Whats under the white stuff?
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December 31, 2003
Snow chase Part II
Snow chase!
Kooler striked a pose
Kooler on a Snowbed
Blurry Winter
A slightly blurry picture of Winter, but I couldnt resist his expression.
New Year's Eve Snow
Puppies charged out to the snow! We got about three inches overnight. Just in time for New Year's Eve. I ended up going to work. The roads down the hill were cleared and there was no ice.
December 27, 2003
Snif
snif snif.. mm. dirt
Winter & Kooler horsing around
When the puppies are not lazy, they actually play with each other.
Winter & Kooler dusted
Dusting of snow after Christmas.
December 22, 2003
Will's Manresa Review
On RC's recommendation, Will and Joanne went to Manresa.
Ok, lemme preface this with an apology for misnaming anything... I'll sum up the dining experience followed by a course-by-course rundown of the evening (as well as I can remember.)
Manresa can be summed up in just a few words. Food fucking heaven! When Ron said it was the best meal he had ever had in a restaurant, I was both skeptical and excited. I tried so hard not to set the expectation level to some unachievable plateau.. and as you know from our convrsations leading up to this weekend.. I pretty much failed miserably. The bar was set WAY high.. and I really think that they exceeded my expectations. Like I said on the phone.. this meal really brought, into STARK clarity, the difference between what I think of as cooking.. and REAL cooking!!! Im almost ashamed to cook a meal for myself after that meal...Im not sure what I make can even be classified as food anymore!! So fucking good it just isn't right. You totally need to come down and we can go. I'd drop the cash again in a microsecond. No hesitation. Yikes.. that sounded like it should be from their PR dept.. well. without the "fucking."
on to the food!
fried taro chips and black olive madelines : the chips were good and really reminded me of eating raw ramen noodles as a kid. They were spiced well and didnt seem greasy at all. good shit. The madelines scared the crap out of me when they laid them out and announced them.. black olive cookies? wtf? but I tried em anyways. HOLY SHIT- so fucking good. Just amazing. The olive taste was pronounced, but not overpowering.. the sweetness balanced it out too.. crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside.. blew my freaking mind.
blood orange and apricot smoothie- a shot sized glass of this served ice cold. nice. refreshing. intense. nothing to write home about.
fried plantain chip with cocoa: light, crisp.. super subtle flavor.. maybe too subtle.. also seemed like it may have sat out for a bit...not great. probably the least impressive dish of the evening.
crispy chocolate cube thingies.. obviously, I dont remember the name of these.. so that description will have to do. they looked like fried mozzarella cubes... some kind of light breading on the outside.. and totally molten inside- you had to pop the whole cube at once to avoid a chocolatey mess.. a very mellow chocolate flavor.. probably mixed with something.. maybe a cheese? dunno. good though.
at this point, joanne's dishes began to seperate from mine... since she wont eat red meat or game bird.. sheesh. it worked out well though.. i got to try more things!
she got a cranberry pomegranate mandarin orange fruit "gel" in a cocktail glass.. it was cool and super refreshing.. I think it was an apple flavored gelatine...
I got foie gras with cumin caramel sauce.. done in a flan like presentation.. this was sooo buttery creamy smooth and rich... as my first foie experience, it was a doozy... mmmm.
next we both had an acorn nut soup with tiny chicken leg confit and goat cheese.. warm, nutty, spicy but mellowed by the cheese.. this was a nice homey tasting soup. it really felt like it grounded us.. and brought us back to "normal" food land.. after drifting out in ethereal super food land!! hahah.
joanne- fluke tartare with celery wrapped in a thin steamed (?) cabbage leaf...a hint of sesame oil and possibly a sprinkling of minced chives?served with a crostini. I didnt get much of this.. dammit.. but the bite I had was AWESOME. apparently joanne thought so too.. since when i looked for more. it was long gone.
me- their signature poached egg.. DAMN!! so good.. sorry.. served in a cup fashioned from the egg's shell, layered with maple syrup and sherry vinegar. amazing. I never knew an egg could be so good. seriosly, this was astonishing. probably moreso to me, since I am such a vinegar fiend.. soo good.
joanne- hawaiian moy/moi fish. in a lemon ginger reduction. on a bed of baby bok choy. never had this fish before.. it was served crispy on one side...light fish.. the sauce really popped and brought the fish to life.. again.. i didnt get a second taste. maybe the best thing she had all night (according to her)
me- roast sucking pig with oyster mushrooms and bulgur. the pig was roasted cripy on the outside and super moist and juicy inside.. coated with a light pork stock/red wine mushroom sauce. Delicious. Oyster mushroom and bulgur all came together to make a nice heary earthy dish. I would absolutely get this again. cholesterol permitting! hah. wonderful.
joanne grouper with white beans. delicate, well done. about as much as you can ask from a grouper.. not one of my fave fish, still good.
me- squab. rare. seared. it was good. presentation was forgettable (literally.. since Ive forgotten) but the meat itself was delicious, tender and flavorful.
Had enough yet? I thought I had too.. I was getting full.. but when they came and cleared our utensils and bread plates this time.. signifying the beginning of the desset course.. I was reinvogorated!! bring it on!
coconut panacotta with pomegranate sauce served with a walnut cranberry streudel. the panacotta was light and creamy and was set off perfectly by the tartness of the pomegranate sauce... pom seeds in the sauce were a nice contrast to the creamy texture of the pannacotta too...the cran walnut streudel was good.. flaky.. maybe a bit too flaky for my tastes.. im not a fan of phyllo type crusts.. still good.
curried macadamias and almonds served simultaneously with mini licorice ice cream cones. the nuts were yummy.. warm, spicy.. worked exceptionally well with the macadamias.. less so with the almonds. but still great. As a non-licorice lover, I was hesitant with the ice cream, but .. i hadnt been let down so far.. so- the ice cream was not heavily flavored and the licorice flavor was light enough that I really enjoyed it. minty. the cone was thin and lightly sweet also.. very good.
choc mousse dome on a chocolate base with candied apricots in a black pepper syrup. the mousse was airy and chocolatey and delicious.. the dense chocolate base was rich and wonderful.. the apricots were sweet and spicy (from the black pepper corns) and really intense. delicious!! so many strong flavors in this dessert really helped it make a nice solid finish to the meal.
I was totally satisfied. I think the shit eating grin on my face was what prompted joanne to say, "You're in heaven, huh?" I could only nod dumbly.
Feel free to send this to Ron.. and thank him heartily for the recommendation. Joanne and I both had the meal of our lives!!
so. when do you wanna go? Im ready!