We have done 7 suppers to date. See below for the menus.
Prime Prime Rib
S.M.A.P.
Derby Day 2019
Japanese
Tour of Italy
Mediterranean Cruise
Derby Day 2021
Prime Prime Rib
Our first supper! We executed it on January 5, 2019 for only a small group of friends. We didn't have any long-term plans at that time, but we all enjoyed it so much we started making some afterwards. :) The menu was really just designed around one thing... justifying the expense of a huge prime-grade rib roast. Haha! From there we immediately went to French wines, Kentucky bourbons, and then of course the rest of the menu.
Cocktails:
Old-Fashioned
Chateau De Beaucastel Cotes Du Rhone Coudoulet Rouge 2015
Hors d'oeuvres:
Shrimp Ceviche
Oysters Rockefeller on the Half Shell
William Fevre Champs Royaux Chablis 2017
Main Course:
Prime Rib with Red Wine Au Jus, Shallot Butter, Pickled Shallots
Famille Perrin Reserve Cotes Du Rhone Rouge 2016
Sides:
Pan-Fried Brussel Sprouts with Pork Belly
Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Cheese Crisp
Sauteed Balsamic Mushrooms
Blue Cheese Salad
Desserts:
Granny's Banana Pudding
Strawberry Chocolate Mousse
S.M.A.P.
Or Salmon, Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Pasta. Only a couple of months after our initial supper, we executed this supper on March 16, 2019. We still were just looking to serve a menu based on our personal interests, and at that time we were really into cedar-planked fish and homemade fresh pastas. So we developed a theme around the Pacific NW, focused on coho salmon, added in a tasting of brews from the area, and ended up with this menu.
Cocktails:
Pacific Northwest Craft Beer Tasting (Rogue Chocolate Stout, Cascade Kriek Sour Ale, Anchorage Brewing Calabaza Boreal, Urban Family Imagined History)
Hors d'oeuvres:
Butternut Squash Bisque, Coconut Milk, Crispy Sage
Prime Beef Carpaccio, Grana, Caperberries, Mustard
Main Course:
Grilled Cedar Plank Pacific Coho Salmon, Honey-Bourbon Sauce
Pain a lAncienne Baguettes & Rosemary Sour Dough Boules
Erath 2016 Pinot Noir (Oregon)
Sides:
Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Asparagus, Asiago
Fresh Fettuccine in Lemon Cream Sauce
Lavender Infused Bamboo Rice
Wilted Spinach Salad, Balsamic Dressing, Bacon, Grape Tomatoes, Danish Blue Cheese
Desserts:
Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Gooey Chocolate Brownies, Vanilla Ice Cream, Raspberry Coulis
Derby Day 2019
We planned a Derby Day supper for several reasons, one being a friend's connection to Kentucky, and another just to give everyone a chance to dress up and wear fancy hats. Haha! Instead of the usual multi-course model we decided to do a long string of appetizers instead, and of course all of them had to have some connection to Kentucky or even the Derby itself. We executed this suppoer on May 4, 2019.
Cocktails:
Old Forester Classic Mint Juleps
Woodford Reserve
The Clubhouse Cooler
Hors d'oeuvres:
Benedictine Spread, White Bread, Cucumbers, Dill
Deviled Quail Eggs, Wickles Relish
Cheese Grits with Pickled Shrimp, Smoked Paprika
Charcuterie Plate - Coppa, Bresaola, Sopressata
Fried Green Tomatoes, Roasted Pepper Aioli, Goat Cheese
Smoked Salmon Stuffed Campari Tomatoes
Fruit Plate - Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Pineapple
Main Course:
Snow Pea and Pancetta Salad Rolls
Burgoo
Bourbon Infused Carrots
Hot Browns
Desserts:
Derby Pie Cupcakes
Bourbon Bread Pudding
Japanese
We were learning so much from these suppers that we decided to branch out and try something really different. We landed on Japanese cuisine for two reasons: homemade Udon (noodles) and sushi! Oh and Sake! On July 13, 2019 we executed this dinner with all dishes being 100% Japanese. No California Rolls allowed! We made sure our guests would be trying something new along the way.
