How Much for Dinner?

Recently I was given tickets to a $300/plate dinner catered by chef's selected by the James Beard Foundation.   I don't run with the society set, so a fancy dinner isn't part of my normal life, but when something like that drops in your lap, you can't say no.

I threw on a dress (and after a month of nothing but khaki's, tennies and a work polo shift, I felt like a new woman) and headed to the dinner.  We started with cocktail hour which included a wine tasting and a signature cocktail, none of which I tried (I'm a non-drinker) but soon the hors d'oeuvres came out and I was in food heaven, check out this list:

• Smoked Pepper Polenta, Sweet Corn Relish and Chile-Maker's Mark Bourbon Glaze
• Stonecross Farms Pork Belly, Confit Tomato & Thyme, Sapori d'Italia Goat Cheese and Brioche
• Tesa wrapped Kentucky Blue Brawns, Henkle Farms Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho and Chile Oil
• Potato Chip with Scallop and Caviar (I missed out on this one, but I was ready to give caviar a try for the first time)

Each bite was amazing.  I could barely wait for dinner to begin, but while we were outside for the reception I did manage to catch a shot of the amazing sunset that night.  Then it was on to a five course dinner.

• First Course: Tower of Yellow Fin Tuna, Herb Salad, Yuzu Granite
• Second Course: Parsnips Agnolotti, roasted Pumpkin and Heirloom Apple, Parmesan-Parsley Jus
• Third Course: Sous vide Venison Loin, Candied Yams, Red-Eye Jus
• Fourth Course: Braised Alltech Angus Short Rib of Beef, Field Bean Succotash, Confit Musrooms and Tomatoes
• Fifth Course: Roasted Fig and Dark Chocolate in Phyllo, Brandied Cherries and Muscadine Syrup.

As a non-red-meat eater the third and fourth courses weren't my usual cup of tea, but everything else was AMAZING!  Not sure I'd be willing to shell out $300 for any meal, but I've proven to myself that my taste buds have matured enough to appreciate true dining perfection.

Any foodies out there?  I loved the second course (parsnip pasta with shredded apples) so much I'd love a recipe for something similar.

Saw this song on Glee a couple of weeks ago and it hasn't left my head.  If I was a billionaire I'd add a few more dining experiences like this to my life.

It's Thursday, so don't forgot to click over to Inspiration Studio for my weekly post, I'd love to hear your suggestions for next week's playlist

Pin It

Bootcamp Day 4 - Heavy Metal

Heavy-metal is today's Creativity Bootcamp prompt.  For some reason with this word I knew instantly what I was going to attempt to capture - but like yesterday I found myself a bit surprised with what I ended up with when I really opened my eyes to look around.  The most boring and mundane things suddenly started sparking my interest - shooting this morning was so much fun.

I headed into work a little early so I could spend a few minutes in the warehouse attached to the office, I knew there were some cool looking metal fence gates and I was hoping I could find some interesting angles with them - even though I knew the lighting would be poor.  After getting a few shots I decided I'd walk around the warehouse and see what else I could find.  Maegan is right - with a open mind I found inspiration all over the dusty warehouse - a metal table tipped on its side provided some scroll work, an abused and dirty rake, and a bucket of old stakes - all everyday objects which I wouldn't usually call beautiful somehow become lovely in my view finder.

I can't wait to see what everyone else came up with for today's prompt.  Just four days in and I can already feel boot camp changing me.  I've met (virtually) some amazing and inspiring artists, my confidence has grown thanks to all the encouragement and I feel my vision expanding.

I'm a huge Glee fan and as I watched the finale last night I couldn't help comparing their Journey lesson and medley to the things I've experience myself and read about on your blogs regarding this Bootcamp journey.  The lessons and true joy really is found in the journey and the attempt.

Don't worry, I'm not going to post a clip from last night's show - don't want to ruin it for those who haven't seen it, instead here's the clip from episode one which made me a fan:

Pin It

Gleeful

Last week I shared my love of Madonna - so imagine my joy when one of my favorite shows, Glee, devoted an entire episode to Madonna songs.  It was amazing!  Don't ask me to pick a favorite song - I loved them all from Sue Sylvester's version of "Vogue" to the entire cast doing "Like a Prayer."  But I can't resist posting "What it Feels Like for a Girl" this may not be one of Madonna's biggest hits, but lyrically it is brilliant.

Girls can wear jeans

And cut their hair short

Wear shirts and boots

'Cause its okay to be a boy

But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading

'Cause you think that being a girl is degrading

But secretly you'd love to know what its like

Wouldn't you

What it feels like for a girl

If you want to see the actual clip from the show it is still up on Fox on Demand. Pin It

Glee

Have you seen it yet?  I laughed so hard at this scene I cried.  And I'm still singing along 12 hours later.

If you aren't watching yet, make it a priority next week, you'll be glad you did.

Pin It