If you don’t mind sacrificing a modest segment of your dignity in the name of glutton food and booze, might i make the suggestion to check out the Hanna Wine Night that Ruth’s Chris currently has going?
Sure, they were vaguely misleading, and never let the unassuming yokel (that’s me) know that it would be a GROUP dinner. where you might have to talk to people when you weren’t stuffing your face.
Matthew actually predicted it but I shushed away those predictions. “No, no” I said. “Ruth’s Chris wouldn’t do that to me. To us. Not after everything we’ve been through together.”
We were five minutes late and happily escorted up into the top of the restaurant. When I turned the corner my heels stuck and my eyes flared up like a lobster about to be put in a boiling pot. Really! I felt my eyes do that. Flanking the table were Washington D.C.’s finest aethetes and fattie-foodies. They sat there expectantly as we claimed our seats. I must’ve muttered ’sorry!’ to Matthew a hundred times. ESPECIALLY as the snoringist wine maker in the universe bored me out of my gourd for approximately 30 minutes before the first course was given to me. To pass time, I gorged on bread and tried to give him threatening looks (he didn’t look at me). Happier diners below me merrily dined on the sizzling steak whose delicious scent wafted up to my nose. I drank two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc (was meant for the first dish) before I got my oysters. I listened to 60 year old gay men talk about all the vineyards in Virginia and how this wine was so great because it was made in tin instead of oak. Whatever: give baby her food!
And that’s when the night took a dramatic upswing – with Oysters!
Oysters Rockefeller with cheese, fennel and carmelized onions
Twin Quail Breasts in a garlic wine reduction. The reason that this image looks so sick and unpleasant is because I was too greedy to remember to take a photo of it before it was pristine. The oysters were a million times better than the quail – I thought the spice rub they put on the breast was way too heavy. This one was paired with chardonnay.
Seared lamb chop with mint, butter and veal demi-glace. This was lovely, though a bit fatty. THis was paired with Cabernet. Matt says that American lamb tends to be fattier than Australian/New Zealand lamb. If you’re ever thinking of cooking lamb, go with the Aussie or Kiwi stuff they sell at Whole Foods!
4 oz. Filet with wild mushrooms. This was also paired with Cabernet, yet it was their pricey “Bismark” version. The wine snobs ate/slurped it up.
Creme Brulee and Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce. You know this was my favorite part, right? The creme brulee was so great I’d absolutely have it as my last meal. I’m trying really hard not to make any Death Row jokes right now. Why does my mind work in such embarrassing ways?
At the end the host guy yammered on a little more, though he was much more tolerable after 4 glasses of wine. I even applauded him at the end! They let us enjoy the rest of the bottles and “mingle” (though I was mainly after the bottles)
SIOBHAN! If you are reading this, we met one of your embassy friends at the very, very end. Matt asked her if she knew you and when she said that she did, I boozily blurted out (quote me) “She’s like our best friend. She came to our wedding!”
Anyway it was lovely food and wine and I mainly behaved myself. If you are vegetarian and game to spend $65 on some mini dishes with complementary wines, these are the dates that are upcoming:
Boston – June 24, 2008 Manhattan – June 25, 2008 Chicago – July 15, 2008
Dallas – July 16, 2008 Walnut Creek – July 29, 2008 San Diego – July 30, 2008
Palm Desert – July 30, 2008 Scottsdale – July 31, 2008
