My Grandpa's (90th) birthday party turned out to be a huge success - all but one of the grandchildren was able to make it to St. Louis for the party. As soon as Mr. D and I landed, we met up with my baby sister, then drove to the hotel to meet up with Mom, Dad, ReeRee, and her husband. We had received a text at the airport that they had lunch waiting for us - delicious Amighetti's specials. This sandwich is just delicious; it's very simple, just meat, cheese, and some condiments - but it's amazing. So amazing, in fact, that all of us kids got together and had them shipped to my dad for his birthday (along with something else, to be named later).
After lunch, I received a few belated birthday presents, from my mom and my brother (don't worry, they're not bad people, one is a med student and the other let me graciously turn down her first present idea). One of my presents didn't fit quite right, so Mom, baby sis, and I went over to Ann Taylor LOFT to make an exchange, which is when I found a completely cute pair of blue linen pants. Then back to the hotel to change into the "party outfit" before we caravaned out.
We met at the "retirement community" where my grandparents live - we had rented out the rec room upstairs for cake and general merriment, as all of us would not have fit inside my grandparent's apartment. My cousin brought some cakes, so we sang "Happy Birthday," ate some cake, had some beverages of choice, and caught up with each other.
ReeRee had also arranged for a photographer to come in, so that we could get a picture made of the entire family. That poor woman certainly had her work cut out for her: there were 23 of us, drab once-white walls, and fluorescent lighting. Not to mention 10 different groups of people (the whole group, grandparents and grandchildren, each separate family unit, etc), all of whom really just want to eat more cake. Plus, we realized halfway through the shots that my grandmother was a) wearing sweatpants and b) turning her head sideways for some of the pictures to see what was going on with the golf tournament.
More tomorrow on the dinner and brunch portions of the weekend...
Showing posts with label Birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birthday. Show all posts
Monday, April 5, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Birthday Dinner: Part 2
And now for the rest of our dinner at Eleven Madison Park. I realize that this would be better if I had taken pictures of our meal, but I think it would have been a little to cheesy to pull out the camera and take pictures at such a nice restaurant. However, I did find this blog, which has great pictures of the restaurant, and some of the dishes that we ate.
Our fifth course was a rich, spicy bouillabaisse, with black bass, octopus, calamari, scallops and prawns. So delicious, I think it also had a little chorizo in it, so just like a super creamy gumbo (but no okra ;) ). Unfortunately, this is where we realized that finishing this dinner was going to be a struggle. We were starting to feel full, with 6 (really 7 or 8) more courses to go.
A lovely lobster dish came next, which was excellent - lightly done, with carrots, a citrus sabayon, and vadouvan (no, I did not know what that was, but looked it up here - it's just a spice blend).
A small glass bowl came out next, filled with little juicy frogs' legs floating over a porcini custard. I had never had frogs' legs before, but if that was the only thing on the menu that I had not had, we were doing well - at least there wasn't offal on the menu. The legs DO taste like chicken, but teeny tiny dark meat chicken. This was the first dish that I did not finish - there were just too many little legs in the bowl (yes, I realize that sounds gross, but I'm leaving it like that).
The mini-meats continued with a portion of roasted quail served with dates and juniper. MMMMMMMM - tiny, perfect roasted bird. Very good.
The milk-fed veal cheeks were absolutely delicious - served with celery root and black truffles - like a perfect bite of short ribs. A perfect bite that I could only eat half of - I actually contemplated telling the waiter to call it off - just bring the dessert and we would be done. What I actually did was joke with him that we would be crawling across the finish line.
Next, our server brought around the cheese cart - mmm. Cheese. I normally like smelly cheese, and after the waiter told us about each of the cheeses I selected a couple and then Mr. D selected three, one of which was the "ripest" on the card. I tasted the ripe one, and then decided that I do not like all stinky cheeses - this one looked like earwax, which did not help. I will save the stinkiest ones of all for someone else.
Though you would think the next course would be the last (as it is number 11), but the chef had added a dessert amuse, so we would be having twelve courses. Aha chef, you are a worthy adversary, but we have come this far already - you cannot beat us now. The "Soda Pop" was a mix of flash frozen tangerine soda and pop rocks, with pieces of grapefruit, pomelo, and lemon beneath it. Now, I don't think the pop rocks added to much to the dish, or maybe what I thought was soda fizziness was actually pop rocks.
