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.
Fallen Grape – Simi Cab, Fonseca Port, Averna, St. Germain, Served Warm with a Cinnamon Stick
Potted Farm Egg with Roasted Mushrooms, Ricotta Fondue, Crispy Serrano Ham, Grilled Bread
Foie Gras with Chestnut Stuffing, Spiced Cranberry Compote, Herb Salad
Coffee
Bread Pudding with Apple Confit, Hoegaarden Ice Cream, Buttered Pecans
Charcuterie – Pork Rillets and House Pate
…on Saturday we wanted a place to watch the college games and on Sunday the pro games; sure we could have entered one of the sports books and my buddy could have enjoyed a Miller Light or perhaps even a Molson, but why (aside from saving money) would anyone want to consider that when there is the lavish urban swagger and extensive beer list of Public House at The Venetian? Coupling the cask ales and copious imports with a kitchen that can actually execute some fairly complex upscale pub-grub plus servers that live up to Las Vegas standards (both in looks and in attention to detail in order to justify on-strip prices and a good tip) and a willingness to turn on any game…even the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers and I’d say Public House is definitely a spot worth hanging out, even two days in a row.
Starting in the lounge on Saturday where a scantily clad young woman named Krystian served up a number of imported lagers and decent knowledge of the province of each to my friend while providing me with the shockingly delicious recommendation of a warm wine-based cocktail to go with an ample slice of creamy duck liver served like Christmas dinner plus a creamy egg fondue that could have doubled as breakfast it really did not take much of an effort for my friend to get me to accompany him back to the pub on day two where we sat for nearly three hours as he ran through what seemed like an unthinkable amount of beers at the recommendation of a young bartender named Toshihir as I enjoyed house made pate and rillets followed by decent coffee, refilled copiously at no extra charge, and a truly inspired bread pudding as light as angel-food cake and paired with creamy apples, crunchy candied pecans, and ice cream that although hoppy on the finish opened up spicy and sweet.
…dare I say that if all bars were this good I’d probably find myself going out for ‘drinks’ (ie, food at a drinking establishment) more often.