First of all, Happy New Year! December was a hectic month, full of cooking, traveling, entertaining, and yes, some time for relaxing too. I’m happy 2011 is here, and it is shaping out to be a great year already.
I just got back from an extended holiday vacation and trying to catch up with life and blogging. I’ve been too tired to unpack and have no desire to cook or bake, especially when there is nothing in my fridge. The best surprise came yesterday when my friend @jennasail invited me to come along to a dinner she won from @1789chefdan at 1789 Restaurant. It was an evening of food and fun.
I haven’t been to 1789 in years, and I was more than pleasantly surprised. We were treated to a 5 course meal with wine pairings, plus amuse bouche and mignardises. We tasted a total of 11 dishes from the menu. The menu at 1789 is seasonal and changes often. I love how Chef Dan uses local ingredients and pairs them with the perfect complement, which is sometimes unexpected. Here are my favorites of the evening: Beet and Blue Cheese Salad with Pistachios, Potato Soup with Gnocchi, Oyster Gratin, Braised Veal Lasagna, Quail with Wild Rice Candied Orange Peel and topped with Foie Gras, Lobster with Celery Root Puree Sliced Celery Hearts and Toasted Brioche Crumbs, Lamb Tbone with Garlic and Rosemary, and the Blood Orange Cream Tart. My #1 favorite was definitely the lobster, it was perfectly cooked and all the ingredients came together to make a spectacular dish. I took some pictures, but camera phone photographs can not clearly portray the dishes. So, I’m not going to post the pictures here, but you can check them out on twitter.
As much as this is not intended to be a restaurant review, I have to say that if you are in DC you must stop by 1789 Restaurant. I love the ambiance, from the old vintage feel of the Limoges china to the framed Hermes scarves in the bathroom. Don’t wait for a special event, just go and enjoy yourself. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
It was great to start the year with the good will of one of our local chefs, and a fun night out with @jennasail whom I first met at a tweet up event. I’ve met so many great people through twitter and this blog, and I’m truly grateful for that.
Are there any restaurants that you are looking forward to trying in 2011? Would also love to hear about your old favorites.
Best wishes to all of you for 2011!
One Vanilla Bean 