Werk

The first flight, Crunch, was designed to naturally open guests' ears—a reaction when crunching on a food—to the music and set the tone for the evening. Buffet items included a sugar snap pea salad made with watercress, mung sprouts, hon shimeji mushrooms, grilled eggplant, and a ginger lime chili sauce. Waiters also passed crab salad in crunchy cucumber cups and mashed lava beans and English peas served on a crostini.

Another salad option during the Crunch flight mixed pomelo, green papaya, watermelon, and radish. The citrus flavors tied in with a jasmine tea margarita passed as guests arrived.

The second course, Smoke and Bitters, included stronger flavor pairings in dishes like halibut fillets seasoned with orange zest, fennel, and black olive tapenade and served on a bed of grilled radicchio. The music also shifted to a lower tempo and key infused with lots of brass instruments and bass.

The cocktail for the second flight set the mood for the food and music taking things down a notch. Beetroot daiquiris made with rum, red wine, espresso, and lime lined the catering displays throughout the three spaces of the first floor for guests to sample.

A pineapple and mint julep accompanied the third flight—entitled Salt—made with gin, yellow chartreuse, fresh pineapple juice and mint along with barley miso to add a bit of saltiness for pairing with the food. Gastrophonic mixologist Stuart Bale created each cocktail with inspiration from the musical composition for that flight.

Continuing with the upswing of the musical and taste elements from the third flight, the final cocktail—an Herbaceous Lemon Fizz—had the lightest note of the evening. It fit with the Citrus Sparkle theme by combining herbaceous lemon vodka, dessert wine, lemon sherbet, and prosecco to create a light, frothy drink. Desserts paired with the cocktail included lemon curd sandwich cookies, margarita parfait with prickly pear glee, and seasonal fruit tartlets.

Atmosphere Lighting illuminated the main atrium of the museum differently for each of the four flights, transitioning from green to red and oranges, yellow, then blues and purples for dessert.