duke Bourbon. "We honestly love big, juicy, mouthwatering burgers, and we love bourbon—it was an obvious match made in heaven for us," continues Marino, who prides herself on pushing new boundaries at MC Kitchen with a "Why not?" philosophy. "We believe that with bold and thoughtful consideration, anything is possible." PHOTO: MONA SHIELD PAYNE Full of flavor: Chicken N' Sausage Stew. Executive Chef Todd Harrington at Yardbird in Las Vegas. Deana Marino is a James Beard award–winning chef at MC Kitchen in Miami. PHOTO: VANESSA ROGERS PHOTO: VANESSA ROGERS PHOTO: MONA SHIELD PAYNE