Birthday Lunch at Champetre part 2

More of my birthday celebrations...as many people know I'm a creature of habit and once I like something, I can get quite obsessive (specially with food). So for another birthday lunch, I decided on Champetre again, to have more of the Algerian Couscous. I figured this was more a dish for lunch rather tan dinner (since its quite heavy) so off we went again. This time, no more Domaine Tempier Bandol, so I passed by Terry's for some Otoñal Rosado to pair with the Escargot and Couscous. Oh..this time also much better pictures, since I brought my Panasonic GF1.

For starters, Escargot, mixed cheese and deli platter and Marc's Terrine. Needless to say, everything was up to par (even if Marc was not there, Chef Andreas was in the kitchen) so I was not worried.

For main, of course I had to have again the Algerian Couscous. This is such a great dish...it has Lamb Chops, Merguez Sausage, Couscous and a stew, made of Broth, Chick Peas, more Lamb, Chicken, Beef, etc.. oh and to for some heat, Harissa sauce. This goes perfectly well with a refreshing Rosé wine to help cut the heat from the Harissa.




We also had other dishes, all of them perfect in execution: Black Angus Steak(2 orders), Veal Cheeks and Scallops. The steak and the veal cheeks were excellent (was not able to try the Scallops).




One of the waiters apparently heard us toasting (for my birthday) and right after our main course, brought out a small dessert with a candle. I did not even tell them it was my birthday (since its been a week) but well that's what you get when you go to a place that has great service.

It was a nice lunch with my siblings and my Dad (my wife who is in China could not make it) and without our kids for once, so we had lots of time to chat and not worry about them running around the place. I had a great time. Cheers!

Friday Liquid Lunch at Gourmand

It has been quite a while since my last meal in Gourmand (some time December if my memory does not fail me) and honestly I was really craving for my comfort food. We were 4 that day for lunch and we had a great time.

For starters, Foie Gras Terrine, one of Marc's bets sellers in the restaurant. It is done perfectly and always a good way to start a meal.

For my first course, I had Special Escargots, which Marc makes for us upon special request. I had this the first time in Daniel Boulud Brasserie in Las Vegas. Escargots with Chicken Oysters, Panceta, poached Egg and Salad. Lovely dish. We paired this with Rene's Bottle of 2008 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose. Without doubt, this is the best Rose in the world for me. Such an elegant wine, of a pale salmon color. It also pairs very well with Escargots.




For main, Onglet with caramelized Onion and fries. We asked it rare and it came out Medium rare, which was already for me. Onglet is a cut that is near the kidney, so it is a a bit gamey but very tender and tasty if cooked well. Gourmand serves very good Onglet (Hanger Steak) in my opinion.


For the wine, we had 4 bottles of Red: Jojo's 1989 Tinto Pesquera Reserva, from Ribera del Duero, Noel's 1988 Chateau Talbot from St. Julien, Rene's 1999 Leoville Les Cases, also from St. Julien and my 1995 Dalmau Reserva from Rioja.

We enjoyed Pesquera (well at least Noel and myself) the most paired with our Steak. It had the body to stand up and pair well with the gaminess of the Onglet. The Chateau Talbot was very good also and could stand up a bit to the Steak, although I detected a bit of a funny(stinky) smell at first, which dissipated after a few minutes. The Les Cases was a very elegant wine, and was perfect for after the meal, with a cheese platter. My wine was opened last and we all agreed that it would have paired very well with with the Steak.




We lingered around until around 5:30 PM and headed home after .It was good to be back in Gourmand with good friends and good wine. I hope we can repeat this again soon!!

Birthday Dinner at Gourmand

It was my Dad's birthday on Feb 14, so as always we normally celebrate it a day before. This time we wanted to do something special as he always treats us and pays for all our meals (that's what Parents are for right??). So we(my sisters and I) decided to treat him for a dinner at Gourmand. If I am a creature of habit, my dad is worse...he has dinner 3-4 times a week in La Tienda with his friends and 'only' drinks Marques De Caceres...so this time I planned something different.

I had planned this dinner 3 weeks in advance with Chef Marc Aubry and N...so I asked Marc to prepare us 6 appetizers that were not on the menu and we would just order our main from the regular menu.

For starters, we had the Terrine of Foie (one of my favorites). With that we opened 2 bottles of 2006 Raimbault-Pineau Pouilly-Fumé. As soon as everybody else arrived, the appetizers started coming.... We had:

* Goose Confit and Mushroom Filos on Greens - I enjoyed this dish since I love anything that is wrapped with filo and also love Goose - so how can I go wrong??

