Fantastic weekend, folks! Very, very hard on my weight watchers effort, but v. good for my palette. We of the white table cloths went to Boka for our monthly outing, and I couldn’t have been happier with the choice. Instead of striking out on our own, we opted for the tasting menu of four courses along with the optional wine pairings. They had a six course choice, but none of us felt up to the challenge. Another time, perhaps. Since I took home the wine list, I’m going to lay out dinner for the benefit of my compatriots:
- Crab Cake appetizer paired with Comte de Dampierre l’er Cru N.V. Chenay France, 2003. Outstanding. One of the best crab cakes any of us had tasted.
- Fettuccine with lemon scent, fava beans and other wonderful things paired with a Chardonnay — Domain Alfred Chamisal, Edna Valley 2003 that I would kill or die to have another glass of.
- The main course of bouillabaisse, which Y. wisely substituted for the halibut. It was paired with a Pinot Noir — Kezmer & Blaise Primos Hill 2001 Carneros. This wine was waiting for us all in a dark alley, whereas the bouillabaisse lies on the sunny side of the street. Excellent pairing.
- And finally, desert, which each of us selected for ourselves. In no particular order (ahem): Toffe milk chocolate terrine (to die for), Three brownie ice cream sandwiches (also to die for), Raspberry creme brulee (well along the death by delicious at this point), and Guanabana bavarian (yum). All of this was paired with a lovely, if tad sweet Moscato – Sol Solis Moscata d’Asati, N.V. Italy
On a Sunday night, we had the entire restaurant to ourselves. I hope it’s v.v. busy on other nights because I’d hate to see this place disappear. Go! Eat!
Since B. and I both had the day off today, we decided to be decadent ladies who lunch and headed over to Le Colonial. Neither of us realized it was a vietnamese restaurant, so we were pleasantly surprised by the menu. The place also has an outstanding decor…it was very, well, colonial. I had the Goi Atiso, a salad of artichokes and crabmeat with a light tomato and tamarind dressing. It was delicious. I wish I could’ve spent all afternoon eating this salad, seriously. B. chose the Goi Ngo Sen which was a lotus root salad with chicken and shrimp. I braved a taste and the layering of flavors floored me. We finished off lunch with coconut and raspberry sorbet…mighty tasty on a hot afternoon. The service was a little off, but since the food was so good and prices reasonable, I would go back.
To finish off the gourmet weekend, we met C. and went over to the Taste of Chicago. Hmmm, well, not the best way to end a gourmet weekend. I’ll just say that careful selection of the three-ticket ‘taste’ option at each booth seems to be the way to do the Taste. If you remember, I would bring your own beverage…two dollars for a 20oz. bottle of soda is ridiculous.
Okay, signing off for the evening. Check out my Taste of Chicago photos.
Me and Evildingdong have been to
Le Colonial. Wonderful food.