So because my friend has written amazing, envy inducing posts about Wink, I decided I must eat there for my birthday. Best decision EVER - EVER. It was perhaps two and a half hours of happiness. Not only were we greeted at the door by a nice guy who said happy birthday (and was one of the chefs) they printed a menu that said Happy birthday Amanda! Plus they gave me a copy at the end, signed by the guys in the kitchen.
Course first - beet salad with the lightest, most delicate goat cheese imaginable. I don't often eat goat cheese because it is strong and sort of musty, but this was like the freshest, most perfect cream. It was not technically on the menu, but we mentioned how we've been checking the restaurant's changing menu every day and were sad to miss the beet salad, so they made some for us! The salad was all made of beet leaves!
Curse second - scallops with squash and this incredible sorrel sauce. Oh man. If ever there was a happiness it was a scallop crispy on the outside and meltingly sweet inside. Plus the sorrel emulsion sauce was amazing. I wanted to lick the plate. I love sorrel.
Course third - Gulf grouper with red potato, squash and a red onion relish very similar but not quite pico de gallo. Great fish - firm and white and fleshy, with these vibrant just barely cooked vegetables and onion relish. Even Mike, who doesn't much care for fish, loved it.
This course had my favorite wine - it smelled like flowers and tasted amazing. It was a combination of Riesling and Chardonnay from Italy. I've never had anything quite like that, with a taste that lived up to the smell.
Course fourth - bison tartare with potato chip and tiny cornichons. OH. I think they must have been quail egg yolks on top, so tiny and perfect. This was epic and delicious - the crispy potato, the sweet and melting bison, a tiny bit of mayonnaise, the zing of little pickled cornichons. I could eat this every single day!
Course fifth - duck breast on sweet potato puree with king trumpet mushroom and black pepper honey gastrique. Mmm delicious. The honey especially with the mushroom was amazing. I think this was Mike's favorite.
Course sixth - grilled hanger steak with potato, flat beans and a sauce choron. I used my bread to mop up every bit of sauce. The meat was crispy charred on the outside and red juicy in the center. So, so so good.
Course seventh - dessert! It was El Ray chocolate cake, which was a dense, flourless chocolate cake with fresh whipped cream and cherries cooked in zinfandel. Served with a glass of port, it was amazing. I almost think I didn't need to buy a birthday cake after that! It was intense - dark chocolate and cream and cherries in this syrupy wine reduction.
I am now dead of delicious food. I will go pass out.
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tinywarrior and we talked about all kinds of funny stuff. There was sushi! I got to admire her awesome tattoos in person. Then I was off to pick up my birthday cake, which turned out so lovely. I even found parking and survived lunch time traffic on 6th street without exploding. On the drive home, I listened to Tool's Lateralus, which Kat burned for me so many years ago. It is still one of my favorite albums ever.![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
branchandroot
