I was talking with a friend recently about food and wine (as we do) and we got to reminiscing about the most memorable meals we've had. I was able to name my Top 3 without batting an eyelash. It's funny, though, how these meals aren't just about the food or just about the wine, but are all about the perfect confluence of time, place, company, food and wine. It's all the elements combined that make a meal stand out in memory like that. And when it happens, it's not something you forget. Just thinking about these meals transports me back to the time and place and I can just about taste the flavors on my tongue. If you're interested, read on for my Top 3.
No. 3: Dry Creek Kitchen, Healdsburg, CA.
A couple of years ago one of my BFFs and I spent a wonderful girls' weekend up in wine country. One night we splurged on dinner - tasting menu and wine pairings - at the renowned Dry Creek Kitchen. The food and wine were incredible but were just part of a whole that made a fun and memorable experience. It's something we still talk about.
A couple of years ago one of my BFFs and I spent a wonderful girls' weekend up in wine country. One night we splurged on dinner - tasting menu and wine pairings - at the renowned Dry Creek Kitchen. The food and wine were incredible but were just part of a whole that made a fun and memorable experience. It's something we still talk about.
No. 2: A la Biche aux Bois, Paris
A Parisian friend took me to dinner here many years ago and it still stands out in my memory as an amazing experience. A tiny, family run restaurant with house made foie gras, pate and charcuterie, every bite melted in my mouth. It was Fall, thus wild boar season, and we had an incredible stew of sanglier that still makes my mouth water when I think about it. We drank a perfect Sancerre to start and a Bordeaux with the sanglier. The pairing was perfect, as was the company and the evening.
A Parisian friend took me to dinner here many years ago and it still stands out in my memory as an amazing experience. A tiny, family run restaurant with house made foie gras, pate and charcuterie, every bite melted in my mouth. It was Fall, thus wild boar season, and we had an incredible stew of sanglier that still makes my mouth water when I think about it. We drank a perfect Sancerre to start and a Bordeaux with the sanglier. The pairing was perfect, as was the company and the evening.
No. 1 Corte Sconta, Venice
Warning: I am going to rhapsodize at length... Feel free to scroll on by....
Warning: I am going to rhapsodize at length... Feel free to scroll on by....
First, a little context. Three years ago my husband won a trip on the Orient Express through his company. (I know, I didn't believe him at first either!!) Our daughter was still fairly young and we had never left her for more than a night, and never to go to another country, but this was the freaking Orient Express - for free! - so we planned as quick a trip as possible (in hindsight, a mistake, but there you go). It was the most surreal yet most incredible trip we have ever taken. From San Fransisco to London to Dover to Calais to Venice and back. One night spent on an airplane, one night on the Orient Express, two nights in a hotel in Venice and a nightmare trip home. Saturday to Wednesday. As I said, surreal.
The entire trip was really all about food. We boarded the British Pullman at Victoria Station in London at lunchtime (in the car favored by the Queen Mother, if you believe what we read onboard). We were served a fabulous lunch of smoked trout, chicken stuffed with crawfish mousse with a caviar cream sauce, asparagus and potatoes, champagne, red wine and a jelly type dessert (not so good!).
We boarded the Orient Express in Calais late that afternoon. It was simply beautiful and also incredibly small! The jet lag and lack of sleep just added to the surrealness of being on the freaking ORIENT EXPRESS.
We had a drink in the bar car and then headed to dinner in the beautifully appointed restaurant car. Dinner was okay but, except for the cheese plate, was nothing to write home about. But again, Orient Express. Didn't matter!
I slept like a baby that night (jet lag + wine + motion of train) and the next morning we awoke to the most beautiful scenery out the (tiny) window. We were served breakfast in our cabin and we spent much of the morning staring out the window as we rode through Switzerland and Austria.
Lunch was served in the dining car. The only thing I remember about that meal was the foie gras ice cream. Now, I like foie gras and I like ice cream, and I’ll try anything once, but this was the worst thing I’d put in my mouth in ages. I wonder who thought that was a good idea?!
