Chow Down, Hombre

We have a book, given to us by Dawn, which has about fifty answers to "What would you have for your last meal?". The answers are from primarily serious chefs, although there is a naked picture of Anthony Bourdain, and the common thread seems to be simple food cooked good, a phrase heard many times at our table.

So, when I think about ultimate dining it is usually not in the context of a last meal, and occasionally this leads to more extravagant ideas. However, simple food cooked good is always a good guide. Especially if the diners are winers, so food can show off the wine.

Some of the most memorable meals have been in restaurants. I do not mean to rank them in any way, but simply to remeber a few here. There was Per Se, with Julia, Cecilia, Louis & Dawn. It was eleven or twelve courses of totally astounding food with eight or ten bottles of unreal wine. We had an Alsatian reisling from the year of Louis' birth, and it drank so fine! Then there is the time we went to Babbo, unexpectedly because we were delayed getting into NY on the plane. Dawn, Louis, Julia and I started dinner at obout eleven, and rolled out about four hours later, thanking God for good food and that we were not driving. Julia and I have been so fortunate to have enjoyed great meals in Ireland, Italy (with Lenny & Reg), Toronto, California and so many places, Cecilia met Julia and me in San Francisco, we ate at Gary Danko, had breakfast at Beuna Vista the next morning (where Irish coffee was first served) and the went to Napa for dinner at La Toque. We also had other dinners on that trip, like lunch at Bouchon, that I will never forget, Terra, for instance. The Four Seasons, no need to say more. Except, maybe, New Orleans.

I guess the favorite dinner memory for me was at San Marco. Eminently successful friends were unexpectedly there, also with their families. These were grandchildren hankerin' people who told us about their new dog. I was able to subtly note that we only had an old dog, but I held baby Julia all the while. As always, the dinner there was tops. Being together was the real treat.

So. What would be my choice? I'll tell you about one more dinner. It was for Papa's fiftieth birthday. Julia & I cooked for days. I had gotten three magnums of 1923 Montrose to build the dinner around (venison grand venuer from house harvested deer). We had consomme Bellevue, clarified until it sparkled, and Crab Remick, in abalone shells and on & on, for about sixty people, here at the house. Guests came from miles away. It went on all night.

Where does that take us? Here. The best meals of my life have been at this table with people I love, simple food cooked good and plenty of wine.