Culinary Drive-bys

I'm slipping. I have not updated my blog in over a month. I'm horrible. But, my schedule was kinda hectic. My crazy schedule, coupled with the oddest financial shenanigans...I just could not make it work. HOWEVER, since last month, I've had the opportunity to dine at three fine dining establishments. Table 8, Bouchon, and Napa Valley Grille. The latter restaurants are not on the blog list, however, they were on my original list.

Table 8- I dined at Table 8 on the 27th of October. I've heard great things about Govind Armstrong, and after his appearance on Top Chef, I was even more interested in checking out the late night menu. So, we (a soror and I) decided to go after a Halloween event. Of course, I had a cocktail. It was delicious. I was also excited to see the fresh ingredients they had on hand to prepare the cocktails. Fresh basil and other fun things. I had a delicious cocktail made of mango puree and champagne. Mmmm. For my little snack, I had the grilled cheese with pulled pork. Omigoodness, it was so good. My only complaint was that I wish there was more. I also had a chance to sample my soror's dish. She had the grilled rare tuna crostini with chick pea puree and tapenade. Now, I'm not a big fan of tuna. However, I have never met a tapenade I didn't like. So, I gave it a try, and I LOVED IT. It was absolutely delish! Add to that, friendly and prompt service. I'm so there for dinner. On Tuesday night they have a $50 five course prix fix meal that I will check out later.

Bouchon- I dined at Bouchon (Cal-French fusion) on November 11th. My lovely best friend and I went wine tasting in Santa Barbara. I told her that I would have to drag her to this restaurant. I just HAD to go. This was the restaurant I decided not to go to on my last visit. Of course, I left my little notebook at home. So, here we go with my failing memory. I started with a broccoli soup. It was really smooth. I'm so jealous of how smooth that soup was. It was tasty, but not memorable. I really wanted to start with the Lobster Pot Pie, but it was too much for one person, so I didn't get it. Regret, thy name is Lobster Pot Pie. Anyway, I ordered the Bourbon & Maple-Glazed California Duck Breast with thyme-infused jus, succotash of corn, fava beans
applewood-smoked bacon and Windrose Farms butternut squash. The duck was perfect. It was simply perfect. Tender. Seasoned well. By far, the best of my Santa Barbara ducks. But, even the duck could not rival the vegetables. Now, I'm a big fan of veggies. However, I almost didn't order the duck because of the vegetables that accompanied the dish. Butternut squash? Succotash? Fava beans? Bacon? Ok, not a fan of ANY of those. But, hey, I tried it. I'm not 5. Really, I'm not. I'm so glad I did! It was magic. I know, strong words for vegetables, but I did not want to stop eating them. The sweetness from the corn and squash. The salty sweetness from the bacon. Also, add to that an unbelievably creamy sauce. Again, it was magic. See, that's why I admire great chefs. They can make a believer out of me. Alas, no cocktails or wine were had with dinner. We spent the day drinking an unbelievable amount of wine. That's about it. I know I'm leaving out a lot of details. Considering how much I drank that day, I am going to pat myself on the back for remembering anything at all. **pat pat**

Napa Valley Grille-Two of my wonderful soror-friends took me out to a surprise lunch to celebrate my AKAversary. So, last weekend I dined at Napa Valley Grille. First of all, can I just say CUTE. It was just so nicely decorated. Just, simple. Clean. Loved it. For lunch, I had the Yountville special. All of the lunch specials are named for a city in the Napa Valley. It included a soup, salad, and sandwich (which appeared on my plate trio style). Very nice. So, I started with my Onion Soup, not French Onion. I cannot remember the city, but the waiter made a point that it was not French Onion. It wasn't. It was a little sweeter and there was no cheese. Still, it was very good. Contrary to the actual size of my bowl, it turned out to be a neverending bowl of soup. Next, was the apple salad. It consisted of radicchio, blue cheese, apples, and a vinaigrette. It was refreshing, crisp, and light. Perfect in between the soup and the sandwich. Ok, thanks to my never ending bowl of soups, my dining companions were almost done with their meals before I started my sandwich. I took one bite of my tender braised BBQ Short Rib Sandwich and it was over. It was so good, I finished it in record time. I admit, it was a little messy, but the taste was wonderful. The short rib was so tender. I think I will have to go back...soon...just for that sandwich. I love when something as simple as short ribs are done so well. Again, that's the beauty of good chefs. Not only do they have the ability to deliver delicious high end products, they are able to elevate the mundane.

We had dessert and wine. For dessert, we had the Chocolate Sampler. It included a milk chocolate mousse, warm chocolate cake, and a mocha semifreddo. They were really tasty. I've heard of semifreddo's, but I've never had one. It was good. The consistency is very hard to describe. It's like a softly frozen mousse. We also had a dessert wine flight with our trio. The wine was divine. Since, they were out of one of the wines commonly included with that flight, they gave us a replacement. I'm SO glad they were out because we were in for a treat. We were presented with a glass of Dolce Late Harvest dessert wine. It was a rich amber color. Lovely. So, great end to a great afternoon.

So, that's it for now. I'm trying to decide when and where to schedule my next dinner.