She wanted to surprise me! As a red herring she requested a list of five spots that would be Chowfather worthy. The list I happily presented in no particular order was Bourbon Steak, Azul, Naoe, Michy's and Michael's Genuine Food & Drink. I also added a wild card that we had not been to but heard great things about, Palme d'Or. Again, her request was a charade and done to keep me in the dark. It was also a tad sadistic since she knew it would drive the menu/wine list studying lover in me crazy all week.
Bourbon Steak |
I suspected early on that it was going to be Bourbon Steak because she knew that it was my favorite place in town. She also knew that I really liked sommelier Justin Hall's extensive and diverse wine list. She also knew that I loved Cobaya-esque tasting menus. But she was tough and refused to provide any clues all week I started to think that she was going to go another route. Little did I know that she had been in contact with Miami's best GM, John Riccardo and they came up with a plan to curate a tasting menu for me. Okay, they put the plan in motion but the menu was Chef Gabe's and his crews creation.
On the day of the big meal, thanks to my good behavior and on my knees begging, she finally agreed to eliminate a restaurant from the equation. First one out- Naoe. A few hours later coupled with the promise of a shopping spree at Chanel, she folded and eliminated MGFD from the list.
Now that we were down to the final four, Bourbon Steak was the heavy favorite but I had a gut feeling Palme d'Or was going to pull out an upset. She insisted on driving and even brought a blind fold. She tried to be slick with her route but it quickly became obvious that Bourbon Steak was the call. As we pulled up she confessed that I was in for a special treat thanks to John and Gabe. Special was an understatement.
As some of you may have seen from my tweets during and post dinner, the tasting menu Chef Gabe prepared was spectacular. It included some of the most amazing products on the market that were paired together to form sensational dishes. The seven course menu not only had no misses but each dish was executed flawlessly. The fine products used by Chef Gabe were combined with modern creative ingredients that made each dish a complete knockout.
Additionally, the service and pacing of the meal was spot on. Fernan is easily one of the best waiters in the business and many of the dishes were presented and plated table side by John and Gabe. Gabe shaving white truffles on the risotto was priceless.
This meal was outrageously good from start to finish and sincerely may have been the best overall meal I've ever had. It was better than our meal at The French Laundry.
My words cannot do justice to what Chef Gabe served us so I will be brief. The menu posted above really speaks for itself. *I wish I had better shots but pulling out a camera at dinner is not my thing. Help is hopefully on the way though via a new iPhone 4s.
Osetra caviar, stone crab, yuzu, taro- huge portion of fresh and sweet stone crab meat topped with a generous portion of caviar.
Organic parsnip soup, local royal red shrimp, brown butter parsley- fantastic soup that had a nice spicy kick to it and featured plump royal red shrimp. Lick the bowl good. Don't miss this regular menu treat.
Vadouvan scented skate wing, cauliflower, meyer lemon, caper- perfectly cooked, delicate treat.
First of the season Alba white truffle risotto- Japanese rice & Alba Whites- Insanely good period.
Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras, matsutake consomme, breakfast radish, shiso leaf- Chef Gabe excels at Foie preparations and this was a home run. The matsutake consomme was icing on the cake...
Imperial farms Wagyu New York strip "A3", chestnut potato puree, brussels sprouts, charred onion, red sorrel- Good luck finding a better steak. Melt on your fork good.
Meyer Lemon Bar, wild huckleberries, creme fraiche sorbet- must have been good because Chow P didn't share.
Cinnamon Pumpkin Profiterole, butterscotch custard, sauteed kabocha- Outstanding finish.
I would be remiss without commenting on the fantastic wine pairings that Justin planned and presented. I would recommend trying every one he poured and some are currently available by the glass. I've been craving the Dethune, ambonnay, brut champagne all week. It's a fantastic bubbly and was the absolute perfect compliment to the stone crabs and caviar. It's available by the glass and a must try for champagne fans. The Domaine Weinbach, reserve personelle riesling from Alsace was one of the best I've had. The Janotsbob, saint-aubin premier cru, was a delicious white burgundy that allowed the skate to shine. The Bartolo Mascarello, barolo was a very special treat. Justin opened it at 3 p.m. giving it several hours to breathe. Justin astutely opted for a dual pairing for the foie course. The Mission Hill, riesling icewine provided a sweet counter to the foie while the red Burgundy produced by Christophe Buisson, auxey-duresses paired nicely with the matsutake mushrooms. This is available by the glass also and highly recommended. Justin made another great call by pairing an Arnot-Roberts, syrah with the A3. His dessert pairings were also spot on.
Thank you John, Gabe and Justin as well as Fernan, Francisco, Seth and the kitchen crew for a truly special and memorable night. And of course, a special thank you to the amazing Chow P.
19999 W Country Club Dr
Aventura, FL 33180
1 comment:
All-star dinner from an all-star crew. I need to get back there soon. Friday could be the day.
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