Each year, we try to have a special dinner one of the nites we're all together away from our host restaurant. Last nite we had our dinner at The Flagstaff House in Boulder,CO - a beautiful restaurant located in the foothills of the Rockies. We were on the veranda with the most gorgeous view of the whole valley. We did have a thunder and lightening show which necessitated the rollup curtains to be rolldown curtains!
Our Menu -
Alaskan Halibut - Potato Crusted
Argula, Nicoise Olives, Roasted Sweet Peppers, Heirloom Tomatoes, White Truffle Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Mondavi Sauv. Blanc - great combination
(my halibut was done perfectly, some of the others thot theirs done a little too much. great dish)
Black Truffle Gnocchi, Fresh Vail Porcini Mushrooms
Quail egg, Fava Bean Emulsion
Domain La Farge - a mix of Granache and something else I didn't get.
(I thot this dish was going to be the hit of the nite for me!! I just didn't want to finish it - just wanted to go on savoring... )
Rabbit Loin - Pancetta Wrapped
Goat Cheese Agnolotti Frisee, Smoked Rabbit Roasted Garlic Sauce
Austrian Petnauer Zweigelt Classic '05
(The wine with this dish was outstanding. The dish itself was one of the best dishes I've ever tasted. Everything just clicked flavor wise. The sauce was served (with roasted (SWEET!!!) garlic cloves and a dice of red bells in the sauce) in rather large (for the portion) deep square-topped bowls. The loin was served on the Frisee to the side of the bowl on the 'charger' rectangular platter. I think everyone there was asking for more bread to be able to get ALL of the sauce out of the bowl - it was that good!)
Most of us thot the dinner could have/should have ended here, well with a little dessert thrown in...but one more course was brot out that would have been great for a winter dinner, not a hot August nite, even with the lightening storm.
Colorado Lamb Loin & Braised Lamb Shank
Italian White Polenta, Ratatouille Vegetables, Goat Cheese, Lamb Jus
St. Clement Oroppas '03 Cab - Napa Valley
(This dish was just too rich, too overpowering and too much for this dinner. The flavors of it all were wonderful, but...)
Mint Julep
Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding, Minted White Chocolate Ice Cream
(this was presented in miniature - thank God, we're were so full by this time. I liked the bread pudding very much, was not so crazy about the ice cream for some reason)
After dinner the Sommelier took us on a tour of the vast (three cellars - approx 2000 bottles) One cellar was just for wines $300 or under; 2nd was for the chilled wines and champagnes; third for bottles up to...are you ready for this??...$6,000 a bottle)
After this tour we had a tour of the kitchens and then limped back to our cars for the long trip back to Windsor.
Oh, almost forgot an elegant point of the evening!! With the weather getting a little chilly, one of the waiters came around and asked if anyone would like a shawl. Since I had dressed for a really hot evening, I took him up on his offer. Oh my, I felt so elegant with the shawl just 'thrown Italian casual' around my shoulders!! Someone took a picture, so if it turns out I'll post it. I felt like such a Grand Dame....
Today, it's back to reality and the kitchen. We will all start prepping for tomorrow nites dinner. Talk later!
Our Menu -
Alaskan Halibut - Potato Crusted
Argula, Nicoise Olives, Roasted Sweet Peppers, Heirloom Tomatoes, White Truffle Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Mondavi Sauv. Blanc - great combination
(my halibut was done perfectly, some of the others thot theirs done a little too much. great dish)
Black Truffle Gnocchi, Fresh Vail Porcini Mushrooms
Quail egg, Fava Bean Emulsion
Domain La Farge - a mix of Granache and something else I didn't get.
(I thot this dish was going to be the hit of the nite for me!! I just didn't want to finish it - just wanted to go on savoring... )
Rabbit Loin - Pancetta Wrapped
Goat Cheese Agnolotti Frisee, Smoked Rabbit Roasted Garlic Sauce
Austrian Petnauer Zweigelt Classic '05
(The wine with this dish was outstanding. The dish itself was one of the best dishes I've ever tasted. Everything just clicked flavor wise. The sauce was served (with roasted (SWEET!!!) garlic cloves and a dice of red bells in the sauce) in rather large (for the portion) deep square-topped bowls. The loin was served on the Frisee to the side of the bowl on the 'charger' rectangular platter. I think everyone there was asking for more bread to be able to get ALL of the sauce out of the bowl - it was that good!)
Most of us thot the dinner could have/should have ended here, well with a little dessert thrown in...but one more course was brot out that would have been great for a winter dinner, not a hot August nite, even with the lightening storm.
Colorado Lamb Loin & Braised Lamb Shank
Italian White Polenta, Ratatouille Vegetables, Goat Cheese, Lamb Jus
St. Clement Oroppas '03 Cab - Napa Valley
(This dish was just too rich, too overpowering and too much for this dinner. The flavors of it all were wonderful, but...)
Mint Julep
Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding, Minted White Chocolate Ice Cream
(this was presented in miniature - thank God, we're were so full by this time. I liked the bread pudding very much, was not so crazy about the ice cream for some reason)
After dinner the Sommelier took us on a tour of the vast (three cellars - approx 2000 bottles) One cellar was just for wines $300 or under; 2nd was for the chilled wines and champagnes; third for bottles up to...are you ready for this??...$6,000 a bottle)
After this tour we had a tour of the kitchens and then limped back to our cars for the long trip back to Windsor.
Oh, almost forgot an elegant point of the evening!! With the weather getting a little chilly, one of the waiters came around and asked if anyone would like a shawl. Since I had dressed for a really hot evening, I took him up on his offer. Oh my, I felt so elegant with the shawl just 'thrown Italian casual' around my shoulders!! Someone took a picture, so if it turns out I'll post it. I felt like such a Grand Dame....
Today, it's back to reality and the kitchen. We will all start prepping for tomorrow nites dinner. Talk later!
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
www.achefsjourney.com
