The best meal of my life.

Period. If you are reading this, you know that I'm somewhat of a food snob. Okay, somewhat is generous. I'm a food snob. I don't watch football, basketball, baseball or any other sport for that matter. I watch Iron Chef, Good Eats, DDD, Throwdown and Ace of Cakes. I love food. That being said, I don't give out such a lofty seal of approval willy-nilly.

As I've said before, Fish and I are like so similar that it's borderline uncanny. Bikes, food, cars, music, humor, you name it. He knows me well enough to predict what spice combinations I prefer on my food. He's also a freaking genius in the kitchen.

Naturally, when he extended the invitation for Chels and I to dine at chateau de Fish, I giddily accepted. Over the course of the next month and a half, he planned the meal. Every few days I would stop by his office and would reveal a portion of the menu or a revision thereto. My anticipation was building with the revelation of each tantalizing ingredient.

Fish showed up, big time. Here's an outline of the courses:

Appetizer - Tuna Sashimi with Fresh Ponzu, Tuna Tartar with Wasabi Aoli
This was not any sashimi. We're talking $28/lb tuna. It was perfect. The Ponzu was incredible with prominent, but not overpowering umami and citrus notes. It was really good. Easily my favorite sashimi presentation of all time.

Salad - Spinach, Bacon, Walnuts, Feta, Cranberries, and Poppyseed Dressing
How do you make salad really good? Add bacon and cheese.

Bread - Whole Grain Bread, Vanilla Whipped Honey-Butter
This was my weak contribution to the meal. I was holding Mr. Brown while racing to make the rolls and didn't allow them to rise properly. They flattened. If it wasn't for the butter. The honey butter would have been an complete disaster. The honey was crystallized and remained so even after a serious whipping. Not my best performance.

Fish - Garlic Shrimp, Sticky Rice, Fresh Ginger Soda
This is where the personal touches and attention to detail came through. Fish knew that Chels doesn't like heat, so he made hers without the olek sambal. He has this recipe down. The flavors played very nice together and the rice was perfect.
I loveginger. Especially fresh ginger. The soda was not overly sweet, and had a pleasant kick from the ginger. I had four glasses.

Palette Cleanser - Fresh Fruit Smoothie
Simple, light, tasty. Did exactly what it was supposed to do.

White Meat - Apple Cider Baby-Back Ribs, Potato Salad with Homemade Lemon Mayo
This was a multi-stage, serious cooking process. The apple cider reduction was delectable. The ribs were perfectly seasoned, falling off the bone, and had a perfect carmelization on the crust. After much thought, these ribs come in at number 2 for my all time rib favorites (second only to Pat's). The potato salad was a nice compliment to the ribs. Not to egg-y, not to tangy as potato salad can often be. The carrots were a nice variation of flavor and texture. Just right. Rib heaven.


Entree - Filet, Potato Waffle with Fresh Horseradish Cream and Port Pan Sauce, Broccoli
Fish is the proud holder of two slots in my top five steak experiences. Second and third respectively. This was second. A very close second. It almost edged out Fleming's and my dry aged, $50+, bone-in ribeye that was covered in butter. That's saying alot coming from a guy who almost unequivocally takes a ribeye over a filet. It was spot on medium rare with a killer crust. He put extra pepper on mine because he knows that's how I roll. The freshly grated horseradish cream rounded out each bite nicely.
The potato waffles were a carb-lovers dream. Picture the perfect mashed potato, with a buttery hash brown crust. Not too dense, not grainy, and the right amount of buttery goodness. I'm drooling.
No detail was left unaddressed. Even the broccoli was executed flawlessly.

Dessert - Vanilla and Chocolate Creme Brulee
To finish out the night, Cindy displayed some serious skill with the torch. I had never partaken of chocolate creme brulee before. It was smooth, tasty and had a perfect brulee. The vanilla was probably the best creme brulee I think I've ever eaten.

Charlie ate during the sashimi and salad and then slept happily upstairs as we dined with Fish, Cindy, Mohana & Kaylee. From the "congratulations" banner in the front yard, to the red chargers with white plates, to the perfect execution, it was a night to be remembered.

Thanks Fish & Cindy for the best meal of my life and a fun night.