It’s been a while since we’ve posted any adventures… let alone food adventures. So to kick off 2019’s events schedule, Tara is here to woo you with the wonder of Asian cuisine that we offered up just this past weekend.
Our house comes together to try to provide not only a good FOOD experience but also to create an “environment” in which to enjoy the meal and the company at everyone’s tables. This time we were able to pull from the varied resources our friends had on hand to take the experience up another notch including authentic wall hangings, shoji screens, and vintage tea sets that came along with stories and heart. These things helped make the entire experience more cozy and took more distractions from the night by covering things like the bookcase, TV and other “normal things” that sit around our living room turned dining room.
Did I forget to mention, we also had a serving staff decked in kimonos? Oh and our wonderful guests came dressed to match too! What an amazing addition!
But… you’re not here for my babble so let’s get on with the photos.
Cocktail hour comprised of a series of past Dim Sum appetizers and some cocktails provided by our friendly household bartender, Nick.
The Dim Sum Course
Starting front center and proceeding clock-wise: Shrimp Shumai, Pork Steamed Bun, Vegetable Pot Sticker, BonMi-Style Pork belly Bao on a cucumber with garnish of lightly pickled cabbage and carrot.
The Dim Sum course was served during cocktail hour during which Nick served up Dragonfuit “coolatta” and Meyer Lemon Fizz from The 27RHL House Bar.
The Soup Course
From left to right: Tom Yum Soup, fully dressed; Vegetable Ramen; and sometimes we have guests with different proclivities and so the last picture is a Tom Yum without mushrooms. We like to make sure ALL our guests get to enjoy their experience!
The soup course was accompanied by The Highlands Project Pinot Noir (2013).
The Salad Course
Left to right: Cucumber Salad; Papaya Salad.
The salad course was accompanied by Brady Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (2015).
The Fish Course
Left to right: Sashimi of Tuna and Amberjack with daikon radish and jalapeno; Crab and Coconut Curry.
The fish course was accompanied by Gekkeikan Black & Gold Sake.
The Meat Course
Left to right: Bulgogi-Style Beef with sticky rice and carrot ribbons; Peking Duck Breast with braised purple cabbage and steamed yellow pepper; vegetarian plate which comprised of broccoli rabe, carrot ribbons, yellow peppers, purple cabbage and sticky rice.
The meat course was accompanied by Di Majo Norante Sangiovese (2016).
The Dessert Course
Left to right: Bean curd sesame balls with green tea ice cream; Mango sticky rice with sesame seeds and ginger ice cream.
The dessert course was accompanied by Tozai Snow Maiden Junmai Nigori.
A display of our wines for the evening.
Tara’s Final Thoughts
As I thought about sitting down to put together this post, I spent a lot of time thinking about what goes into putting one of these dinners together. It’s not just planning a menu and putting it out in front of all our friends. There’s so much logistics involved that, often when we’re in the middle of “the day-of madness” I think we’re often wondering “what the hell were we thinking?!” This party we sometimes were surrounded by a group of great friends who offered to help at nearly every turn.
Amidst our busy lives we have found ourselves surrounded by a community of people who not only love coming here just for the food and the wines (and the company too) but also have made a point to chip in and help make the prep, set up, and (most importantly) the clean up so much LESS for us. I cannot even begin to explain how meaningful that is to us. So thank you to all those folks who pitched in to make not only the experience in our “dining” room fantastic but also to those folks who helped make getting up the next morning one of the easiest we’ve had in a long long time.
We are grateful to have such wonderful people to cook for, entertain, and spend time with. Thank you for your friendship.