ron rothman.ron rothman
selectively conformist

D-Day (Degustation Day)

My Restaurant Week, continued.

D-Day (Degustation Day)When we last saw our hero, he had just eaten a fantastic meal at Peter Luger. We pick up his story on Saturday morning, in a cozy booth at a small West Village restaurant:

Brunch

D-Day (Degustation Day)We met Conny & Joe in their rented hovel. We liked what they’d done with the place; the glow of the stove burners cast a particularly romantic light.

Walked down the street to Tartine, where the four of us barely fit–especially after a round of croque monsieur and croissants aux amandes (the best almond croissant I’ve had outside of France, I might add. Apparently, others agree).

Snack

D-Day (Degustation Day)Our next stop was Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Haven. We saw Mr. Chocolate himself, working what I think were the hot chocolate mix machines (which are viewable behind a glass wall). Even more exciting, we saw his custom VW Beetle parked outside the shop.

After a quick hot chocolate and a not-so-quick deliberation on which of the overpriced chocolate items to buy, we headed out.

Dinner

Fast forward a few hours, to the day’s (and Restaurant Week’s) main event: dinner at Café Boulud. For 50 minutes, the four of us carefully deliberated over the menu until we finally decided what to order. We shared:

Appetizer »

  • Squash risotto, with fried risotto cakes (amuse bouche)
  • Wild mushroom soup with chanterelles, croutons and garlic-parsley oil
  • Sautéed foie gras (mais oui)
  • Pithivier for three: Pheasant stuffed with foie gras, wrapped in a puff pastry

Main Course »

  • Sautéed sea scallops with porcini-pomme purée, Brussels sprouts, parsnip and walnut vinaigrette
  • Beef Duo: braised short ribs and roasted hanger steak with watercress, salsify and Yukon Gold potatoes
  • Duck mostardo
  • Grilled daurade with chanterelles, rosemary polenta and olive jus

Dessert »

  • Roasted apple with lemon gratin apple cider gelée and Granny Smith apple sorbet
  • Black Forest tart with vanilla sorbet
  • Pumpkin tart
  • Cranberry confit
  • Warm madeleines (petits four)

Wines »

  • 1999 Leoville Barton (Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon)
  • 2002 Puligny Montrachet (White Burgundy)
  • A Barbera from the Piedmonte portion of Italy
  • 2004 Sancerre
  • 2003 Geyser Peak Chardonnay (California)
  • A sweet (dessert) Riesling from Muller Catoir

Yes, it was filling. Yes, it was expensive. But it was so much fun. And what a fitting end to My Restaurant Week.

Epilogue

D-Day (Degustation Day)Arrived home to find that a very special delivery had arrived: my 10 bars of Poulain 1848 chocolate, shipped 3 weeks ago (by boat!) from France. (As of this writing, 9 remain.)

2 Responses to “D-Day (Degustation Day)” [Leave yours »]

  1. Irina tracked back:

    Beautiful!

    Love food posts!

    1
  2. Ron [author of post] tracked back:

    :) thanks!

    we should meet for dinner some time so i can write more food posts.

    p.s., how much did you win in AC?

    2

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