Quote:
Originally Posted by pnoon
Have a great time. Take (mental) notes and bring it back to your own kitchen.
Many happy returns, Bob.
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So the dinner was fantastic. The restaurant, Grange in Ann Arbor, sources all their products locally. The dishes are very thoughtful, but simple presentations of the ingredients.
First course - house cured duck soprasetta. Very nice, deep, rich flavor from the duck as compared to pork. I'm going to look into making this myself now that I'm dry curing my own meats/sausages.
Second course - fried Great Lakes smelt, with a house aioli. I hadn't had smelt in years and it reminded both my sister and I about the times our dad would go smelt dipping in Lake Erie and bring back buckets full of them. Oh so good. The aioli was different from the norm, with garlic scapes and a french mustard mixed in.
Third course - Grilled chicken bratwurst over a mashed potato puree and a concord grape reduction. They make the sausge in house and had just the right amount of seasoning in it to play well with the potatoes/grape sauce.
Fourth course - Roasted Tamworth pork with lima beans served over a sweet corn puree. Their take on a succotash with the corn/lima beans. Wow was that some of the best pork I've eaten. Some bites we buttery soft, while others more towards the edge were carmelized and crispy. The pairing with the sweetness of the corn and the lima beans was spot on. Nice textural contrast with each bite.
Fifth course - Chocolate creme with raspberry sorbet, chocolate crumbles, raspberry jam and whipped cream. Holy cow did they amp up the flavors on this dish. I was so engrossed with the deep flavor of the creme, my sister asked me if I had tried the sorbet yet. Nope, so I took a bite. Not what I was expecting. It was like they had reduced a quart of raspberries into this little, shooter marble sized scoop of sorbet. I'm talking knock your socks off intense. Again, how can you go wrong with chocolate and raspberries?
My sister had gotten the wine pairing with her meal to, so she let me try some of them. I'm definitely growing an appreciation for wine and food. The Spanish wine with the pork and the Port with the dessert were my favorites.
So I never did get my birthday cigar. By the time I got home it was late and I was exhausted, so it was straight to bed. I'll make up for it tonight.
Thanks again for all the well wishes. It was truly a great birthday.