Chef’s Tasting
A special invitation from Chef Jahaad Jackson and new Owner, Chloe Kidd
By Jan Walsh
New owner and operator, Chloe Kidd is making waves at Ocean. And tonight is an exciting introduction to Ocean’s new restaurateur, as she reimagines Ocean, from its fare to the plates it is served on and the new wines paired. Ocean originally opened in 2002 and was made a star in Birmingham’s dining crown by former executive chef and former owner, George Reis. New Head Chef Jahaad Jackson was Reis’ sous chef and has cooked at Ocean for severn years.
A group of special guests enjoy an exclusive tasting dinner of new Head Chef Jackson’s upcoming menu creations. The patio is reserved for us tonight. The two tables are adorned with candlelight, botanicals, new signature dinnerware, and place cards, such as “Mrs. Walsh” for assigned seating. Tonight Kev and I are like new parents with no babysitter tonight (puppy sitter is out of town), so my friend, Richard Phillips rescues as my +1 escort.
Ocean’s bar and bartenders are a local treasure. Thus, it is fitting that the tasting dinner starts with cocktails. From the list of house cocktails, Richard has the Ocean Martini, and I opt for Rivera 75. The Ocean Martini has been a classic here forever. Wonderful to see remains anchored on the hand-crafted cocktail list. Seafoam green in color with an interesting garnish of dehydrated pineapple, it boasts notes of sweet citrus. My complex and refreshing Riveria 75 is a layering of Tanqueray, Cointreau, lemon, simple syrup, topped with Champagne and dehydrated blood orange. Highly recommended!
Chef Jackson introduces each course tonight. We start with Amuse Trio: Oyster Bienville, Lobster Rangoon, Tuna Tataki. Namesake of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, the French explorer and colonial governor, who founded the city of New Orleans in 1718. Served on the half shell, the oyster arrives bubbly with golden breadcrumbs, it is a scrumptious synthesis of creamy and crunchy textures, and smoky and savory flavors. Next bite is sushi grade, tantalizing tuna atop a rice tower, think mini sushi. Long live the rangoons at Ocean! I have memories of these from decades ago. And I mentioned how I missed them in my feature on Ocean’s 20th Anniversary in 2022. The golden wonton features succulent lobster, bursting with flavor. Catch it if you can!
The next tasting is Flame Broiled Black Cod. With all our wonderful Gulf fish, which remain on Ocean’s main menu, it is nice to see a cod dish. This lovely white fish is rounded out with Israeli couscous, fennel, carrot, lobster butter, and tarragon.
Richard and I pair this and the remaining courses with a bottle of food friendly Schramsberg Brut Rose. Winemaker, Hugh Davies is a friend of mine, who stays at my home, when in Birmingham. I have also been hosted many times at the vineyard and witnessed the harvest and wine making process that he learned from his parents, Jack and Jamie Davies. Here they bottle happiness! Hand-picking, careful handling, and gentle pressing produce an aromatic purity and depth. The finished blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is fermented in bottle, aged on its yeast lees for two years, long enough to achieve refined effervescence and toastiness without diminishing its vibrancy. This crisp and lovely wine is peach in color, has lively effervescence, and notes of peach, strawberry, raspberry, and lemon.
I always said that Ocean is the best steakhouse in Birmingham! And tonight, I add an exclamation point to that sentence. The third tasting course is a New York Strip. Enhanced by maître d’ butter and plum gastrique, the tender, juicy steak is accompanied by haute Hasselback potato. Called, hasselbackspotatis in Swedish. Named for Restaurang Hasselbacken, a restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden that has been in operation since the 1700s, where these Swedish potatoes were invented in the 1950s. Sliced thinly (almost through), the potatoes fan out when baked. The outside is crisp and inside is creamy. Outstanding. Look for these on the menu!
We end the evening over a divine dessert of Vanilla Pot de Crème with dalgona coffee and Biscoff, as we share business cards with new friends we made at our table. Congratulations to Kidd and Chef for a night to remember!
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