Tasting Menu 100

Well here it is number 100. I pulled from a lot of different menus to come up with this all star menu. I am doing a extra course for the special occasion this week. I truly believe that we are going to move into some pretty exiting things in the near future. It takes a lot of work to be creative and if you are not in the right situation or frame of mind, creativity is a very hard thing to come by. I have learned a lot in 100 tasting menus, the thing I will take with me the most are the smiles I get when I can introduce a new food memory to someone.

Vanilla poached lobster
Apple lego, apple meringue, compressed apple salad

Blackened sweet breads
Chipotle battered onion ring, fried mayo, grits

Foie Benedict
148 degree egg, avocado, lump crab hollandaise

Floating truffle
Ice wine sorbet with blackberries

Sous-vide tenderloin
Loaded baked potato gnocchi, smoked air, black truffle blanket

Mexican fried ice cream
Frozen caramel powder
Made tableside with liquid nitrogen

Tasting menu 99

It is nice that the kids are back in school because my wife and I have some free time during the days to try some places out. We had a great lunch at Encore the other day and ran into some old friends. It feels like I have lost my creative fire for the time being. I used to have time to experiment and see if my crazy ideas work. Now it seems like I am just filling a notebook for sometime in the future when I will have time again. I am starting to plan for the next menu, number 100. I never thought that I would reach it.

Brown sugar grilled peaches
Smoked brie, compressed apples, butternut squash wonton

Duck confit relleno
Avocado paper, honey, red pepper

Butter, thyme and saffron sous vide Alaskan king crab
Corn shitake succotash, cauliflower chip

Pineapple bread pudding with coconut ice cream
Made tableside with liquid nitrogen

Tasting Menu 98

Luck has it that I was selected to sit on a jury last week. It gave me an appreciation for our justice system. The gentleman was found guilty of 3rd and 1st degree assault on a person of risk. Sometimes I wonder if I could have had the patients to be a lawyer or a judge. Instead I chose a profession where I am constantly judged.

Lobster popcorn fritter
Tempura seaweed, yuzu jel, bok choy

Buttermilk fried tarragon chicken
Corn flan, sous-vide ranch potatoes, coconut gravy

Berbere grille New York
Smoked plum puree, compressed portabella, cheddar bacon risotto

Blackberry ice cream with hazelnut cream
Made tableside with liquid nitrogen