Scenes from an ancient Celtic dinner in Manhattan

Chef Cathal Armstrong was part of a production line that plated more than 350 servings of braised lamb shoulder and roasted lamb loin. (Tim Carman/The Washington Post) There’s something decidedly pre-Woodward and Bernstein about following a local chef to New York with the vague notion that the big-city sophisticates might praise his efforts. Such an assignment has a way of stripping away the veneer of journalistic objectivity and reducing the mighty Washington Post to that most rah-rah of institutions, the small-town, hometown newspaper.

But follow Cathal Armstrong is exactly what I did on Tuesday as the Restaurant Eve chef led a small army of banquet cooks to create an “ancient” Celtic dinner for the Archaeological Institute of America’s annual gala in Manhattan. Marshall Heyman, the Heard and Scene columnist for the Wall Street Journal, wrote an entertaining report of the party.

In next week’s Food section, I’ll give you a report on the story behind the meal — and why Armstrong refused to just lend his name to the project without being there to execute the dinner. You can decide then how objective this hometown newspaper was to one of its local chefs.

In the meantime, after the jump, you can see a few photos from the gala.

Who wants to bet that Armstrong has never used a giant paddle to prepare at meal at Restaurant Eve? (Tim Carman/The Washington Post)
The opening course was a smoked mackerel salad with wild garlic, dandelion greens, fennel puree and pickled fennel. (Tim Carman/The Washington Post)
The main entree was a shallow bowl of braised lamb shoulder, sauteed root vegetables, roasted lamb loin and barley wild honey cakes. (Tim Carman/The Washington Post)
The dessert course: a trio of custards, including mead, wild berry and apple-caramel. (Tim Carman/The Washington Post)
Armstrong's two children, Eamonn and Eve, were bored with the adult activity upstairs, so they spent time in the kitchen with pop. Nine-year-old Eamonn's formal wear, by the way, included black Converse low-tops. (Tim Carman/The Washington Post)

So how authentic was Armstrong’s ancient Celtic dinner? You’ll have to find out next Wednesday.