As a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance, I got an invite to eat lunch with fellow SFA-ers who were in NYC last weekend for the James Beard Awards.

This organization — which I wrote about on last week’s food page — has a serious mission in preserving the traditions of Southern foods, and looking below the surface for the stories those food traditions tell. The group also knows how to throw a righteous party.

We went to Butter, where chef Alexandra Guarneschelli is a SFA member. The special menu was incredible and served family-style. We passed around platters of grilled sardines, savory steak, fiddlehead ferns with lentils, morel mushrooms with hazelnuts, perfect roast potatoes, sauteed ramps, halibut and three kinds of dessert. Served with outstanding Spanish wine: loved the 2003 Vina Pedrosa Ribera del Duero. (Which I spotted on the internet for $15.99… anybody seen it around Memphis?)

The dining room was wonderful, almost like a mountain lodge with enourmous photos of stands of Aspens anchoring the space. I’ll definintely go back to Butter.