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Maestro Dinner for DR.com Members


hillvalley

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I am not sure if I am sober or not, just very tired, and quite cranky. Why am I cranky? Because of the prospect of a lunch that does not include that fabulous Risotto. Also, I am not sure what was going on at ScotteM’s end of the table, but at my end there was no crying.

One of the dishes that did not appear on the menu that was served were oysters topped with a Champagne Zabaglione caused me some concern. When I ate at Maestro in November, this was one of our dishes. It was not just the worst dish of the night, but one of the most unpleasant dishes I have had in quite sometime. In November, the oyster was served warm, and was quite overpowering and very unpleasant. Last night’s version was the antithesis of what I had in the past. This time the oysters were still quite cold, and I understood what the chef was trying to accomplish in this dish.

The other dish that was not listed on the menu was the pre-dessert. It was a Lychee custard topped with Limoncello. Hmm… this was good. I had some of the Torcolato Maculan left from the Foie Gras which went so beautifully with this dessert.

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Nah, it sucked.  Really, it did.  Well if by sucking I mean that people were licking their plates and asking for seconds.  My absolute favorite was the Risotto, followed by the lobster, and the tongue and cheeks.  More about all of these when I am sober.

This was a beautiful evening of fine dining, my favorites were the Risotto with black truffle, diver scallop, the maine lobster ravioli ginger bisque, the veal cheeks and tongue and the gorgonzola cotognata amarone, believe a nebbiolo was served with the kobe beef(very very flavorful -mine was not so tender though) that was very nice and the Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1993 was , eventhough still a baby , superior. The size of the group taxed the wait staff but they performed flawlessly and were delightful (like most Italians are)

I particularly enjoyed meeting several people who were quite charming and was happy that Sthich's favorite restaurants in town were mine too. Looking forward to another simialr event, perhaps at Marcel's

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Please forgive any lack of quality in the photos. Since use of our digital camera without the flash requires a steady hand (something I did not have, particularly after the 3rd glass of wine) most of the photos were taken with flash, showing them in a different light than what we experienced in Maestro's lovely dining room. I tossed in a couple without flash that weren't too blurry to give you an idea of how the presentation looked during the dinner.

So, that being said, let the photo parade begin ---

Lovely Versace place setting (good call, Ustreetguy :lol: ): post-241-1139503007_thumb.jpg

post-241-1139503069_thumb.jpg Amuse of Ahi tuna, razor clams and a flat-parsley 'shot'

Buffalo mozzarella, quenelle of Osetra caviar, olive oil: post-241-1139503092_thumb.jpg

post-241-1139503106_thumb.jpg The extra dish -- oysters with champagne zabaglione

Maine lobster ravioli with ginger bisque: post-241-1139503118_thumb.jpg

post-241-1139503131_thumb.jpg Fabio Trabocchi and staff prepping the next course

Risotto, seared diver scallop and truffle: post-241-1139503170_thumb.jpgpost-241-1139503199_thumb.jpg

post-241-1139503240_thumb.jpgpost-241-1139503256_thumb.jpg Seared Fois Gras with Torcolato sorbet

Striped bass with Porcini mushrooms - 3 ways: post-241-1139503268_thumb.jpg

post-241-1139503278_thumb.jpg "Tongue-in-Cheek" veal cheeks and tongue, parsley foam

Kobe beef with Manni olive oil and 100-yr old balsamic: post-241-1139503292_thumb.jpg

post-241-1139503312_thumb.jpg Gorgonzola with quince

Pre-dessert panna cotta: post-241-1139503340_thumb.jpg

post-241-1139503352_thumb.jpgDessert of pears, caramel and amaretto

Mignardises of chocolate cake and frozen passionfruit ice cream: post-241-1139503364_thumb.jpg

I'll leave descriptions up to everyone else, but will add that everything was darn tasty, particularly the veal cheeks & tongue!!