A couple of hours later we were served an afternoon tea in our cabin and then we rolled into Venice. Venice!!
All in all, we spent about 36 hours in Venice - 2 nights and 1 day. That first night we had a good meal at a random restaurant. The only thing I remember about that dinner was the wine (a Drei Dona 2003 Pruno) and that our waiter looked like Joe Pesci.
One our second, and last, night in Venice, we had dinner at a small restaurant, Corte Sconta, which we found after winding our way through a teeny, tiny alley. We were seated at one end of a table for 6. About half an hour later they sat another couple at the other end of the table. They were both from Boston (he via Russia). As happens with wine, food and proximity, we were all fast friends in a very short time..
Anyway, the food. We never saw a menu. The restaurant specializes in seafood and the chef prepares whatever is caught that day. After an amuse-bouche of tuna and ricotta tartlet, we started with the recommended seafood appetizer for two. The first plate set in front of each of us had some fresh salmon topped with a light sauce, greens and pomegranate seeds, plus two of the fattest, freshest anchovies I’ve ever seen. Until that night, I have never liked anchovies. These were amazing, just like taking a bite of the sea. The next dish was a large bowl of clams steamed in white wine and ginger. Following the clams, a plate of spider crab, served in its beautiful shell, was put on the table. The waiter dressed the crab with olive oil, white pepper and lemon and oh my, was it good. The final plate of the appetizer (yes, we’re still on the appetizer!) was a large plate of baby squid, shrimp, octopus, crawfish and a cuttlefish mousse served atop a polenta square. Every single bite was heaven!
For the entrees, Jason ordered a perfectly prepared (skinned and deboned a table) sea bass. It was delicious but didn’t compare with my dish. I had black pasta (the pasta colored and flavored with cuttlefish ink), topped with scallops and pumpkin flowers. I can’t even begin to describe the amazing flavor and texture and richness of this dish – it was like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. At this point, we were feeling very well-fed, happy and very pleasantly tipsy.
Speaking of tipsy, we had an amazing wine on the waiter's recommendation - a 2004 Livio Felluga Sosso. A Merlot from the D.O.C. Colli Orientali del Friuli, it was a pleasantly intense, spicy, full bodied wine. We liked it so much, we've continued to buy it.
For dessert, Liz, my new friend from Boston, and I decided to share the cheese plate. We had six different cheeses (they’re a blur now) which were served with a homemade apple mustard and a homemade fig and balsamic chutney. The waiter (cute and funny, btw) recommended a dessert wine that was fantastic, especially with the cheese.
Speaking of tipsy, we had an amazing wine on the waiter's recommendation - a 2004 Livio Felluga Sosso. A Merlot from the D.O.C. Colli Orientali del Friuli, it was a pleasantly intense, spicy, full bodied wine. We liked it so much, we've continued to buy it.
For dessert, Liz, my new friend from Boston, and I decided to share the cheese plate. We had six different cheeses (they’re a blur now) which were served with a homemade apple mustard and a homemade fig and balsamic chutney. The waiter (cute and funny, btw) recommended a dessert wine that was fantastic, especially with the cheese.
So, 4 ½ hours after we began, we stumbled from the restaurant, laughing all the while. We walked back at midnight along the Grand Canal beneath a beautiful full moon, stopped for awhile in San Marco Square, and then headed off to sleep for a few hours before our journey home (a complete nightmare, which is a whole story unto itself).
(If you're still with me, wow, thanks for reading!)
As you can see, it was a case of all of the elements coming together to make what was one of the most perfect meals, and evenings, of my life. Just thinking about it puts me right back in Venice, and I can practically taste those salty anchovies. Ah, we'll always have Venice.
As you can see, it was a case of all of the elements coming together to make what was one of the most perfect meals, and evenings, of my life. Just thinking about it puts me right back in Venice, and I can practically taste those salty anchovies. Ah, we'll always have Venice.
RSS Feed