Sprout!

- OR - 
An Appropriate Day* on Which to Remember This Blog Exists
(and Therefore Write Something)

So. It has come to my attention multiple times and from multiple sources this week that, oh yeah, this blog exists. And also? I've written nothing in it since October. I could give you excuses, but who cares? The point is, here we are, and I have some food to share with you. And I'm thinking, in the future, I will be sharing other things that I make. Like, clothes and stuff. And maybe some posts just about life, where no stuff is even made at all. [Travesty!] Plus, I don't believe in guilt.

Five years ago, my hair was short and long enough to be an appropriate length for a Louis XIV-era pageboy. Which is what I was dressed as for schlepping the scenery around Remy Bumppo's production of Power. Julia had worked on their previous show, and so she decided to come to the opening night to support her friends in the production. At the party which followed the performance that night, our eyes met across the crowd, and we've basically been inseparable ever since.**

Anyway.... Julia surprised me with a super fancy dinner at Dale Levitski's (of Top Chef fame) restaurant, Sprout. Which was AWESOME. Their deal is you get your choice of dishes for an appetizer, entree, and dessert course, and the chef decides on a soup/salad and cheese course for you. Total of five courses, if you're counting. They also have a wine pairing option, and I have to say - it was phenomenal. I don't remember exactly what I drank, but I do remember that the food made the wine taste better and vice versa. Here's the rundown:

To start off, we were presented with a delicious baguette and white bean butter. It was reminiscent of hummus and rather tasty.

For the first course, I had smoked duck breast with foie gras foam, cornbread, and sour cherry sauce served with greens, cucumber, and pickled ramps. Overall, it was excellent, though I did not really care for the foam. It was very... foamy... and not very foie gras-y. Julia had a seared scallop with salmon, pineapple, soy beans and mixed greens. The bite I stole was fantastic.

   

As you can tell, we enjoyed it, because we both cleaned our plates before it occurred to me that I wanted to take a picture.

Before I tell you about the second course, there's something you should know about me: I HATE PICKLES. Hate, hate, hate them... a LOT. [Except for that one time a few months ago when I was suddenly craving pickles and so I ate about 5 of them and they were really good. And before you ask - no, I wasn't pregnant.] You can ask my wife, my sister, my best friend, or anyone else who knows me well, and they will tell you that whenever I'm served something that comes with pickles... I am offering it to them for eating. Because I will not have that.

So, the second course was a soup (Chef's choice) - a play on Borscht, with a twist - instead of the customary red beets, they used golden beets and it was topped with...

 
... a pickled pickle!

Well, guess what, friends? I ate that pickled pickle and it was delicious. The soup itself was also wonderful, and I am pretty sure I said something to the effect of, "I may like this better than the really awesome duck I just ate."

Oh, but then there was this:

That's rabbit with truffle gnocchi, pistachios, peas, a super-thin sliver of cheese (something hard, maybe Parmesan?) and arugula over some kind of wonderful, creamy sauce. It was rich and wonderful, and I couldn't stop eating it. Except that I had to take a break about halfway through because it was also quite filling. I wondered if I'd be able to finish it all. And then I contemplated - out loud - the possibility that I might not have room for dessert. Um.... what?? That is unheard of.

While I was having these dilemmas, Julia was enjoying a seaweed and mussel dish with beef sashimi and sesame broth. As he poured the steaming sesame-chili broth into the bowl, our delightful waiter informed us that the reason it was poured table side was so that it would cook the beef ever-so-slightly as it sat in front of us. Neat. Julia thought the dish was amazing.

Next we had the other Chef's choice, a cheese course. I was expecting a small assortment of exotic cheeses, but what came out was the fanciest grilled cheese I've ever seen. It was made with an organic, aged Cheddar from Canada, coupled with apple slices and caramelized onions. Next to it on the plate was a bit of raisin-mustard to spread on it. I failed to take a picture, but despite my full belly, I finished it in short order.

And then, it was on to dessert. (Now, remember earlier, how I was so full I thought I wouldn't have room? I definitely didn't. But that didn't stop me from trying.) Lately I have been eyeing the rhubarb as it's started to show up in the grocery stores, so when I saw it paired with strawberries and goat cheese gelato in the dessert choices, I had to have it. In case you weren't paying attention, I just said goat cheese gelato. Wow. It was a giant plate of yummy.

Which I COULD NOT FINISH. Because I was TOO FULL.

Luckily, Julia was there, and after she finished her dessert, she took care of mine too.*** And by the way - she has a serious aversion to goat cheese. So she really took one for the team this time.

Lillet. It was very good, but more citrus-y than I like my desserts.

After we finished our dessert, the waiter came back - and not with the check! Instead, he was carrying two glasses of champagne, on the house, to help us celebrate five years together. Which, he declared, was a really, really long time in gay years, and therefore worthy of their best bubbles.

- The End -

(of the first five years)

Oh, wait! I almost forgot: once the meal was over, we headed to a theatre because Julia had some costume fittings to do for an upcoming show. It just so happened to be the very theatre whose lobby we'd met in five years prior. So, we had a chance to revisit the night we meant in a very literal sense, and Julia snuck in a card, some chocolate mousse truffle things (which I was still too full to eat) and a strawberry plant. Because a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I saw them outside the grocery store and almost bought them because I desperately want to grow berries and veggies, but didn't because we only have a porch, not a yard, but then after that, the parents of the girl I nanny offered their yard up for anything I felt like growing... so it was really sweet. 

Here are some really terrible cell phone camera pictures of us attempting to look cute in said theatre lobby:

*well, it would have been appropriate if I had actually written or posted this on that day. But I digress...

**yeah, so there was that whole thing where Julia dated another girl for two months while I pursued her relentlessly, but eventually she realized she felt the same way about me as I did about her, and that's what really matters. [If you want the full story, ask and I will write a post about it for you.]

***Because that's what married people do - take care of each other('s unfinished food.)