Charlie Trotter's: The Full Details

As previously posted, L and I had the pleasure of dining at Charlie Trotter's kitchen table last Friday night. It was an epic meal that started around 8:40 and ended somewhere around 1:30. I will detail the menu here, with some assorted food photos included. We totally went for broke on this meal and did both the tasting menu AND the wine pairing. It was astounding. Without further ado, I present to you Friday, June 6, 2008: An Evening at the Kitchen Table! Please note, this is my menu and I don't eat red meat. L will have to post the other courses from the red meat menu, which included some black buck and Japanese beef short rib. Here goes nothing!

• Razor Clams with Lemon & Chervil, Uni with Apple & Yuzu, Soft Shell Crab with Heirloom Tomatoes (Champagne Varnier-Fanniere "Cuvee Saint Denis - Blanc de Blancs" Brut NV)
• Chilled Snow Lake Trout with Indian Celery & Watercress (Rias Baixas "O Rosal" Santiago Ruiz 2006)
• French White Asparagus with Fava Beans & Sorrel (Knoll "Kreutles" Gruner Veltliner, Wachau 2005)
• Globe Artichoke Soup & Spun Honey with Mint - photo below! (Condrieu "Les Chaillees de L'Enfer" Domaine Georges Vernay 2005)

• Grilled Cockscomb with Mizuna - photo below! (Chassagne-Montrachet "Premier Cru - La Maltroie" Philippe Colin 2005)
  

• Roasted Quail with Grilled Ramps & Ginger (Pommard "Premier Cru - Les Rugiens" Annick Parent 2001)
• Maine Day Boat Lobster with Elephant Garlic - photo below! (Eyrie "Reserve" Pinot Noir, Willamette 2002)
  

• Squab Breast with Hazelnut & Pearl Onion Marmalade - I didn't actually have this course, instead I had something with fish, but it was mistyped on my take-home menu (Valpolicella Classico Superiore "TB" Bussola 2003)
• Grilled Portuguese Cobia with Porcini Mushrooms (Barbera d'Alba "Conca Tre Pile" Poderi Aldo Conterno 2004)
• Japanese Kampachi with Roasted Eggplant (Priorat "Clos de L'Obac" Costers del Siurana 2003)
• Warm Ossau Iraty with Dried Cherry & Brioche - photo below! Check out the jumbo wine glass for this course, which is lined up against our other glasses for comparison. The biggest one can hold 2 bottles of wine. (Elderton "Command" Shiraz, Barossa 2003)
  

• Fenugreek Sherbet with Shaved Celery
• Dessert (Andrew Rich "Ice Wine" Gewurztraminer, Washington-Oregon 2006 / Chambers "Rosewood" Muscadelle, Rutherglen NV) - photo below!
  
• Stewed Rhubarb with White Chocolate Yogurt & Coriander Shortbread (bottom left)
• Okinawan Sweet Potato Sorbet & Vanilla Bean Marshmallow (bottom center)
• Milk Chocolate Semifredo with Star Anise & Red Wine (bottom right)
• Venezuelan Chocolate & Grilled Nopales with Agavero Jelly & Kaffir Lime (top left)
• Plate of nibblies (Top right - I can remember a little cookie with topping, a coated Macadamia nut, and a little mochi. There were 2 other snacks, maybe L can remember.)
  

This was actually the most expensive and extensive meal that I've ever eaten in my entire life. It was totally amazing, definitely one of those things that you file away as a once in a lifetime experience. I was basically full until the following day at like 2 or 3 pm. I stopped eating my full plate around the 7th or 8th course. I would take a nibble of food and a sip of wine and then I'd sit back and groan. It was a crazy experience. I have never been more full in my life.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the food porn!

xoxo,
KK

Trotter's

OMFG. L and I just had dinner with friends at the kitchen table at
Charlie Trotter's. It was a 4.5 hour meal with 13 courses. Life
changing. More details to follow.

Little Lo

Umm...best thing I've seen in a while.

 

NYT on Little Lo and Blair Waldorf

Michelle Obama Style

Are we going to chat about Michelle Obama's dress from last night's rally in St. Paul?

 

Two observations:

1.  The use of the purple dress (get it?  Red + Blue = Purple)

2.  The belt + hair made her look a bit Jackie O-like

 

-L

Millypuff watches TV

As promised, the lovely photos of one Millypuff watching TV. Milly likes football and sexy Charles Brandon from The Tudors.

Car Trauma

Two things happened today that made me very unhappy to have a driving commute:

1.) I paid a little over $58 to fill my car today.  Keep in mind I drive a Mini Cooper.  To be fair, the Min-Coo does take premium gas, and it was a whopping $4.61 in Connecticut.

2.) I had to call 911 for the first time in my life!  As I was merging from the Wilbur Cross Highway from 84 onto 91 this morning, I saw a car FLIP OVER OFF THE EXIT RAMP.  Like, for reals.  I was totally panic stricken...I had no idea what I was supposed to do.  Needless to say I had my first (and hopefully only!) conversation with a 911 dispatcher.

