Last night we had the pleasure of getting a preview of what’s in store for white truffle season this year at Sweets & Savories (in the spirit of full disclosure this meal was comped by the restaurant, but I would gladly pay full price for it any day of the week).
We were treated to a fabulous 6 courses with wine pairings. Here’s what we had:
First course – Brandade & Vichyssoise (paired with Tokay Pinot Gris, Wolfberger, France 1999).
The brandade was served on crostini which was balanced on top of a tall, thin glass of vichyssoise. I’m a huge fan of both of these items at Sweets & Savories, so they were only enhanced with the addition of shaved white truffles on top. My only quibble with this dish is that the vichyssoise had a bit of oil (can’t remember if it was olive oil or truffle oil) that had been poured into the top of the glass, so the first sip was really a mouthful of oil and not soup. The rest of the glass was fantastic though. The wine had a nice sweetness that worked well against the brandade.
Second course – Salade Lyonnaise
A nicely done, smaller version of a classic. A single poached egg served on top of a larger crostini with some frisee and a bit of bacon. Between the perfectly runny egg and the addition of shaved truffle, I was a very happy man. This could have used more bacon (really, what couldn’t?). I actually would have been a lot happier with lardoons, but what can you do.
Third course – Seared scallop served on top of “duck liver” risotto with a mango coulis (paired with Vouvray Demi Sec, Yves Bruessin, France 2005).
Death, taxes, and outstanding scallops at Sweets & Savories. I’m always excited to have scallops here because Chef Richards really has a way with them. Plump, slightly browned on the outside but absolutely perfectly cooked on the inside this scallop was a real treat. The risotto speaks for itself, adding a wonderful richness to the dish, with the mango coulis providing just the right amount of sweet/tart notes to bring the whole dish into balance. I would gladly eat this even without the truffles. One of my two favorite dishes of the night.
Fourth course - Alaskan Halibut Sous Vide, served over a truffle potato pauve with sauce Periguord (paired with Merlot, Hawkes, California 2002).
I felt this dish was the closest we got to average over the course of the night. I’m just not really a fan of fish prepared sous vide (on the other hand, I love meat prepared this way). The halibut was a gorgeous piece of fish, but it just didn’t do it for me as much as the other courses. The potato pauve was fantastic, and if there’s one thing I like at Sweets & Savories more than scallops it is Chef Richard’s sauce Periguord.
Fifth course – Beef Tenderloin with White Truffle Butter, Lobster, Corn and Cremini Mushroom Ragout served with Maytag Blue Cheese Crease (paired with Barolo, Elio Grasso, Italy 2001).
My other favorite dish of the night, maybe the favorite dish of the night. The beef was served a perfect rare to medium rare and just sung when paired with the white truffle butter and the blue cheese cream. The beef was served with perfectly cooked lobster claws that added a nice amount of sweetness to the dish along with the corn. The lobster also added a nice salty note to the whole thing. I’m probably not doing it justice, but this was about as good of a “surf and turf” dish as you’ll find anywhere. The Barolo was easily the star wine of the night. We all remarked that it was a real treat to be able to enjoy it with this course.
Sixth course – Roasted Peach Tart served with white truffle ice cream and “duck liver” caramel (paired with Muscat, Casta Diva, Gutierrex de la Vega, Spain)
OK, first of all, I’m completely convinced that Chef Richard’s is putting crack in the white truffle ice cream. I was introduced to it a couple of years ago and I absolutely crave the stuff at all times. Last night it was fantastic as always. Honestly, words cannot describe how much I love this ice cream. If not for the ice cream, the best thing on the plate might have been the “duck liver” caramel. We were all scraping our plates to get every drop of the sweet, salty, and just slightly liver-y concoction off of our plates. Oh yeah, and the peach tart was pretty good too.
Again, just a fantastic dinner. I believe during truffle season they will be offering a 5 course white truffle dinner for $100 per person. Given what some of the higher end restaurants in town will likely be charging, this is a steal if you need your white truffle fix.