Our "last dish" was the Milk & Chocolate (with Happy Birthday delicately written across the plate), which had dehydrated milk solids, soft chocolate mousse, a crunchy chocolate something, and the most delicious ice cream ever - brown butter ice cream. It was so good I cannot explain it, except to say I want to try and make it (can't be that hard, right), but cannot yet make it, since I asked for a ice cream maker attachment for our Kitchen-Aid but did not get it. I will have to wait and get it when it warms up, or wait even later until our anniversary.
Finally we were done. Except we weren't, because they very generously brought us macaroons with our bill. A whole plate from which to pick - beautiful cream, yellow, green, purple, and brown macaroons. I was so full, I only asked for one, but Mr. D asked for three, at which point the server decided that I also needed to try the ones that my husband had chosen. I actually left the on the plate (though I think the hubs ate most of those, too). With the macaroons, the server also brought us over a bottle of cognac and poured us each a glass. Not that you should have to eat until you are literally brimming with food to realize this, but a drink after dinner does actually work to help your tummy feel better. :)
When they brought us our receipt, they also brought us each a box of pieces of fruit jelly to take home (tangerine, lemon, lime and I forget the last flavor). As I was the birthday girl (or actually just all the girls), I also received a box with what I dubbed my birthday macaroon, which was almondy deliciousness when I ate it for breakfast the next day. OK, ate it after my breakfast as a breakfast dessert, it's ok it was my birthday.
Our fifth course was a rich, spicy bouillabaisse, with black bass, octopus, calamari, scallops and prawns. So delicious, I think it also had a little chorizo in it, so just like a super creamy gumbo (but no okra ;) ). Unfortunately, this is where we realized that finishing this dinner was going to be a struggle. We were starting to feel full, with 6 (really 7 or 8) more courses to go.
A lovely lobster dish came next, which was excellent - lightly done, with carrots, a citrus sabayon, and vadouvan (no, I did not know what that was, but looked it up here - it's just a spice blend).
A small glass bowl came out next, filled with little juicy frogs' legs floating over a porcini custard. I had never had frogs' legs before, but if that was the only thing on the menu that I had not had, we were doing well - at least there wasn't offal on the menu. The legs DO taste like chicken, but teeny tiny dark meat chicken. This was the first dish that I did not finish - there were just too many little legs in the bowl (yes, I realize that sounds gross, but I'm leaving it like that).
The mini-meats continued with a portion of roasted quail served with dates and juniper. MMMMMMMM - tiny, perfect roasted bird. Very good.
The milk-fed veal cheeks were absolutely delicious - served with celery root and black truffles - like a perfect bite of short ribs. A perfect bite that I could only eat half of - I actually contemplated telling the waiter to call it off - just bring the dessert and we would be done. What I actually did was joke with him that we would be crawling across the finish line.
Next, our server brought around the cheese cart - mmm. Cheese. I normally like smelly cheese, and after the waiter told us about each of the cheeses I selected a couple and then Mr. D selected three, one of which was the "ripest" on the card. I tasted the ripe one, and then decided that I do not like all stinky cheeses - this one looked like earwax, which did not help. I will save the stinkiest ones of all for someone else.
Though you would think the next course would be the last (as it is number 11), but the chef had added a dessert amuse, so we would be having twelve courses. Aha chef, you are a worthy adversary, but we have come this far already - you cannot beat us now. The "Soda Pop" was a mix of flash frozen tangerine soda and pop rocks, with pieces of grapefruit, pomelo, and lemon beneath it. Now, I don't think the pop rocks added to much to the dish, or maybe what I thought was soda fizziness was actually pop rocks.
Our "last dish" was the Milk & Chocolate (with Happy Birthday delicately written across the plate), which had dehydrated milk solids, soft chocolate mousse, a crunchy chocolate something, and the most delicious ice cream ever - brown butter ice cream. It was so good I cannot explain it, except to say I want to try and make it (can't be that hard, right), but cannot yet make it, since I asked for a ice cream maker attachment for our Kitchen-Aid but did not get it. I will have to wait and get it when it warms up, or wait even later until our anniversary.
