While we gear up for a full on reopening over the next couple of weeks, we’re still offering private dinners for groups that aren’t quite ready for a communal table experience again. This time around, a local family group of seven who’ve actually been wanting to dine here for most of the last year, but on our end, we weren’t quite ready for a larger group in the house until vaccinations were had and covid rates had come down. By their request, a three course meal, with fish for the main course.

I’ve been having fun with different focaccia at the dinners of late, and especially with a bigger group, since I can make a full sized one. Here, flavored with oregano, basil, parsley, and garlic, and embedded with green olives and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt.

A little fusion of Italy and Peru, with a causa base of potato flavored with olive oil, green onion, green limo chili, and lime; topped with a take on a vitello tonnato, stock poached veal fillet, crispy bacon, brined radish slices, hard boiled egg, capers, green onions, and a sauce of homemade mayonnaise with tuna, anchovy, caper, a pinch of merquén chili, salt and white pepper.

Wine: Informal Blend de Blancas, 2020 (Semillon, Chardonnay, Viognier blend), Mendoza

This one needs some tuning, but it was tasty, just not quite what I was envisioning. Pan roasted trout fillet over herb and garlic roasted asparagus and a llajwa de maní, a Bolivian peanut sauce of ají amarillo (yellow chilies), peanuts, almonds, cashews, cumin, salt, pepper, all pureed in milk; garlic infused rice; and a garnish of salted red onion and rocoto chili with lime juice.

Wine: Matias Morcos Criolla 2020, Mendoza

I don’t know what it was, but the whipping cream refused to whip into soft peaks, and just thickened up. Something that occasionally happens with cream, but usually if you taste it, it’s gone off. This hadn’t, so, instead of as a topping, I put a pool of it underneath a classic budin freddo giandiuia, a chilled dessert of bitter chocolate, hazelnut, crushed butter cookies, butter, and a sabayon. Topped with a passionfruit and lemon drizzle and puffed quinua rolled in sweet carob powder. Very rich and decadent.

Wine: La Liga de Enologos “BB4” Blend de Blancas Dulces 2020 (Torrontés, Pedro Ximenez, Moscatel blend), San Juan & Salta