Castille ~y~ Leon...

~the motley crue~

~sopa y ensalada~

smooth du puy lentil sopa, creamy ajo espuma,
"cecina de RC"(dried bresaola) coca, olive oil-pimenton sponge, black trumpet

idiazabel, micro arugula, arbequina "tapenade"

charred northwest red rainbow trout a'la plancha
savory chickpea-cuttlefish stew, chorizo riojana, crosnes, hedgehog mushrooms
dauro de l'emporda olive oil, romesco crumbs

spanish coffee con leche cake
pears sous vide, quince confit, dulce de leche ice cream, grated almonds
honey, chocolate-chili lollipop

In a word...freakin cool! Ok, well maybe two, but what the hell...you figured it out right?? This lunch was yet but another fun wine committee gathering, complete with the normal wine folk and seasonal ingredients in which to become inspired by. Those usual suspects being passion, imagination, creativity and a bit of insanity. One must have a little of each at hand in order to create in that next realm. To find yourself without any, is like not having your mise en place for a busy service...game over! You lose! We were fortunate to have some very nice guests from a cool happenin' region in Spain called Castille y Leon visiting us for the event. It is of northern central areas that sport vast areas, high mountain ranges, and superb wine growing conditions for hundreds of hectares around. The day prior, we met with two visiting chefs, a few wine gals, and some other cool peeps who were on hand to talk about the wines, the region, locale, general pleasantries and share in their own passion as well. The chefs had asked to come in the kitchen the next day to help cook but they apparently went out the night before and tied one on something hella fierce and therefore showed up about a half hour prior to service. No worries. Those dudes know how to party! Rock and roll I say. Our team executed service well, cooked some damn fine groceries, showed the chefs around, laughed, conversed and shared stories. Good times! Now it's time to travel to their region in Spain and reciprocate!