Dinner at the Hunt and Fish Club

Tags

company, food, postaday2015, restaurants

  

Last night my husband and I went to dinner with such a lovely couple John and Nadia, they were so open and friendly, the conversation  flowed so easily that time flew by as we laughed, listened, spoke and of course tasted a variety of delicious dishes.

I loved the decor, I have always been a fan of Art Deco and this restaurant was so elegant in its clean lines, yet not pretentious in the least. The food was wonderful and the service quite professional.

My husband made excellent choices for the first courses that we all shared; we had oysters from both coasts, a ceviche of scallops, a tuna tartare, a jumbo lump crabcake and roasted marrow bones to start, a pretty impressive array of tastes, textures and flavor, don’t you think.

The main courses did not disappoint either; my husband and I shared a bone-in sirloin steak which was one of the best steaks that I have had the pleasure of eating in a long time, Nadia had a gorgeous lobster and John enjoyed a Japanese cut of steak that was sinfully rich and luxious in its marbled beefy flavor, it was like nothing that I had ever eaten before, who knew that the Japanese could be so clever in their beef stewardship. The side dishes were probably my favorites, between the creamed spinach and the tater tots, I can’t leave out the grilled asparagus, I can’t say which was my favorite because they were all absolutely delicious.

Moving onto dessert; I adored the lemon cheesecake, I confess that I ate most of it, I wasn’t very good at sharing by this point. The others had more than enough other desserts to try so I am sure that it wasn’t missed, they had a lemon parfait that was beautiful in its presentation and Nadia said that it was to die for, so I felt better.  There was also the panna cotta, the chocolate mousse and some berry concoction, I forget because I was buried in my cheesecake. We had cappuccinos as a finishing touch to all of this decadence.

It was so much fun, eating and learning about these two very charming and interesting people and their lives, it was a great night and I look forward to seeing them again in the near future.

A wonderful dinner at Auberge Chez Francois

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company, dinner, food, French, postaday2014

Tonight my hubby and I were invited to dinner by the owner of my hubby’s new firm and his very lovely wife. The dinner was a celebratory one, welcoming my hubby to his new position within the firm and as the most courteous and considerate gesture towards me, they picked the Auberge Chez Francois as the restaurant. My worries about getting gussied up were for nothing, I found the basics in makeup; Bare Minerals, lipstick and mascara and my hubby brilliantly slicked my frizz head with leave in conditioner; he was pleased with his decorated wife and I have to admit, I didn’t look half bad. lol

The conversation was easy going, not an awkward moment during the hours spent together, we have so many areas of common interest between the four of us; dogs, children, cooking, travel and art appreciation. The restaurant’s decor was that typically found in an Alsatian home, very warm and welcoming and the menu lent itself as warm and inviting with many hearty dishes in the offering. The very first thing that was offered as a small gift from the chef, an espresso cup of lentil soup, it was soothing and hearty, the perfect start to an excellent meal.

Our hosts enthusiasm for the Auberge Chez Francois was infectious, I could tell from their facial expressions that this was a special place for them as a family and after sharing an exquisite dinner, I understand why. As usual, I was focused on my plate; I started with Riz de Veau aux champignons or sweetbreads sautéed with a flavorful and savory sauce highlighted by mushrooms. Sweetbreads are one of my favorite things to eat and I was not disappointed, they were firm and tender and combined with the mushrooms and the glossy sauce, it made for a delectable tasting, not too much and not too little.

Afterwards, when our appetizers were finished, the waiters cleared our plates and served us up with a tart grapefruit sorbet to clear our palates, I love that small touch in between of courses, it makes a difference in the dining experience because you really get the sense that the chef is concerned at all times with your tasting experience; he is telling you that he wants your taste buds to be ready for another savory and sensuous delight.

I ordered a dish that I haven’t had in a long time; a choucroute royal garnie or sauerkraut with all of the smoked and cured meats accompanied by wonderful garnishes and condiments, poached apples, dijon mustard, fresh horseradish and blackberry jelly. This dish reminds me of my father; he loved this dish, the sauerkraut in this instance was so divine that it stood on its own in flavor, at the end that was all that was left on the large platter and I didn’t mind, it was that delicious. The melding of mustard, sauerkraut, poached apple and cured ham on the tongue is to taste all of these flavors flowing into each other, at times you’re sensing the spice of the mustard, the saltiness of the ham, the fermentation of the cabbage and the sweet, mellow notes of the apple. It doesn’t get better than this. To top this explosion of culinary flavors, textures and bien etre, I had a chocolate soufflé, which as usual no matter how many times that I have eaten it, I burn the back of my throat because I can’t wait for the molten chocolate to cool off, you would think that I would get the hang of safely eating a soufflé by now wouldn’t you?

We had a fabulous evening, the hubby and I and we came back to the room to find Jack all curled up on my pillow waiting for his Maman to return. He is such a good little Jack, we definitely bragged about him to our hosts, I don”t know who we talked about most; the baby boy, the baby girl or Jack. Either way, we talked about them all with a lot of love. It was a very, very nice evening.

People to cook for, how exciting!

Tags

chicken, company, cooking, dinner, food, pies, postaday2012

Hooray, I have people to cook for! This weekend, my hubby’s cousins are coming for the entire weekend and bringing their appetites with them. John is my hubby’s cousin and he is bringing his old children Steven and Carly to hang out with us and our old children. Since the baby girl has been away at college and we have been getting her almost every weekend, I haven’t had the time to cook anything really interesting. So now that I have a proper gathering arriving intent on eating, I am going to take advantage of the opportunity.

Since it is apple season, I want to make a tarte tatin, an upside down apple tarte. Easy and provides a nice ooh when you serve it with home-made whipped cream. All that needs to be done, is peel and slice apples, nothing fancy, it’s a rustic tart, and sauté them in melted butter and sugar until they get a nice caramel color. Before hand, I’ll have made a flaky pastry dough in my cuisinart and put it to rest in the fridge. After I roll the dough out, I butter the pie dish, pour the caramelized apples in the dish and lay the dough on top of the apples, tucking the dough around the edges of the dish. It goes right in the oven at 375 for 45 minutes. As soon as you take it out of the oven, you flip it on a plate and voila, your caramelized upside down apple tarte.

Dessert is taken care of and now to one main dish. I am planning to make a wonderful comfort dish, a chicken pot pie. Normally I am not a chicken fan, but I have always liked the chicken pot pie. The chicken loses its blandness when it is combined with peas, carrots, a seasoned chicken stock béchamel sauce and the flaky pastry dough. It’s the whole textural and flavor contrast and complimentary aspects of the pot pie that makes it one of my favorite chilly day meals. I always use Ina Garten’s recipes for this, she is more commonly known as the Barefoot Countessa and her recipes are spot on, I have never been disappointed. What I really like about her recipe is that the chicken breasts, bone in and skin on, are roasted beforehand and seasoned with oregano, salt and pepper so you are already imbuing your pot pie with great roasted flavor.

This bunch are also huge fans of my whole wheat thin crust pizza. I am probably going to make at least four pies and they won’t be wasted, those youngins sure can put food away. We bought a bunch of ice cream (oh dear for me) and we also have steaks and pork chops to put on the grill if anyone is in the mood for meat. I haven’t decided on any supplemental vegetables, I am leaning towards green beans, my favorite, sautéed with garlic.

In terms of fruit, I’ll pick up some bananas and navel oranges. Breakfast will be cereal, yogurt or maybe pancakes. This weekend will be so much fun!