It seems like we have been celebrating our anniversary for months… because we have. We ate our way through Disneyland California in May, but our anniversary actually falls in June. We were just going to let it go on by without much fanfare until it came to our attention that our favorite boîte, Nosh Tavern was considering doing a Chef’s Tasting Menu. When I say considering, I mean the subject came up and then we badgered Chef Michael until he agreed to do this for us.
I won’t be blabbing my way through this post. It’s mostly just pictures punctuated by descriptions and yummy sounds. The Chef asked us if we had any aversions or particular preferences. I find beets and black olives yucky, but for the most part we gave him carte blanche. Let’s begin.
Customized Menu
Oysters Three Ways: Raw – lemon, cucumber mignonette
Broiled – buttered chorizo crumb
Fried – cornmeal crust, sriracha aioli
Paired with: nantucket vineyards chardonnay
I neglected to take a photo of the chardonnay or the cabernet served with the main course, but ya’ll know what wine looks like, right?
Chicken Drumettes: Duck fat confit, huli huli sauce, pineapple-coconut risotto, sesame, pickled fresnos
The Cocktail:
Sailor Jerry Rum, Goslings Ginger Beer, Coconut and Tazo Tea
Artfully plated by yours truly.
BBQ Duck: Confited duck fat, house bbq sauce, broiled, white cheddar grits
Pomegranate Old Fashioned
Those grits were simply outstanding. Breakfast lunch or dinner. I want ’em.
Chateaubriand: Sous vide beef tenderloin, truffle-crème fraiche mashed, cabernet reduction, charred asparagus tips, Paired with:
Buena Vista Cabernet Sauvignon
As you might imagine, we were getting pretty full. We took half home to better prepare ourselves for dessert.
The dessert was everything this gal loves, chocolate, crunchy nuts and salt. A whole salt- lick in fact.
Semifreddo: Dark chocolate-hazelnut custard, rice cake crust, smoked sea salt, espresso powder
A close up of the dense chocolateness and the Himalayan Salt Block.
I’m super mad at myself for not getting a close up pick of the final cocktail. It was so very interesting, and actually may not be suited for everyone. It was a Pomegranate-Espresso Martini with tequila and black walnut bitters. Typically, an espresso cocktail is made with vodka and Kalhua or something of that sort. This had a spicy quality and was very complex. We just loved it!
Everything was perfectly executed and presented personally by the chef himself. If there were anything I would remark on as the slightest of criticisms is that a salad course in place of one of the meat dishes might have allowed us to gobble up everything without being over-full. However, I would not want to begin to choose what item to leave off! As of this dateline, Nosh is looking to continue this offering. The anniversary shenanigans are officially over, but a food experience as phenomenal as this one is worthy of making up any occasion to celebrate!