Edited by Camille-Beau
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Camille-Beau, I missed those last two desserts! Was I in the bathroom that long? :)

Everything was spectacular last night, the setting , the food, the wines and most impotantly the company!

Honestly I remember the first 4 or 5 courses but everything is a bit hazy after that. Favorites of mine were the Lobster Ravioli in Ginger Bisque and those beautifully sweet succulent oyters! The Mozzarella with Caviar was so very simple but so incredible. As UStreetGuy so aptly pointed out "who'd a known!".

The amuse of Ahi Tuna with Parsley Shot was a great taste, I have never tasted anything so "green" in all my life. You had to taste this to know what I am talking about.

Whomever chose the wines for the tasting did an excellent job! (Special note to the someiller,"I did not make you pour all those extra bottles, but thank you anyways").

And in case anyone is wondering about "DARN TASTY". This was Beau's (of Camille-Beau) comment after his first bite of a Salmon Tartare Amuse (not pictured above) that was served first.

Oh BTW, Don Rockwell, Thank you for putting this together. You were missed.

:lol::huh:

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There's no question: for me Wednesday evening's dinner was an epiphany. I have been thinking about it ever since, remembering the different flavors and textures, meditating on the sum of the parts.

Thirteen courses (counting the canape, the surprise appetizer, and the palate-cleansing pre-dessert) is a lot of food. Someone at the dinner commented that it was "too much," which seemed to dismay Chef Trabocchi. That wasn't his intention, although it is clearly an area wherein ymmv. Yes, I was full, and I couldn't finish the last two courses, but it was not meant as an exercise in excess, but in variety and contrast. It's one thing to put out those wonderful courses and platings to a full house at dinner, when everything can be paced and staggered. To serve a party of 16 diners simultaneously, while also serving a full house of diners (as I observed when I left our private room at about 8:30), requires tremendous planning and timing. As Chef explained to us after the meal, he planned the menu to present the artistry of his kitchen and the foods he loves in a way that would not suffer for being served in that manner. Thus we had many foods that were stripped of pretense: a single diver scallop, perfectly seared, topped with a round shaving of black truffle; perfectly seared foie gras with a glass of slightly sweet Torcolato wine and a sorbet of the same wine; buffalo mozzarella topped with osetra caviar; perfectly seared Kobe beef offered with separate components to be mixed or dipped to the diner's taste of seasoning.

Wednesday's dinner showed a progression of courses, crafted so that whatever followed was not diminished by what had preceded--preserving the palate to the end. We enjoyed many of Chef's famous signatures. The canape is classic, offered to every diner at Maestro (sometimes the cylinders might contain buffalo mozzarella instead of salmon tartare). Buffalo mozzarella itself is always on his menu, but has been different almost every time I've eaten it (not the cheese, but the preparation and modifying components). His Maine lobster ravioli made the cover of this month's Washingtonian. I've had the Sunset Beach oysters with sabayon several times (that was our "surprise" appetizer), and it, too, has been a little different each time, but always carrying the contrast of brine and cream in a fresh way.

I loved every bite. I came away with some of the dishes haunting my dreams, but I can't pick a "favorite" dish out of a meal that went together like the blocks of an Incan temple--virtually seamless, held together by craft rather than mortar.

I did have one regret coming away from the evening. Although I did try to make introductions among the diners, I should have introduced Emanuele, Vincent, and our fabulous servers for the evening. Their role in our enjoyment was essential. Vincent's wine pairings were spot-on (to my palate, at least), and his generosity in pouring and in discussing the wines with those interested was evident. The magnum of Tattinger Comtes de Champagne 1993 that he poured at the end of the meal was one of six in his cellar. He told me he thought this was a dinner worthy of sharing one of those treasures.

I have to get ready now to head for Maestro for the cooking class (I hope I don't start to seem like a stalker, showing up twice in one week). I just want to again express my gratitude to Don, Hillvalley, Chef Trabocchi, Emanuele, Vincent, and the staff, and to my dining companions, for making Wednesday a night I will remember always.

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