* Baked Stuffed White Clams - Big clams with a sort of Pesto Sauce. Very good although a bit salty, but we still enjoyed it.
*Roasted Scallops with Bone Marrow with Red Wine Jus - Perfect Combination of the Scallop and Bone Marrow. This went very well with our Pouilly-Fumé
* Mini Roesti top with Roasted Foie Gras - this was the favorite of the night. Roasted Foie gras a top the mini Roesti. I had a Sauternes prepared for this dish but the sauce/glaze on the Foie was rich/Sweet so I decided to keep the Sauternes for dessert.
Steak Tartare .. (of course) - I will not post a picture anymore of the Tartare, since there are several on my blog, but needless to say it was good, very tasty. Next time I'll ask Marc to make it a bit more spicy...

For main, I had (as usual) the Goose Leg Confit which is one of my favorites. This time I requested it to be served without the sauce on the side. It was just how I expected it and paired very well with my 01 Ch. La Tour Haut-Brion. R had the special of the night, Wild Pheasant. It was quite tasty although a bit tough and not as fatty since it was wild...but still very good. It was also a bit gamey but it was expected. Once the Pessac-Leognan bottle was polished, my Dad pulled out his favorite wine (the only one he drinks actually), a Marques De Caceres Reserva. It was a typical Rioja wine, easy to drink and also went well with the steak and the lamb that others ordered.

For Dessert, I ordered in advance the Chestnut Soufflé. I had first tried this during a Christmas lunch we had with N in Gourmand. Then, he paired it with a 1988 Domaine Hugel et Fils Gewürztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles, which was fantastic. I had no chance to bring a Gewurzt to the dinner so I decided to pair it with an 06 Carmes de Riussec, which I think was a good paring. I love this dessert and have to thank N for introducing me to this. I will definitely have this again soon.

After Dessert, we capped off with a Port that was served on the house plus a small cake for my Dad's birthday (Including waiters singing..). Everybody was quite to the limit of alcohol so only my Dad and my self drank the Port (plus we drank all the others of course, since it would be a shame to leave the glass full) and a couple of espressos. We truly enjoyed this special dinner and thank you Marc for going out of your way to prepare such a great dinner for us. Service was spot on as usual, very efficient and fast.

Wine Lunch at Je Suis Gourmand

When N told me he was planning a lunch in Gourmand I knew it was going to be good. After several messages back and forth regarding what wines he/we would bring, we set the lunch for Monday December 22. It was Chef Marcs rest day but he still came to prepare for us a special menu to match the wine we were bringing...Where else will you get this kind of service?? for he 4 of us, we brought 6 bottles of wine.

For starters, we had Fin de Claire Oysters Cooked 3 Ways. This dish was paired with my bottle of 2006 Domaine Raimbault-Pineau Pouilly-Fumé. I had fist tried this white in R's birthday dinner and bought a few bottles to stock up at home. The oysters were imported from France and my favorite was the top right which had smoked Salmon. It was really a perfect way to start a meal specially with the Pouilly Fumé. A perfect match and as N said, Cant get any better than that..


Next was the Pan-Fried Foie Gras w/Foie Gras Gâteau and Scallops. The meal would not have been a meal if it did not have sinful Foie Gras. R brought a half bottle of 2002 Château Rieussec Sauternes. A perfect wine for this dish. It cut right through the richness of the Foie Gras. Although a bit too sweet for me, still a great wine to have with this dish. The Gateau was a made with Foie, seemed very light but as pointed out by Chef Marc, its quite heavy as it had lots of cream, butter and Foie of course..

For the main course, we had Roasted Venison Rack with Bacon-Laced French Beans, Braised Endive in Truffle Oil Sauce. The venison was very tender, although it had too much sauce, still a great dish. The Bacon gave the dish the contrast it needed. This dish was paired by N with 2 reds: 1989 Château Lagrange -from St-Julien and a 2000 Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron Clos Vougeot Grand Cru. Both wines were superb. The Burgundy, as pointed out by S, was a good match with the Venison but didn't drink well alone.



The 1989 Château Lagrange, a third Growth Bordeaux from St. Julien was a very mature wine. It went very well with the Venison but we enjoyed it mostly on its own after the meal.

For Dessert, we had a special Chestnut Souffle paired by N with a 1988 Domaine Hugel et Fils Gewürztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles. For me this was the best paring of the lunch. I would really never pair wines with Dessert before but this pairing was just fantastic. The Chestnut Souffle perfectly done, not too sweet, went perfectly well with this wine. I think this is the reason N enjoyed this lunch so much...and for me this was the highlight of the lunch...

Thank you N for organizing this lunch and thank you Chef Marc for taking time in preparing this special menu for us. I hope we can repeat this lunch and do this more regularly, say once a month :) ....