Big 10

We had an amazing evening at Charlie Trotter's last night to celebrate our tenth anniversary. What a meal! I'll be daydreaming about it for months. It was every bit as wonderful as we remembered -- Airan and I first ate at Charlie Trotter's for our sixth anniversary. (Back before we needed a babysitter.) You'll perhaps recall that for our ninth anniversary, we went to Tru for a lovely dining experience. While Tru is incredible, Charlie Trotter's will always be our first love when it comes to ultra-expensive five-star dining.

When we first walked in, Chef Trotter himself was wandering around -- we walked by him on our way to our table, and he walked by us after we were seated. We were totally starstruck, of course. We wanted to ask our waiter if the chef might pose for a picture with us, but I couldn't bear the rejection we'd surely receive, so we never asked.

Airan had the Grand Menu, while I had the Vegetable Menu. Airan managed to take some stealthy pictures of my vegetable courses. Conditions weren't idea -- low lighting, no camera flash, and all -- but I think he did a lovely job given the circumstances.

Bread, of course. An assortment of rolls
just kept coming, and each was better
than the last. And we had a delightful
champagne to get the meal started --
I don't know much about wine, but this
champagne was incredible.








Machta Green Tea Tapioca with
Spring Peas and Lemon: I don't
like peas. But I liked this. Chef
Trotter could make me like slugs,
I think. Or corn. Or maybe even
tiramisu.








Steamed Twelve Season Miso Cake
with Spinach, Easter Egg Radish
& Preserved Carrots: This might
be the most delicious thing I've
ever tasted.









White Asparagus with Brioche,
Chervil, Toasted Hickory Nuts, &
Curried Yogurt: I can't quite say
why, but this dish tasted like
Thanksgiving.









Morel Mushroom Cannelloni with
Summer Leek Custard & Roasted
Shallot Confit: Okay, I know what
I said before about the miso cake
being the most delicious thing I've
ever tasted, but this dish was even
better. Those three bites of morel
mushroom cannelloni were like
heaven. I need more morels in my diet.





By this point in the evening, I was falling
pretty far behind in my wine pairings.













Grilled Red Plums with Poached
Elephant Garlic, Amaranth & Thai
Long Pepper Infused Merlot:
Surprisingly tart and spicy. Delightful.










Watermelon Sorbet with Sake Gelee
& Cucumber: Again, I don't much
care for watermelon, but I liked this.
The cucumber flavor was very strong --
crisp and fresh. Yummy.









Our pairing of dessert wines -- Bodegas
Toro Albala "Don PX -- Gran Reserva"
Pedro Ximenez, Montilla-Moriles 1971
and Tokaji-Aszu "5 Puttonjos" Chateau
Pajzos 1999. They were too incredible
for words. The red wine was four years
older than I am.







Dessert, dessert, dessert!! Four delightful
ice creams, all of them amazing: Organic
Buttermilk with White Pepper, Toasted
Milk Ice Cream & Nutmeg (this one was
my favorite)









Indonesian Chocolate with Pine
Nuts & Pandan Broth












Olive Oil Ice Cream with Dried
Fruit, Red Wine & Venezuelan
Chocolate











Poached White Peaches with
Rolled Oats & Lavender












And to finish the evening, the most incredible
and surprising little chocolate ganache --
every bite was a new and amazing flavor.
My favorite bite had sea salt. It was
overwhelming the way a strong bite
of wasabi is overwhelming. Too good
for words. I'll be dreaming about this
one until we next visit Chef Trotter's
establishment -- next year, perhaps?