Our reservations at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute were for 6:00 p.m.
They close at 8:30 p.m., and we wanted plenty of time for a relaxed meal.
We don't drink often, usually only on holidays and special occasions, but I
wasn't going to miss this occasion! I ordered a Tanqueray Gibson on the
rocks and David ordered an Old Fashioned. Shortly after our drinks arrived
we were presented with fresh figs stuffed with tapenade and some anchovy
puffs. Both were delicious and demanded a second cocktail!
Before I go any further, I have to explain that David doesn't eat much of
anything off the beaten path, and I had to _strongly_ encourage most of what
he ordered. Surprisingly, he pretty much enjoyed everything.
For a starter, I ordered duck confit served with arugula and fresh pears
napped in a light champagne dressing. The confit was wonderful and the pears
were just nicely crisp and very sweet. David deigned to order tomatoes and
mozzarella with basil olive oil. The tomatoes were deliciously ripe and rich
with real tomato flavor. The mozzarella was made on-site and very creamy.
The main course for me was braised rabbit with wild mushrooms and vegetables
over soft herbeb polenta. I've never had rabbit that tasted this good. It
was very flavorful without being gamey and the wild mushrooms were a perfect
touch. I wish I had their recipe for the polenta. It was absolutely
delicious. David reluctantly ordered the pan-seared breast of duck in a pink
peppercorn and raspberry sauce. (I though you couldn't get pink peppercorns
anymore.) Well, he was pleasantly surprised at the taste. I didn't taste the
duck, but the sauce was delicious.
The Maitre'd came by the table with another bottle of wine (which we hadn't
order) which he insisted was "on the house". He also wanted us to order
salads! I didn't think I could eat another bite after what we'd already
consumed, but caved an ordered the roasted beet and goat cheese salad on a
bed of shaved fennel and frisee with truffle vinaigrette. I said we'd share
the salad. David picked at it and I somehow managed to put down the rest of
it! It was really outstanding.
Oh, the wine... Throughout dinner we sipped on an Hungarian wine, Egri
Bikaver, a rather hearty red. I'm not a wine fanatic, but this was very
pleasing.
If that all that wasn't enough, and just as I thought we'd be leaving, here
comes a cart with a huge birthday cake on it, all aflame. Although I had
made our dinner reservations, David called later and talked to them about the
cake. He knew my weakness and took my recipe for Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte
to them a couple of weeks ago, which they were happy to reproduce. I have to
say that they did a masterful job of it, and after each of us tasting just a
sliver, they packed it up for the trip home. We will have cake for days, but
it's wonderful. We also have the chess I baked yesterday, which I'm going to
sample shortly. I will probably explode!
We got out the door about ten minutes before closing time, and you couldn't
have met a happier birthday boy!
Wayne