Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Christmas day. Patrick and I hosted Christmas brunch. Kerry and Mom Ryan arrived via Uber. Sam arrived a little later. We had: gingerbread, chocolate cinnamon streusel muffins, homemade candied nuts, TJ's chocolate-dipped peppermint Joe Joe's, buttermilk rolls, Patrick's cheesy creamy grits, bourbon-pepper sausage, egg nog, mini quiche florentine, mini kale-cheddar quiche, Scar Pier coffee cream panettone with mocha chocolate chips and coffee cream. Nap. Rode UberX to dinner at The Cavalier with Patrick. We arrived early and agreed to wait in the bar. The Barrister (Eagle Rare bourbon, zucca amaro, vermouth blanc, benedictine) for Patrick, mojito for me. We didn't learn about the holiday libations menu until we arrived at our table. Had we learned about it at the bar we might have ordered from that instead. Multicourse prix fixe dinner: amuse bouche: avocado and cucumber tzatziki (crispy onion rings, lettuce leaves, warm sesame baguette). Appetizers: Patrick chose sauteed gulf shrimp and shishito peppers with creamy garlic polenta and tomato beurre blanc, I chose creamy broccoli soup with smoked creme fraiche and Nueske's bacon. Entrees: Patrick chose the grilled angus ribeye with bagna cauda baked potato gratin and caper chimichurri, I chose the pan-seared alaskan salmon with crispy fingerling potatoes, diver scallops, dungeness crab, and bay shrimp beurre blanc. For the entree course we split one glass of the paired wine—a Littorai pinot noir (Sonoma coast, California, 2017). For the table: sauteed brussels sprouts (white wine, garlic, chili), maple-glazed carrots and parsnips (toasted seeds and candied pecan crumble), and brandied golden delicious applesauce. Dessert: Patrick chose chocolate bread pudding with chantilly cream and coffee custard, I chose pumpkin cranberry pecan upside down cake with vanilla ice cream. Food and drink were excellent. Service was very good but noticeably slow near the end. $267.98 before a $40 tip. I met Ruben. Patrick and I rode UberX home. Computer maintenance: updates.