“We bent the rules,” Chef Michael Anthony informed me in the middle of my exquisite 5-course lunch at Gramercy Tavern yesterday.  Instead of playing along with our ingredient-of-the-day game, Anthony and his crew had decided to challenge themselves and incorporate as many of the eleven ingredients as they could into the restaurant’s current tasting menu.

Mike, as he introduced himself, surprised me at my table, delivering my second course himself and striking up a conversation about cooking with local and seasonal ingredients.

“It may be what we do everyday or what we’re passionate about,” he told me, “but that might not be the case for everyone who sat in the dining room today.”

It turns out that Eat Drink Local week isn’t just exciting for lucky diners like me who’ve taken advantage of all the prix fixe menus and specials this week.  Chefs enjoyed it, too!  Anthony had a lot of fun with the challenge and wants to try to figure out how to drive innovation with local ingredients in his kitchen all the time.  He even joked about trying to convince Edible publisher Brian Halweil to continue Eat Drink Local week indefinitely.  (Really, would that be such a bad idea?)

The first course got the meal off to an awesome start: Littleneck clams and grapes (at top) from Long Island with thin, crunchy slices of sunchoke, strips of sorrel, and anise-scented basil leaves.  Then the momentum built from there.  The second dish featured florets of cauliflower, seared to caramelized perfection and topped with capers, tomatoes, shallots, parsley, chives and tarragon.  And just when I thought this meal couldn’t get any tastier, out came a plate of striped bass on a bed of braised kale and smokey freekah (wheat picked while it’s still green) doused in a kabocha squash sauce and garnished with salmon roe and Nasturtium petals (above).  With each bite, roe exploded on my tongue, releasing a burst of pungent, slightly salty fish flavor.  The fourth course presented strips of tender duck breast with apple slices and aji roasted peppers and shallots.  But a fine meal such as this wouldn’t be complete without a little something sweet…

Or in this case, somethings sweet.  The dessert platter (at right) featured on one side the most amazing apple pie, and on the other a scoop of cinnamon sour cream ice cream — made with dairy products from Battenkill Valley Creamery – on a bed of candied pecan bits.  Tangy played with creamy, tart with sweet and I went home full and happy, and ready to live everyday as Eat Drink Local week — if Michael Anthony is cooking for me, that is.