A small group this time. We started at six confirmed, but two informed me near last minute that they needed a vegetarian menu. I don’t know what it is, but more and more, over the last few months, we have people who reserve, answering “No” to our question of “Any food allergies or dietary restrictions?” and then suddenly, I don’t know, discovering that they do actually have allergies or dietary considerations that affect menu planning, at last minute or even at the dinner itself. It’s often presented as a sort of entitled challenge – “you already said yes, took our deposit, it’s too late to replace us with other diners, so you’re stuck having to do what we want.”

This rarely used to happen, but now it seems to be at least one person almost every dinner. I used to just roll with it and figure out a way to make the menu work for these folk, but I’m getting cranky in my advanced age and now tend to just say “no” in return. It’s the antithesis of the restaurant culture I “grew up in” in NYC where you bend over backwards to accommodate customer requests, but we’re not a restaurant, it’s dinner in our home, and sometimes people just aren’t going to get what they want. We ended up with four people for dinner – a couple from Boston on vacation, a student from Indiana interning here, and a woman originally from Colombia, currently living and working in Germany.

Cod Tiradito – New dish. A ceviche of cod, sliced thin like sashimi and laid out on the plate. Cured in a mix of lime juice, white miso, ginger, and salt. Garnished with roasted sweet potato cubes, fried corn, limo chilies, black and white sesame seeds, and cilantro leaves.

Putruele Extra Brut (Chardonnay, Chenin blanc, Ugni blanc)

Ecuadorian Potato Locro – One of our longtime classic dishes, our version of this potato soup. The base is a puree of caramelized onions, garlic, and yellow chili, added to diced potatoes, topped with vegetable stock, the potatoes lightly crushed when soft, and then the soup finished with a splash of cream, egg yolks, and cheese. Garnished with avocado and parsley tossed in smoked chili oil.

Familia Bianchi White Blend 2021 (Chardonnay, Moscato, Viognier)

 

Pappardelle with Roasted Zucchini Pesto – New dish. Hand-rolled semolina pappardelle tossed with a pesto made from roasted zucchini, hazelnuts, pecorino cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Topped with a sauté of zucchini “noodles”, toasted sunflower seeds, homemade ricotta, and roasted cherry tomatoes. A new favorite pasta for me!

La Celia Rosé 2021 (Pinot noir, Pinot grigio)

Pork Chop, Herb Sauce, Roasted Brussels Sprouts – Pork chop rubbed with green peppercorn salt, then pan sauteed. The sauce a puree of mixed herbs (parsley, cilantro, rosemary, basil, mint, chives) with garlic, pink peppercorns, anchovy, black vinegar, olive oil, and salt. The Brussels sprouts and diced squash tossed with olive oil, chili oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper, and roasted until lightly browned.

Lagarde “Teia” 2020 (Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc)

Dulce de Leche Crepe – Longtime favorite, presented open face instead of rolled up like a blintz. I like it better this way. Crepes flavored with Szechuan peppercorn powder. Topped with warm dulce de leche blended with a little rum. Tangerine segments, toasted peanuts tossed with a little tomato marmalade, grating of bitter chocolate.

Amalaya Blanco Dulce de Corte 2021 (Torrontés, Riesling)