As a way of thanking clients for the opportunity to work for them, RIKB’s President Steve St. Onge and Project Designer Prudence Stoddard hosted RIKB’s first Private Dining Evening. The clients were invited along with two guests of their choice to enjoy a special three-course meal and wine pairing in the Showroom’s working kitchen. The chef for the evening was Chef Chris Palios of Sophia’s Tuscan Grille in Warwick, RI. After graduating from Rhode Island’s Johnson & Wales University, Chef Palios studied in the Tuscany region of Italy before coming back to the states and becoming co-owner of Sophia’s Tuscan Grille. The appetizer menu included two types of bruschetta, and an incredible wood-grilled clams casino pizza. The main course was a choice of a chorizo sausage crusted pan-roasted free range chicken breast with haricots verts with a hot Italian cherry pepper butter sauce, or a seared filet mignon with butter-poached Maine lobster and haricots verts. Dessert was the Chef’s own homemade gelato with poached peaches.

Chef Palios, known for his cooking classes at the restaurant, took time to demonstrate his techniques and explain the nuances of each dish to the clients and their guests. Local wine expert Marc ‘the wine guy’ Guillotte of People’s Liquor Warehouse paired a Prosecco Brut Mionetto with the appetizers, an Italian Suavia Soave Classico was paired with the wood-grilled clams casino pizza, and a Napa red wine Pazzo ’05 was offered with the main course.

The chicken was delicious, the filet cooked to perfection, the lobster was plentiful, and the haricots verts were blanched and then sauteed in a toasted garlic olive oil and had just the right texture. The gelato was layered over the poached peaches and topped with almond slivers.

All had more than enough to eat and enjoyed a very memorable evening.