This evenings Menu as written and sent to me by one of our guest with commentary (un-edited, except for the names)!
Featured Farms this evening: DC's Urban Rooftop Garden, KissMyFuzzyKatButt Farm...
Scallop crepinette in a brown butter sage sauce
White squash soup with a garnish of watermelon radish (everyone exclaimed over the exquisite texture and the depth of flavor. The pretty pink radish was the perfect foil in color, texture, and spicy taste. Outstanding.)
Three-tomato plate with four salts: a slice each of DC Heirloom, Aunt Judy, and Black Cherokee, accompanied by fleur de sel, lavender salt, smoked salt, and black charcoal salt (XXXXXX insisted that this was her favorite dish of the evening, and she also claimed not to really like tomatoes. So this is the "I can convince you to like tomatoes"
dish. The flavor of each bite, individualized by the choice of tomato and the choice of salt, was an adventure. The epitome of the best ingredients served in the way that best showcases their features.)
Roasted quail on a bed of cranberry shell beans, tomatoes, and sherry sauce (the creaminess of the beans, the tenderness of the tiny quail,
the piquancy of the tomatoes, all made for a nicely-balanced dish.
Yum.)
Cod and egg yolk sous vide with a malt vinegar sauce and a green tomato jus (delicious, but a number of people at the table had a problem with the egg yolk. Too yolky, maybe, and one person mentioned an allergy. Serving the bread to soak it up was genius -- otherwise too hard to eat. The cod was perfect, soft but not mushy, flavorful but not fishy. I could have happily licked up the malt vinegar sauce.)
Boudin two ways: boudin blanc in a goat whey broth and boudin noir with a fig-pepper moutard and pepper jelly (Oh my god, the boudin noir was outstanding, with or without the tasty condiments. While the boudin blanc was nice, I found it overshadowed by the noir, though opinion at the table seemed split between the two.)
Venison loin, baby squash, and fried squash blossom (I can't say enough about the incredible vegetables. The squash blossom was divine, and the baby veg were tasty, pretty, and irresistible. All paired nicely with the heartiness of the venison, served blue-rare and delicious.)
Pork loin sous vide en brodo with green beans, wax beans, and romano beans (the texture of the pork and the FLAVOR, oh my god. There was some dismayed exclamation at the table when it was served -- "It's a huge serving!" -- but once tasted it was impossible not to eat it right down to the little fatty bits.)
Kadota fig sorbet (very figgy. For me, the tiny seeds detracted from the texture and therefore from the delicious sweetness. Another comment at the table deemed the serving size too large. A tiny taste would have been enough.)
Concord grape sorbet with a side of homemade goat cheese (I would not have paired these, but they totally worked together. The sweetness of the sorbet -- entirely fruit-sweetened -- and the sharp creaminess of the cheese were perfect. XXXXX, who is lactose intolerant, said, "I have tasted every sorbet I could get my hands on, and this is the best.")
Spearmint flower tea (tasty, and I'm not a big fan of mint tea. It was perfectly brewed to be flavorful without being harsh. And a hot beverage was very welcome at that point.)
Roasted strawberry, black pepper, and lavender ice cream Poco Dolce aztec chili chocolate ice cream with pumpkin seeds Peach croustade with sherry vinegar Chocolate brownie cupcake (The ice creams both drew gasps and mmmmmms. The roasted strawberry was deemed by one to be "too floral," but for me (who usually despises lavender-flavored anything as "soapy") it was surprisingly delicious. Chocolate and chilis may be a trend that is on its way
out, but THIS chocolate with chilis should be in the canon forever.
Amazing stuff.)
