Past Events: French Bistro Dinner, February 7, 2004

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By Gabriela Forte

02/17/2004

"Well, just wanted to tell you about the dinner. I think it went fantastically well.

"We started with an amuse bouche, a "teaser" of calamari marinees along with the aperitifs, that were an Henri Bardouin pastis (which is a bit more upscale than the usual Pernod or Ricard), and also a Lillet, for those who weren't very fond of the liquorice flavor.

"Moving on to dinner, we started with Martine's (she is the new leader of the Convivium 1 in Santa Cruz) "Soupe a l'oseille" (a sorrel soup made with fresh sorrel from her garden). Along with it Lloyd's home baked French baguettes, President butter and a chilled Laboure-Roi Pouilly Fuisse.

"Then the Steak Frites au sauce Béarnaise, thin filet mignon steaks with homemade fries (they are twice fried, then tossed in garlic and herbs), served with a béarnaise sauce and creamed leeks, and paired with a Mas Grand Plagniol Cote du Rhone.

"Then Norma and Harry's delicious cheese course with 4 of the very best French cheeses, and finally Lloyd and Lindy's mousse au chocolat, done with a touch of orange oil and piped beautifully inside a fresh orange cup. Both were paired with a delicious Sauternes.

"After that, strong black coffee served with Poire Williams, the most famous of the French eaux de vie.

"It was quite a feast, and I think everyone had a fabulous time. I have to tell you that the food turned out quite fabulous (Lloyd even told me he didn't need a knife to cut the steaks, that's how buttery and soft they were). It is a very complicated meal to do at home, since everything literally has to be made to order, right then and there, so we couldn't keep our guests too much company at the table. But I really wanted to do this most famous staple of French Bistro fares on our kick off dinner. And I think it went quite splendidly, but maybe we should also ask our guests what they thought of it..:-)))

"kisses
"Gaby"