Dinner « Food Whores

Dinner

14Jul08

I have to talk about my dinner tonight.
I might be bragging and I might just be writing it down so the wine doesn’t make me forget.
I love to sample restaurants.
I love to sample restaurants that serve yum delicious food that seem too extreme for home.
Some restaurant food can be so fancy that it feels intimidating to make.
But with a little creativity and your local Trader Joe’s, your home can become a dining dream.
After a long day, I wanted a sampling of foods that make me happy.
Foods that remind me of happy dining experiences, but I couldn’t decide on any one thing and I didn’t want to spend the evening in the kitchen.
With my panini maker, I sliced some rustic bread, drizzled a little olive oil and heated them to nice and toasty.
Thanks to the Artisan Cheese Gallery, I had a ball of fresh Italian burata, the same kind they serve at Mozza.
I cubed a large heirloom tomato.
Ripped apart fresh basil.
Sprinkled some sea salt.
Drizzled more olive oil.
And just like that, I was dining at the Osteria.
Costco has a fabulous wine for $12.
St. Francis, 2005, Sonoma County, “Old Vines” Zinfendel.
Savory and delicious.
Last Friday at the Hollywood Bowl to see Chris Isaak singing with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, we sampled some cambozola.
It’s a triple creamed blue cheese.
On a platter with sliced prosciutto, I was back at the bowl.
For the main course, it had to be light, but again a rough day, it had to be something.
Butter lettuce, sliced strawberries, a Fuji apple, walnuts, pancetta, crumbled blue cheese, sea salt, lemon juice, olive oil.
A savory summer salad.
The presentation felt so formal.
Every bite was so overwhelmingly delicious that you couldn’t help but hurry to the next bite.
It was all so simple.
I would serve it at a dinner party to impress without hesitation.
Nothing is as fun as having a first class restaurant serving right in your home.
And that is what enjoying food is all about.