Last Saturday evening, 40 members of our wine club enjoyed another delightful private "Epicurean Adventure" dinner in the Tasting Room of Michael's on East. The atmosphere in the candlelit room was very warm and inviting. The theme of the Epicurean Adventure dinners this month is Thai. As usual, the food was superb.
The only down side of the evening was that the service was slow - an experience I've never had at Michael's. The reason may have been that they were short of servers. The two servers who took care of us were professional and friendly.
The prix-fixe meal, which cost us $25, included three courses - appetizer, main course, and dessert. There were two appetizer choices, three entrée choices, and two dessert choices. For an additional $10, there was a pairing of two wines - one with the appetizer and one with the main course. Additionally, we were served a free glass of wine with the meal before it started and a free amuse-bouche.
(The Epicurean dinner prices have now been raised to $29.95, which is still a super price.)
As an appetizer, I chose Satay gai - chicken satay, lettuce wrap, peanut sauce, and crisp tara ribbons (whatever they are). It was really good. I love satay!
The other appetizer choice was Thot Man Pia -swordfish & seabass fishcake with sweet chili sauce and cucumber salad.
As a main course, I chose Tom Yum Ta Ke - hot & sour shrimp soup, with kaffir lime leaf, ginger mushroom broth, & spicy rice noodles. It was terrific. The shrimp were large and very tasty.
The other entrées were:
- Yang gai - tamarind coconut barbecue chicken, papaya slaw, crushed peanuts & fresh mint cilantro with sweet sticky rice.
- Soyang Poo Salmon - pan-seared lemongrass-honey salmon with mussels & vegetable stew
As a dessert, I chose Banana lemongrass & brown sugar springroll with toast coconut ice cream. It was delightful.
The other dessert was mango rice pudding with black sesame cookie.
The other wine club members with whom I spoke all enjoyed their meals.
The wine pairings were
- with the amuse-bouche - Michael's private label pinot grigio
- with the appetizer - 2010 Doña Paula "Los Cardos" Sauvignon Blanc from Mendoza, Argentina
- with the entrée - 2009 Doña Paula "Los Cardos" Malbec
All of the wines were very nice. I'm not normally fond of Malbecs, but this one was nice once it opened up a bit.
The themes of the Epicurean Adventure dinners for the remainder of the year are:
October - South Africa
November - Italy
December - Spain
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