It's days like these that make me pine for my good old Chicago walking commute and i-Go car lifestyle.

xoxo,
KK

Legally Blonde

I am watching the rerun of Legally Blonde - The Search for Elle Woods.  Love that its hosted by Haylie Duff (aka the Johnny Drama of the Duff family).

I concur with K, this could be good summer watching.

How the OMFG ladies spend their evenings

The OMFG ladies generally catch up on the phone once a week or so. It's usually a gleeful phone conversation post-TV show or a hungover weekend morning call. This evening we had a post-Greek call. I had mistakenly told L via our work email party with J that the season finale of Greek was tonight. Lo and behold, it's actually next week, spring break style! Woo hoo! SO excited. After we discussed the merits of the boys on Greek (L plays for team Evan, I play for team Cappie), we ventured into our usual catch-up session.

I'd just like to reveal that L was spending the evening watching TV, doing finance homework (annuities, anyone?), wearing her dress from work, and Marc Jacobs heels. Also drinking a Diet Coke. I mean, OMFG!! Who does homework in MJ heels?? L does. Love it.

In true K spirit, I drifted to a story about Milly. Milly was playing with some box from my bathroom trash can on the rug in my living area. I commented that I wanted to take it away from her and put it back in the trash can, but I was too busy talking on the phone and laying on the couch like a lazy person. Now I'm watching Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods on MTV. I might be into this.

xoxo,
KK

On the C's

As was alluded to in my charming bio by L, I am a rabid Boston sports fan.  For most of my life, the Boston Celtics have been irrelevant.  Additionally, after they tore down the old Garden, my dad refused to take me to games at the new Garden/Fleet Center/TD Banknorth Garden.  We are currently, however, in the midst of a magical year, and the C's are heading to the FINALS!  EEEEEEEEEEK!  I think the rest of the world hates Boston sports fans.  This is foreign territory for us.  All 4 of our major sports teams made it to the playoffs in their last season.  Unreal!

 

Anyway, I just wanted to make a quick comment about the C's, particularly Kendrick Perkins, their ginormous center from Texas.  I work in the "scenic" Boston suburb of Waltham, where the C's also happen to have their practice facilities.  One afternoon, I was pulling into my bank to make a deposit.  The bank is on Main Street and has sort of a lousy parking lot that is often very full.  I dutifully parked the Min-Coo in the very back of the lot and proceeded to almost get run over by a giant Escalade with Texas plates.  Even though there were plenty of spaces at the back of the lot, said car wheels into the HANDICAPPED SPOT!  What?!  And who gets out of the car?  Yup, you guessed it.  Kendrick Perkins.  And guess what else?  He was STILL WEARING HIS C's PRACTICE GEAR!!!!!!!  I mean, really?  You're a professional athlete and you can't walk an extra 50 feet from the back of the parking lot?  Talk about lousy community relations.  Now every time I see Perk on TV during games, all I can think is, "hey, there's the guy who parks in handicapped spots." Never mind that he has been a HUGE X-factor for the C's throughout the playoffs and is playing out of his mind...he's always going to be handicapped parking space guy.  Too bad. 

 

SATC - A Rebuttal

I think K was too hard on the movie, and therefore I must rebut.

 

I enjoyed the movie.

 

In terms of the flatness of the characters, I felt the contrary.  Finally the characters (meaning just Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha) were dimensionalized.  Miranda actually displayed an issue that is quite common amongst working women today.  How do you do it all?  How do you have success in the workplace, success in marriage and success as a parent?  I thought this was the most realistic plot line and showed that she was more than a bitter workaholic.  Charlotte was the comic relief of the story, a role that she didn't really take on during the TV series.  I will admit that her fear of losing her perfect life was indeed the weakest story line.  But, she proved to be the most loyal character in the story to Carrie.  She had that moment where she told Big "NO!" with an agressive pointy finger in the middle of the street with the shattered bouquet (you know the scene).  I was actually moved and teared up a bit.  I asked my best friend who was sitting next to me if she'd do the same for me in that situation.  Look at Samantha, she basically realized that her schtick was independence and went through a courageous (albiet a bit too easy) decision to leave her man and life in Los Angeles and go back to New York to be her real self. 

 

Carrie was still annoying, but at least she wore enough great belts to distract you of that fact throughout the movie. 

 

And Lily did say two words (not in order):  "Sex" and "Again."

 

Moreover, I thought that this was just a great reunion for fans of the show.  I saw the movie at 10 am on Friday in a theater on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  The energy of the audience was contagious.  Everyone was just so excited to have one last mega episode of the TV series. 

 

I think it's more of a change from you, K, than a movie flop (now mind you, I'm not nominating this flick for an Oscar).  And that is inevitable.  I think most women reach a point where the fashion focused life of Manhattan loses its luster.

 

- L