August 15, 7:00 P.M. Dinner: Baltimore’s Bar Clavel x Brooklyn’s Claro
August 15, 2024 07:00 PM
Join Chefs Carlos Raba and TJ Steele for This Mexican Collaboration Dinner.
25 11th Ave, New York, NY 10011, USA
Born and raised in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Bar Clavel’s Chef and Co-Owner Carlos Raba opened the Baltimore restaurant in 2015, which was inspired by his family’s recipes. Over the last decade, the restaurant has earned numerous accolades for its authentic cuisine and unique mezcal program—one of the best in the country. For this singular dinner, James Beard Best Chef Mid-Atlantic semifinalist chef Raba is teaming up with chef, and friend T.J. Steele of the celebrated Claro, located in Gowanus, Brooklyn, which was awarded three-stars by Eater’s Robert Sietsema upon opening in 2018. Known for making all of their ingredients by hand (including their masa, cheeses, chorizo, and moles), Claro’s menu is a study in the deep traditions of Oaxacan cuisine. Don’t miss this chance to taste chef Raba and chef Steele’s collaborative exploration of artisan Mexican regional cuisine.
Dining Table $170 | Internal Chefs Counter $185 | External Chefs Counter $150
MENU
Hors d’Oeuvre
Pellizcada de Frijol Negro y Huitlacoche
Gluten-free
Salmon Curado en Sal de Guajillo con Queso Cotija en Telera
Contains dairy
Aguachile Rojo with Fire Roasted Tomatoes and Scallops
Contains shellfish
Mezcalita Cocktail > El Buho Espadin Mezcal with Lime and Nela Syrup
Dinner
Sopa de Tortilla
Vegan and gluten-free; contains sesame
Bar Clavel Fermented Tepache Picante
Aguachile de Camarón con Salsa Tatemada Tostada
Contains shellfish and gluten
Casa BalaguerTragolargo
Tamal Lengua with Mole Verde
Gluten-free; contains nuts
Amado Nervo Cocktail > El Buho Espadín with Cilantro Honey, Priorat Vermouth, Lime, and Cava Rosé
Enmoladas de Pato with Mole Rojo, Cherries, and Purslane
Contains alliums, dairy, nuts, and sesame
Rey Campero Madre-Cuishe Mezcal with Tamarind and Pal’alma Café de la Olla Mezcal
Arroz con Leche with Mezcal-Poached Fruit and Whipped Cream
Contains dairy
Mezamaro
About Carlos Raba:
Chef Carlos Raba was born and raised in the Mexican state of Sinaloa by his mother and her four sisters. He learned to make tortillas by hand at his uncle’s restaurant and picked up classic Mexican recipes from his aunts and grandmother. Raba’s mother was a journalist who was critical of Mexican politicians, so fearing for their lives, she sought asylum and moved the family to the suburbs of Washington, D.C. when Raba was 17.
After graduating high school, Raba attended business school for a year and then began working in grocery stores. Tiring of the corporate life, his business partner Lane Harlan convinced him to use his creativity and family recipes to open Bar Clavel in Baltimore in 2015. In a converted American grill, Raba serves the same shrimp ceviche recipe that his family taught him when he was 6 years old, along with other Sinaloan specialties in a relaxed, communal setting. In 2017, Raba was named “Best Chef in Baltimore” by City Paper and in 2018 Carlos Raba was named a rising star chef by StarChefs. In 2022 Carlos Raba was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: MidAtlantic.
About T.J. Steele:
TJ Steele was born into an Italian family in New Jersey where he grew up cooking next to his mother and grandmother. Steele attended The Culinary Institute of America and moved to New York City in 2002. Within three years he became Executive Sous Chef at Danny Meyer's landmark, award-winning Union Square Cafe. At 25 years old, he was the youngest executive sous chef in the restaurant's history. His trip to Mexico in 2006 brought TJ to Oaxaca and changed his trajectory. He first immersed himself through mezcal, working with the locally based Jimenez family and their farms to bring handmade, affordable products to New York City. He founded El Buho Mezcal and eleven years later, it is available in over 20 states, internationally, and still growing.
In the summer of 2017, he opened Claro, a Oaxacan influenced restaurant in Gowanus, Brooklyn with an emphasis on seasonal cooking around corn, barbacoa, consommé and mezcal. The restaurant reflects Steele’s time spent in Oaxaca and the community of craftsmen, cooks, farmers and neighbors that have become family to him over the past dozen years.
Since opening, Steele has been awarded a Michelin Star for Claro, named StarChefs Rising Star Chef and the reader’s choice winner for Eater Chef of the Year as well as Chef to Watch by Plate Magazine. He was a featured subject in a documentary on the history of food and led Claro to a two-star review and top 10 restaurant of the year from the New York Times. He continues to source the mezcals for El Buho and his palate remains the standard for the brand.
Tickets to events held at Platform at Pier 57 by the James Beard Foundation cover the cost of food, education and a unique dining experience. Meals are prepared by culinary masters from all regions of the United States and around the world. Unless otherwise stated, alcoholic beverages are provided on a complimentary basis and are not included in the ticket price.
James Beard Foundation events permit guests age 21 years and older to attend events where alcoholic beverages are served.