Warning: this is pure food porn. But I can’t keep this to myself. I will conceal some of the names, to protect those involved…
After a very successful week of meetings here in the Valley (and more to come tomorrow, actually), I arranged to meet up with an old friend for dinner. I chose a restaurant that we had enjoyed before, the James Randall in Los Gatos, and we sat down to eat soon after 7.
The waiter gave us the menus, and listed the specials for the evening. At this particular restaurant they offer a prix fixe option on Tuesday through Thursday: appetiser, entree and dessert for $43. Add $30 to get the chef’s wine pairings with each course. I was feeling expansive, as was Adrian, so we went for the whole shebang. We had a feeling that we were in for a special treat.
I ordered the black bean soup and the duck breast; Adrian ordered the cheese special (involving panko and a flash in hot oil) and the duck. A few minutes later, the waiter returned. There was only one duck breast left. Would we be amenable to splitting a duck breast, and then splitting another entree – say, a New York steak. There would, of course, be a wine pairing for each entree. What a deal! Yes, of course…
At this restaurant, “wine pairing” is not what you might expect. It’s not just a glass of wine matched to the item: it’s two generous pours of different wines (or other beverages) that each complement some aspect of the dish. With my soup, I got a rose wine and also a pale ale. Sounds bizarre, but it worked a treat. I kept up quite well, tasting and demolishing each of the two half-glasses of wonderful red wines ((Adrian: do you remember where that Cabernet Sauvignon came from?)) that accompanied each of the demi-entrees, but Adrian fell behind, as shown in this picture.
At last we came to the dessert. I chose a chocolate torte; the portion was tiny but extraordinarily intense. It was paired with an excellent domestic port. Adrian opted for the classic strawberry shortcake (which looked almost perfect), which came with an orange muscat. (And at his insistence I actually finished most of Adrian’s muscat!)
Yes, it was an expensive meal. But it was wonderful entertainment, and if (as I suspect) I wind up living down in this part of the world, it’s nice to build some relationships and start some traditions. And that meal was almost perfect……