Finally we were done. Except we weren't, because they very generously brought us macaroons with our bill. A whole plate from which to pick - beautiful cream, yellow, green, purple, and brown macaroons. I was so full, I only asked for one, but Mr. D asked for three, at which point the server decided that I also needed to try the ones that my husband had chosen. I actually left the on the plate (though I think the hubs ate most of those, too). With the macaroons, the server also brought us over a bottle of cognac and poured us each a glass. Not that you should have to eat until you are literally brimming with food to realize this, but a drink after dinner does actually work to help your tummy feel better. :)
When they brought us our receipt, they also brought us each a box of pieces of fruit jelly to take home (tangerine, lemon, lime and I forget the last flavor). As I was the birthday girl (or actually just all the girls), I also received a box with what I dubbed my birthday macaroon, which was almondy deliciousness when I ate it for breakfast the next day. OK, ate it after my breakfast as a breakfast dessert, it's ok it was my birthday.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Birthday Dinner: Part 1
Last week was my birthday, so we went out to a fancy-schmancy dinner. I gave the hubs a couple of ideas for where we could go, and he decided on Eleven Madison Park. This restaurant had been on our list of places we want to go, and since we had already been to the other two restaurants, he chose this one (the hubs has a "thing" about going to restaurants more than once - so that we can experience more places while we are living in NYC).
Since it was my birthday, we decided to go whole hog and do the 11-course Gourmand menu. We usually don't go that crazy, but it was my birthday, and one of Mr. D's co-workers had essentially dared him/us to get the big tasting menu. I think it was one of the most amazing meals I have ever had.
The teeny appetizer tray that came out first was amazing - a row of delicious morsels, of all sorts of tastes and flavors. I cannot remember them all, but there were savory macaroon sandwiches, jellies, and a perfect crispy bite of braised meat in a won ton wrapper.
The first course was "Sterling Royal Caviar," which was FABULOUS. Two spoons were on the plate, each one had a sphere of either smoked sturgeon or salmon cream, nestled with a small dollop of caviar. Mmmm - a perfect way to start the meal.
A salad came next: Tardivo Trevisano. I really love salads which rely on cheese for the main ingredient. Four lovely bites of fresh mozzarella, champagne mango, with Italian olive oil.
A foie gras terrine followed, with pickled pearl onions and an amazing rum raisin brioche, which I believe was the beginning of our downfall, as it was a relatively huge piece of toast, and I wanted to eat every bite, which was not the best decision with 9 more courses to go (yes 9, because even though there are "11" courses, they snuck an extra one in).
The chef came to our table to prepare the next course, which was one of my favorites. A tribute to "Winter in Provence," which means: truffles! A truffle puree, served with potato puree, celery root puree, and chevre frais. OMG, gently placed in a bowl together, then stir them together to make a delicious soup. I cannot begin to describe how amazing this dish was; it was so comforting and earthy and tasty, I could have eaten it for days.
More tomorrow...
Since it was my birthday, we decided to go whole hog and do the 11-course Gourmand menu. We usually don't go that crazy, but it was my birthday, and one of Mr. D's co-workers had essentially dared him/us to get the big tasting menu. I think it was one of the most amazing meals I have ever had.
The teeny appetizer tray that came out first was amazing - a row of delicious morsels, of all sorts of tastes and flavors. I cannot remember them all, but there were savory macaroon sandwiches, jellies, and a perfect crispy bite of braised meat in a won ton wrapper.
The first course was "Sterling Royal Caviar," which was FABULOUS. Two spoons were on the plate, each one had a sphere of either smoked sturgeon or salmon cream, nestled with a small dollop of caviar. Mmmm - a perfect way to start the meal.
A salad came next: Tardivo Trevisano. I really love salads which rely on cheese for the main ingredient. Four lovely bites of fresh mozzarella, champagne mango, with Italian olive oil.
A foie gras terrine followed, with pickled pearl onions and an amazing rum raisin brioche, which I believe was the beginning of our downfall, as it was a relatively huge piece of toast, and I wanted to eat every bite, which was not the best decision with 9 more courses to go (yes 9, because even though there are "11" courses, they snuck an extra one in).
The chef came to our table to prepare the next course, which was one of my favorites. A tribute to "Winter in Provence," which means: truffles! A truffle puree, served with potato puree, celery root puree, and chevre frais. OMG, gently placed in a bowl together, then stir them together to make a delicious soup. I cannot begin to describe how amazing this dish was; it was so comforting and earthy and tasty, I could have eaten it for days.
More tomorrow...
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