Despite the 5+ people who took care of our every need, the ambiance was not at all pretentious or stuffy (although I can’t say the same for some of the other patrons). It was kind of like eating in someone’s living room except that the living room had 10 tables in it.

The dinner was preceded with two amuse-bouches. The first was a cheese gougere with Gruyere cheese. The gougere literally melted in our mouths with the cheese oozing out. It was hands-down the best gougere I’ve ever had (yes, Tartine and Spruce, I really did say that). The second amuse-bouche was an excellent sesame cone with creme fraiche and roe.

We brought our own wine to dinner. Despite the $75 corkage fee (ouch!), it was definitely the way to go since most of the wines on the menu were in the $400+ range. My eyes nearly fell out at the $6,000 price tag on the bottle of Chateau d’Yquem. Thank goodness Andrew had purchased a couple of bottles of wine that were excellent. The 2006 Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon, Connoisseurs Series was one of the best wines I’ve had in a long time. I wish I could buy more and stock up on it.

A variety of bread choices were available and we tried the brioche from Bouchon and a pretzel roll, but we just didn’t have enough room for much bread.

Course 1: “Oysters and Pearls” with a “Sabayon” of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and Whole Sturgeon Caviar. I thought Andrew was going to balk at the caviar and oysters, but he actually liked it. This was probably my favorite dish.

Course 2: Jacobsen’s Farm Apple Salad with Radish “Lamelles”, Red Walnuts and Dijon Mustard.

Course 3: Sauteed Fillet of Atlantic Striped Bass (Andrew had this) or “Degustation” of Summer Clams (I ordered this)

Course 4: “Beets and Leeks” with Main Lobster Tail “Pochee au Beurre Doux”, King Richard Leeks, “Pommes Maxim’s” and Red Beet Essence. Another favorite!

Course 5: Liberty Farm Peking Duck with Red Clapp Pear, Belgian Endive, Toasted Cashew and Szechuan Peppercorn Sauce. The other option was “Coeur de Veau” (veal heart), but Andrew’s not a fan of organs and I felt obligated to try the Chinese dish.

Course 6 (main course): Elysian Fields Farm Lamb Saddle with “Ricotta Tortellini”, Summer Squash, Garlic Confit, Spanish Capers and “Salsa Verde”. I thought the presentation was very pretty.

Course 7: “Cavatina” with “Gingerbread”, Mirabelle Plum Jam, Fennel and Piedmont Hazelnuts. This was my least favorite dish, but it’s probably because goat cheese is not my favorite.

Course 8: Yellow Watermelon Sorbet with Basil-Honey and Saba Vinegar

Course 9 (dessert): Caramelia Chocolate “Cremeux” with Gros Michel Banana, Georgia Peanuts, “Dentelle” and Salted Popcorn Ice Cream (Andrew had this for two reasons – it was chocolate and it had Georgian peanuts) or “Peach Melba” with Sicilian Pistachio “Pain de Genes,” Andante Dairy Yogurt, “Biscotti” and Raspberry Sorbet. Both desserts were amazingly light so that I even I finished all of it.

But wait, there’s more…bonus courses consisted of the best affogato I’ve ever had with beignets and chocolate and praline-covered macadamia nuts. There was a whole bowl full of those nuts and they were delicious. I regret not carrying a purse and sliding them in there.

Oh wait, we still weren’t done. That was followed by six chocolate truffles, which we just stared at in confusion because we couldn’t eat anymore. Thankfully, our waiter asked if we wanted to pack it up and we gratefully said yes.

• 10 dried porcini mushrooms
• ½ cup hot water
• 2 portabello mushrooms
• 1/2 pound of mixed shitake, enochi, and other mushrooms
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 lb toasted fregola
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• Grated parmesan cheese to taste

1. Soak mushrooms in the hot water for 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms, squeezing lightly to release liquid. Chop mushrooms and reserve mushrooms and soaking liquid separately. Set aside.

2. Wipe mushroom caps and trim stems. Cut mushrooms into about 1/8-inch thick slices; set aside. Put the broth in a saucepan with mushroom-soaking liquid, and place over medium-low heat to warm.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch skillet set on medium heat. When hot, add onion and sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add mushrooms and sauté 10 minutes or until they’re beginning to release their liquid. Stir in reconstituted mushrooms. Add wine to pan and simmer until liquid is almost evaporated.

3. Stir in fregola and thyme. Begin to add just enough hot broth to cover fregola. Cook, stirring often, until liquid has almost been absorbed. Continue adding broth until fregola is tender but not mushy, about 25 minutes. Add salt and pepper towards end of cooking.

4. Remove pan from heat and discard thyme sprigs. Stir in thyme leaves and parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Using a potato peeler, add fine shavings of Parmesan to top of risotto. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6

(Adapted from Seattle Times Food & Wine)

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes.   Published May 1, 2010.   From Cook’s Illustrated.

Use a high quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate for this recipe, such as one of the test kitchen’s favorite baking chocolates, Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate L-60-40NV or Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar. The cupcakes can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored unfrosted in an airtight container.

Chocolate Cupcake Ingredients:

• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
• 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
• 3/4 cup hot coffee
• 3/4 cup bread flour (I used 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1/2 cup self-rising bread flour)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extra

Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting

The frosting can be made up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container. When ready to frost, place frosting in a microwave-safe container and warm briefly on high power until just slightly softened, 5 to 10 seconds. Once warmed, stir until creamy.

Ingredients

Instructions

It was our final night of the trip and we didn’t have a dinner reservation. After walking along The High Line and browsing through the shops of Chelsea Market, we were looking for a place to dine in the Meatpacking District. I wanted to go to Pastis, but Andrew isn’t a fan of French food. Spice Market was right there, with an outdoor table calling our name. The interior decor was absolutely beautiful. We hadn’t eaten much Asian food, so we thought we’d give it a try. Plus, it’s a Jean-Georges restaurant…what could go wrong?

It’s not that the food or service was horrible…it wasn’t. It just wasn’t that good. The meal started off strong with good drinks and excellent appetizers – the soup, samosas, and the satay were quite yummy. However, it was all downhill from there (kind of reminds me of FANG in SF). I can’t even remember what the entrees tasted like. I just remember not wanting to eat much of it. Same with the dessert. And for once, Andrew and I were in agreement.

I liked the atmosphere of Locanda Verde instantly with its warm and inviting wood decor. I was even more excited by the menu, which had tripe on it! When Andrew warned Marie that I liked to take photos of my food, she didn’t seem concerned since her friend Mel does the same thing (with a point-and-shoot). I got a few stares and an “OMG, what the hell is that thing?” from Marie when I pulled out my Canon 40D with the 24-70 f/2.8 lens. Sometimes I forget that I’m not in San Francisco where everyone’s got a dSLR in their handbags. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop me from snapping away.

Uovo Modenese with cotechino hash, spinach and tomato hollandaise

“Scampi and Grits” with organic polenta, tomato, sausage and coddled eggs (Andrew wasn’t a fan)

8 Hour Tripe and fried eggs (YUM!)

The entire food adventure, however, started off with a very early breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien after a stroll through Central Park. We had previously eaten lunch at Le Pain Quotidien in Old Town Alexandria on our Washington, D.C trip, so we were looking forward to trying their breakfasts. There aren’t a lot of options, but after a red-eye and arriving too early to check into our hotel, Le Pain Quotidien hit the spot.

Having found a remote interest in desserts (making them…the eating them interest was always present), Teresa made some delicious Apricot Tea Cakes for our mom’s birthday dinner. Recipe from Tartelette: Apricot And Lavender Brown Butter Tea Cakes