seven savory courses
i had the most amazing dinner last night. i need to document it here. all seven savory courses and two dessert courses and each of the eight wine pairings and the pre-dinner champagne and the accidentally-matching pink & black outfits. but my brain hurts and i won't be able to remember it all. so i will fill this out in pieces, as i need to get input from conor. let me start with what i can remember.
course 1: raw oysters. three different ones for each of us, and they were served over ice and seaweed with a bowl containing a very unique topping that i would have never guessed would have been good with raw oysters... little bite-sized pieces of cooked octopus that was prepared in a ridiculous way -- slow-cooked for like 10 hours without any direct heat!? okay, so apparently the warmth from the burners of other simmering dishes is enough to slowly cook the 'pus. and it had some amazing red-colored seasonings/spices/sauce on them that elude me. the bites were so tender and yummy and flavorful, that you only needed one or two per oyster. who knew i would like octopus. i usually hate it. btw, the oysters were frickin' awesome. i love oysters.
course 2: one plate had about 3-4 tomato slices that had been cooked and then topped with a salmon (or was it tuna?) tartar, then served with small pieces of crusty bread and some crazily great sauce. absolutely to die for. it made conor burst into a fit of laughter because he was so overwhelmed with how good it was. okay he's a dork, but this is his industry, so give him a break. the other plate was also great - it had some layers of red and yellow tomatoes that were fresh (not cooked) and they were topped in some sauce that was really fantastic (see how great i am at remembering these details?). the tomatoes were nicely sweet and tender and perfectly ripe and great. i was a big fan.
course 3: i think this was course that had the truffle pasta topped with grilled shrimps that were seasoned with tarragon and something else that made them really savory and sweet at the same time. SO SO SO good. i have never had shrimp quite like that. the pasta was nice, but the shrimp stole the show on that plate. the other plate had __________ on it. conor, help me please. total brain fart.
course 4: i think this was the round that had my salad that i loved. i can't even remember what conor was eating at this point. i know i tried it, but i was so overwhelmed by the yumminess of my salad that i can't recall the details of the second plate. so on to my salad. it was rather simple, but it was the quality of the ingredients that made it so damn amazing. fresia and maybe arugula topped with fresh slices of nectarines, and almonds that had been blanched and then had some nice (but not overpowering) sweetness to it. the dressing was a vinaigrette of some kind. crap. okay, so i'm on my fourth glass of wine at this point (yes, they really did bring a new one out with each course, chosen specifically for the food we were eating). bear with me. i don't recall what kind of vinaigrette i had. nor do i remember anything about...
course 5: the next course. was this one actually the one i'm writing next as course 6? what am i COMPLETELY FORGETTING? sigh.
course 6: one plate had a razor clam and a piece of a white fish that were very simply presented, and had some fantastically rich yet light sauce on them. it was amazing and made of god only knows what. details details. just trust me that even though i was totally stuffed, the flavors were so spectacular that i just kept eating. on plate two there was um, food. that i forget. conor ate more of that plate than i did. i think there were a few small pieces of meat that i didn't want to eat, although i did try it and i can't recall exactly what it was that i tried. gadangit! brain! don't fail me!
course 7: this round we got the same dishes but mine had monk fish and conor's a piece of steak. otherewise, the meats were served on a corn fritter-type thing with greens and fresh figs and totally covered in this decadent, rich red sauce that i think was made with cherries or figs or both. the wine pairing was the one and only red we had, and it was quite great after, oh, 6 glasses of whites.
course 8: desserts one and two. a blueberry pie/tart thingy with sweet cream ice cream and a caramel sauce. a plate of four small pieces of an amazing pound cake that had this sugary crispy coating on one edge, and fresh fruit pieces (peaches?) and ice cream and blackberry compote. mmmm. dessert wine. mmm so good. that has to be all, right? we are done, right? i'm about to explode. they need to roll me out of the restaurant.
course 9: just kidding! don't go anywhere! lest you miss dessert three. four small ice-cream cookie sandwiches, made with homemade fresh mint ice-cream with dark chocolate chunks. the cookies were a chewy but stiff not gooey chocolate and really yum. the ice cream was incredibly refreshing at this point. wiped the palate clean. the mint was so fresh that i could practically taste the leaves and the plant itself. ahhh. i digress. take me home and put me right to bed.
