Each year, the Swank Table dinner series by Swank Specialty Produce brings together some of South Florida’s top chefs for unforgettable meals on the namesake farm. This season kicked off with an Argentine BBQ dubbed “Gauchos Asados,” which featured delicious fare from the likes of Miami Smokers, The Sugar Factory, Batch Gastropub, Red Splendor and Hilton Hotel West Palm Beach.
For those not familiar with Swank Table, the monthly dinner series is a production. The minute you set foot on the farm, you’re greeted with music from local talent along with a welcome drink and bite. From then on, there’s not a moment where you’re lacking a drink in your hand or food on your plate. In our case, the welcome bite was a Chicken and Pork Sausage from Red Splendor, which paired nicely with Batch’s refreshing libation.
After scoping out the land and making some new friends, more food ensued. We enjoyed generous pours of bubbly plus tapas from each of the four chefs participating: Andres Barrientos (Miami Smokers), Miguel Santiago (Hilton Hotel West Palm Beach), Max Santiago (The Sugar Factory) and Swank’s own Simon Stojanovic. These bites included Mini Chicken Empanadas and Roasted Beets and Strawberries — all of which served to whet our palates for the meal to come.
Once we sat down, the four-course feast began with Chef Stojanovic’s interpretation of Salmonete en Caldo Ahumado (baked red mullet with smoked fish fumet, salsa criolla and hierba buena oil). The second course — a Ribeye and Sweetbreads Duo from Chef Miguel Santiago — was the one of the highlights of our night. Closing out the savory side of things was Chef Barrientos with Morcilla-Stuffed Whole Hog and Russian Potato Salad. The grand finale came courtesy of Chef Max Santiago, whose dessert platter of Alfajores, Butternut Squash + Marshmallow Skewers, and — of course — donuts ended our meal on the sweetest of notes.
Needless to say, there’s a lot of food involved when it comes to Swank Table dinners. You certainly get your money’s worth, and the whole experience of enjoying a sumptuous supper inside the farm’s gigantic barn makes for one heck of a Facebook photo album. If you missed this past dinner, don’t make the same mistake again: There are seven more dinners happening, including one this weekend featuring Nicole Votano of Charcoal at The Wynwood Yard along with other notable culinary figures. You can get tickets to this Farm Table dinner here.
One thing you need to keep in mind, especially if you’re coming from Miami: It’s a long drive to the farm in Loxahatchee. Before this dinner, we had never heard of Loxahatchee. We still don’t really know much about it except that it took us 90 minutes to get there from Coral Gables. That’s why we recommend overnight accommodations.
We stayed at the Hilton West Palm Beach — about 20-25 minutes east of the farm. It’s reasonably priced and its location in WPB is hard to beat; the hotel is a stone’s throw away from CityPlace and other fun sights, so once you’re done with dinner, you can head back to the hotel and keep the party going. While we didn’t have a chance to check out the on-site restaurants and bars, our good friend Shaina from Take a Bite Out of Boca had a fantastic meal at Galley, which you can read about here. We did, however, check out at the resort-style pool; it’s hard to resist spending your whole day there.
Our parting advice: Don’t sit on these dinner tickets. They sell out fast. To see the full schedule of Swank Table dinners, visit the farm’s official website.