Kakuteru:
Dassai 50 Junmai Daiginjo Nigori Sake
Sapporo & Hitachino Nest Ginger Beer
Matcha Green Tea Latte
Zensai:
Sake & Maguro Sashimi, Edamame, Ebi & Renkon Tempura, Ikura, Carrot, Radish, Cucumber, Rice Bowl
Shrimp Gyoza
Vegetable Harumaki
Meinkosu:
Carrot Ginger Salad
Niku Udon
Dezato:
Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream
Coffee Gelatin Squares
Ichigo Daifuku
Tour of Italy
Like others before, we designed this menu by selecting dishes from the different regions in Italy (noted in menu below). We tried not to select more than one item from a region, and I think we were pretty successful, though Liguria ended up appearing more than once since the main dish was from there. No way was the menu going to have the common Italian dishes available here in the US! No chicken parmesan, spaghetti, or lasagna. Haha! It was executed on November 9, 2019, and the guests agreed on one thing afterwards... the crema di limoncello was strong!
Apertivo:
Negroni Sbagliato (Lombardy)
Cleto Chiarli Vecchia Modena Premium (Emilia-Romagna)
Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio (Trentino Alto Adige)
Primo:
Arancini con piselli e mozzarella with marinara (Sicily)
Agnolotti di aragosta fritta with salsa di pomodoro (Piedmont)
Radicchio, Fennel, and Olive Panzanella (Tuscany)
Pasta e fagioli (Latium)
Secondi:
Pesca spade alla Ligure with Pesto alla Genovese (Liguria)
Contorno:
Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Pine Nuts, Caperberries (Liguria)
Fresh Baked Focaccia (Liguria)
Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino (Sardinia)
Dolce:
Tiramisu (Veneto)
Digestivo:
Crema di Lemoncello (Campania)
Mediterranean Cruise
Honestly, this menu was planned for one simple reason: rack of lamb! Lamb is such a big part of the Mediterranean countries that we decided to incorporate a little of something from the nations that rest on the sea. We are proud to say the beet napoleons impressed even the guests that can't stand beets! Executed on January 18, 2020, we all felt this was the best supper yet!
Cocktails:
White Sangria
La Roija Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva 2009
Appetizers:
Beet and Goat Cheese Napoleons
Greek Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Tzatziki Sauce
White Gazpacho
Grilled Spicy Squid Salad
Main Course:
Mediterranean Herbed Bone-In Lamb Chops
Tomato Mint Quinoa
Honoro Vera Garnacha 2018
Dessert:
Baklava
Derby Day 2021
Time for everyone to get back to normal, so what better excuse than a Kentucky Derby party! We executed this one on May 1, 2021, and kept some of the best dishes from the 2019 Derby Day supper. We also tried to repackage some differently and to add some new ideas. We had so much fun (and some trial and error) trying to figure out the Derby Hat made of cheeses (pictured above), and the coolest dish was the famous hot brown open-faced sandwich delivered as a fried spring roll. Our guests definitely were glad to be back together, given the amount of wine the group went though!
Race One - Cocktails:
Woodford Reserve Bourbon
Old Forester Classic Mint Juleps
Kentucky Derby Sweet Tea
La Crema Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2019
La Crema Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2018
Race Two - Appetizers:
Derby Cheese Hat
Hot Brown Spring Rolls
Benedictine Spread
Fried Green Tomatoes with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli
Littleneck Clams in a Bourbon Cream Sauce
Race Three - Main Course:
Burgoo
Black and Blue Salad
Short Ribs with Henry Bain's Sauce & Kentucky Parmesan Grits
Chocolate Bourbon Balls