todd treated me to an early birthday dinner at none other than the two-michelin starred
cyrus, probably one of the most highly touted restaurants in northern california. we drove up to healdsburg this past weekend for a mini-getaway, and experienced one of the most luxurious meals ever. through the entire evening, the staff treated us like kings and queens, and the vegetarian tasting menu was a great birthday present. our plates were constantly refilled with in-house bread, no one scoffed at my beet allergy, and each dish tasted amazing. maybe turning 29 isn't so scary after all...
first off, a tray of canapes to open our
five senses of taste: bitter, sweet, sour, salty, and umami. on the bottom were cups of a fresh broth. in the middle, fluffy homemade pretzels filled with cheese and some kaffir lime treat. on top, a kumquat canape and a beer bubble.
kaffir lime canape
kumquat canape
beer bubble canape (my least favorite flavor, but the bubble made me think of some of the craziness of top chef)
next came our amuse bouche of salad. it was fresh and light, perfect for a first bite!
a creamy yet well flavored cauliflower soup with truffles, almonds, and chives. i could sip this all day... but then i'd weigh 400 lbs and have three chins.
here's the homemade tagliarini with surgar pie pumpkin coulis and pepitas. the drizzle added a deep, saucy/nutty flavor.
artichoke barigoule: these little artichoke hearts came adorned with onion chips, licorice leaves, and skordalia sauce.
smoked "hen of the woods" and black trumpet mushrooms with onion, chard, and potato rosti, topped with a sweet and sticky balsamic vinegar.
these autumn vegetables were soaked in high acidity, then plated with a miso-battered/stuffed squash blossom. the broth was a miso-type stock.
here, we were totally full, but up rolled the cheese cart. we tasted a few, but wanted to leave room for dessert...
the first of two (yes, two!!!) desserts: verjus sorbet (yum!!!!!) and quince riesling soup with crystallized picholine olives. the tart soup tasted champagne-like, and the olives added a nice sweet calmness.
lemon huckleberry souffle with frozen white chocolate truffle (filled with huckleberry). i have to admit i couldn't finish mine. i love love love dessert, but by this time, i was totally full and ready for a nap.
but what nap? for the candy/mignardises cart came by. one of our many attendants happily gave us a stock of truffles, caramels, cocoa cookies, etc. to add to our "tomorrow" brownie boxes. perfect for sunday night amazing race watching!
on a slightly separate note, our booth was situated just 3 feet from the truffle box. both the white and black truffles were flown in from europe and could be added to any dish for a fee (per gram). staff handled the truffles with plastic gloves, and it's possible they had their own secret service. we foresee truffle dealing to become the new cocaine business around 2019. just roll up to any high school, swing by the bleachers, and exchange a few $100s with the young foodies for your own high class stash of 'shrooms.
first off, a tray of canapes to open our five senses of taste: bitter, sweet, sour, salty, and umami. on the bottom were cups of a fresh broth. in the middle, fluffy homemade pretzels filled with cheese and some kaffir lime treat. on top, a kumquat canape and a beer bubble.
kaffir lime canape
kumquat canape
beer bubble canape (my least favorite flavor, but the bubble made me think of some of the craziness of top chef)
next came our amuse bouche of salad. it was fresh and light, perfect for a first bite!
a creamy yet well flavored cauliflower soup with truffles, almonds, and chives. i could sip this all day... but then i'd weigh 400 lbs and have three chins.
here's the homemade tagliarini with surgar pie pumpkin coulis and pepitas. the drizzle added a deep, saucy/nutty flavor.
artichoke barigoule: these little artichoke hearts came adorned with onion chips, licorice leaves, and skordalia sauce.
smoked "hen of the woods" and black trumpet mushrooms with onion, chard, and potato rosti, topped with a sweet and sticky balsamic vinegar.
these autumn vegetables were soaked in high acidity, then plated with a miso-battered/stuffed squash blossom. the broth was a miso-type stock.
here, we were totally full, but up rolled the cheese cart. we tasted a few, but wanted to leave room for dessert...
the first of two (yes, two!!!) desserts: verjus sorbet (yum!!!!!) and quince riesling soup with crystallized picholine olives. the tart soup tasted champagne-like, and the olives added a nice sweet calmness.
lemon huckleberry souffle with frozen white chocolate truffle (filled with huckleberry). i have to admit i couldn't finish mine. i love love love dessert, but by this time, i was totally full and ready for a nap.
but what nap? for the candy/mignardises cart came by. one of our many attendants happily gave us a stock of truffles, caramels, cocoa cookies, etc. to add to our "tomorrow" brownie boxes. perfect for sunday night amazing race watching!
on a slightly separate note, our booth was situated just 3 feet from the truffle box. both the white and black truffles were flown in from europe and could be added to any dish for a fee (per gram). staff handled the truffles with plastic gloves, and it's possible they had their own secret service. we foresee truffle dealing to become the new cocaine business around 2019. just roll up to any high school, swing by the bleachers, and exchange a few $100s with the young foodies for your own high class stash of 'shrooms.
No comments:
Post a Comment