The lost meals entries consist of meals that occurred at various times throughout 2012 which, for any number of reasons, escaped my documentation – some due to a cross country move and a new job, some due to the Los Angeles Kings run to the Stanley Cup, and some simply as a result of too much travel. Having enjoyed many of these meals with friends or family and with some of them amongst the year’s very best the reality is that with time my memory has deteriorated and as life moves forward I’ve realized there is little hope to ever “catch up” or document these experiences as well as I’d hope, yet in order to preserve them I present these pictures, notes, and thoughts on the experience.
Foie Gras Terrine, Strawberry Jam
Crispy Potato Hash with Duck Heart Gravy and Egg
Foie Gras, Scrambled Eggs, Toast
Single Cheeseburger
Fried House-Made Bologna Sandwich
Hash Browns
Matzah Ball Soup
Crispy Fries with Mornay Sauce, Garlic Aioli, Fried Farm Egg
Mille-Feuille
…the day after pre-dinner at Bavette’s Bar and Boeuf I couldn’t resist a visit to another Brendan Sodikoff spot and with a brunch menu that read like some sort of gastronomic greatest hits list of things I love I was rather certain Au Cheval would impress me – little did I realize how much they would surprise the rest of my four-top cramped inside the bright, bustling, and heavily wooded Fulton Market restaurant.
Described as an “American Diner with European flare” by our lovely young server named Christalena shortly after we were seated I was at first overwhelmed by how much of the menu I wanted to order and soon by how quickly the space filled and the noise level raised yet even once every seat was filled the restaurant never truly reached the level of *Loud* – or at least I never noticed since my attention became largely undivided once the food arrived. Featuring a first round of rich and creamy foie gras and a sidecar overflowing with strawberries cooked until nearly liquefied plus buttery brioche followed by French style scrambled eggs studded with chunks of seared foie gras and likely a stick of butter plus more brioche it would be a lie if I said my breakfast was anything less than gluttonous and yet at the same time it has taken serious effort not to return for the same thing at least once during subsequent trips to Chicago (a situation remedied by visits to Maude’s and Gilt Bar, of course.)
Moving past my meal and onto others – I really don’t know how I convinced my mother to order the Mortadella Bologna sandwich nor how I conned my sister into selecting hash browns with duck heart gravy but I’m quite delighted that they each took my selection – and even happier to note that I was allowed to have more than a few tastes of each…not to mention my sister’s dense matzah ball soup, rife with dill, and the burger once deemed best in the United States by Bon Appetit alongside some seriously hefty French fries topped with a runny egg.
Last but not least – not by a long shot – the lightest part of the meal would come as dessert; a picture perfect a la minute Mille-Feuille every bit as good as the ones served at Guy Savoy or L’Arpege in Paris…all without the $1000 airfare, $40+ price tag, and fine dining dress code – it was the best my second favorite dessert in 2012 and the meal itself probably my favorite sub-$100 dining experience of the year.