course 1: raw oysters. three different ones for each of us, and they were served over ice and seaweed with a bowl containing a very unique topping that i would have never guessed would have been good with raw oysters... little bite-sized pieces of cooked octopus that was prepared in a ridiculous way -- slow-cooked for like 10 hours without any direct heat!? okay, so apparently the warmth from the burners of other simmering dishes is enough to slowly cook the 'pus. and it had some amazing red-colored seasonings/spices/sauce on them that elude me. the bites were so tender and yummy and flavorful, that you only needed one or two per oyster. who knew i would like octopus. i usually hate it. btw, the oysters were frickin' awesome. i love oysters.
course 2: one plate had about 3-4 tomato slices that had been cooked and then topped with a salmon (or was it tuna?) tartar, then served with small pieces of crusty bread and some crazily great sauce. absolutely to die for. it made conor burst into a fit of laughter because he was so overwhelmed with how good it was. okay he's a dork, but this is his industry, so give him a break. the other plate was also great - it had some layers of red and yellow tomatoes that were fresh (not cooked) and they were topped in some sauce that was really fantastic (see how great i am at remembering these details?). the tomatoes were nicely sweet and tender and perfectly ripe and great. i was a big fan.
course 3: i think this was course that had the truffle pasta topped with grilled shrimps that were seasoned with tarragon and something else that made them really savory and sweet at the same time. SO SO SO good. i have never had shrimp quite like that. the pasta was nice, but the shrimp stole the show on that plate. the other plate had __________ on it. conor, help me please. total brain fart.
course 4: i think this was the round that had my salad that i loved. i can't even remember what conor was eating at this point. i know i tried it, but i was so overwhelmed by the yumminess of my salad that i can't recall the details of the second plate. so on to my salad. it was rather simple, but it was the quality of the ingredients that made it so damn amazing. fresia and maybe arugula topped with fresh slices of nectarines, and almonds that had been blanched and then had some nice (but not overpowering) sweetness to it. the dressing was a vinaigrette of some kind. crap. okay, so i'm on my fourth glass of wine at this point (yes, they really did bring a new one out with each course, chosen specifically for the food we were eating). bear with me. i don't recall what kind of vinaigrette i had. nor do i remember anything about...
course 5: the next course. was this one actually the one i'm writing next as course 6? what am i COMPLETELY FORGETTING? sigh.
course 6: one plate had a razor clam and a piece of a white fish that were very simply presented, and had some fantastically rich yet light sauce on them. it was amazing and made of god only knows what. details details. just trust me that even though i was totally stuffed, the flavors were so spectacular that i just kept eating. on plate two there was um, food. that i forget. conor ate more of that plate than i did. i think there were a few small pieces of meat that i didn't want to eat, although i did try it and i can't recall exactly what it was that i tried. gadangit! brain! don't fail me!
course 7: this round we got the same dishes but mine had monk fish and conor's a piece of steak. otherewise, the meats were served on a corn fritter-type thing with greens and fresh figs and totally covered in this decadent, rich red sauce that i think was made with cherries or figs or both. the wine pairing was the one and only red we had, and it was quite great after, oh, 6 glasses of whites.
course 8: desserts one and two. a blueberry pie/tart thingy with sweet cream ice cream and a caramel sauce. a plate of four small pieces of an amazing pound cake that had this sugary crispy coating on one edge, and fresh fruit pieces (peaches?) and ice cream and blackberry compote. mmmm. dessert wine. mmm so good. that has to be all, right? we are done, right? i'm about to explode. they need to roll me out of the restaurant.
course 9: just kidding! don't go anywhere! lest you miss dessert three. four small ice-cream cookie sandwiches, made with homemade fresh mint ice-cream with dark chocolate chunks. the cookies were a chewy but stiff not gooey chocolate and really yum. the ice cream was incredibly refreshing at this point. wiped the palate clean. the mint was so fresh that i could practically taste the leaves and the plant itself. ahhh. i digress. take me home and put me right to bed.
posted by megan at
4:42:00 PM
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