Brian Hinshaw
At The Guild House, a Cameron Mitchell Restaurants concept that offers an eclectic, globally inspired menu, the bestselling scallop dish is a prime example of solid culinary teamwork. “I believe it is one of our best dishes because it not only showcases the scallops and carrots, but also showcases the braintrust that developed the dish—the ‘Culinary Guild of Chefs’ at The Guild House all worked together to bring this dish to life,” says Brian Hinshaw, Senior VP of Food & Beverage for Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.
Although not the main component, a showcase ingredient here is the carrot. “This dish was born out of our trip to New York, when the chefs ate at restaurants around town,” he says. “They went to Eataly and saw these tri-colored carrots. Once they returned to Columbus, they reached out to a local produce purveyor and asked him to bring them in. The dish was born in the test kitchen, and we believe it really showcases the carrots.”
The dish starts with a silky-smooth parsnip purée. Layered atop this is a mixture of sweet English peas and glazed tri-color baby carrots. The scallops—pan-seared and basted with butter and lemon—are placed next, followed by a carrot-orange vinaigrette. The plate is garnished with shaved raw tri-color carrots and carrot greens tossed in a lime vinaigrette. “The carrot-orange vinaigrette is bright and sweet with the golden balsamic and orange. This helps to balance the buttery parsnip purée. The garnishes add a great array of color, texture and flavor to the dish,” says Hinshaw. “This dish has been a huge hit since we opened The Guild House in 2015. It is a top-five selling entrée at the restaurant.”
