APT Holiday Party, 2011 @ Saison!
After taking some more finals, I’ve gotten around to sorting through the Saison pictures and posting! The dinner was fantastic and it made my mouth water reviewing the pictures.
We started the night off with some bubbly and yummy h’orderves, which included delicious oysters that matched the champagne well.
After greeting all the APT employees and chatting, we sat down for our meal. Ryan and I had the pleasure of sharing our table with Meghan and Russ, who were great company. We had a blast talking about cars and wine :)
Our first course was some delicious bluefin tuna served with rice cracker and freshwater seaweed sprinkled on top. The texture of the tuna was a nice contrast with the crunchy rice cracker, and the umami from the seaweed reminded me of the ocean.
Next was a much-awaited for course: brassicas! It was one of my favorite dishes last time Ryan and I visited Saison, so I was very excited to have it again. This time, the brassicas was served with roasted grains with a warm broth. The smokiness from the grains matched well with the crunchy greens. The brassicas was paired with an excellent Santa Barbara chardonnay that had a nice palette of vanilla bean — I’ve been itching to buy some bottles of it!
After the brassicas we chatted for a bit and ate some fresh-baked kalamata olive bread. I couldn’t resist adding a bit of butter on top, as usual.
The next course, crustacean, was a lobster served with a creamy broth that hinted of citrus, the flavor of which was brought out with the most excellent wine pairing.
Next up was the wood pigeon. It was the first time I’d tried pigeon so I was very excited. I loved the crisp skin and tender meat, and it was much leaner than duck. Overall nice flavor and texture, and I liked the play on the tongue with the fruit and olives. Mark brought over some 2009 Saison Pinot Noir which was by far and away the best Pinot I’ve had. I remember telling Ryan that we pretty much can’t drink any Pinot after that one!
After the wood pigeon was a preserved lemon custard. The lemon had just the right amount of flavor, acidity and smoothness. I love how Saison includes multiple dessert courses; I feel like a lucky adult who gets to be a kid again.
The last course for the night was a sherbet served with dehydrated milk and warm coffee poured on top. I can’t resist sweets, especially those from Saison, and I shamelessly cleaned off my place.
After such a wonderful evening, Shirley (who remembered us from last time!) gave us a tour of the Saison kitchen, starting with the freezer. Lo and behold, we saw all the wood pigeons and bluefin tuna for the next round of hungry patrons.
Shirley also drew our attention to the famous Molteni stove, which has a heated surface for keeping the saucepans warm. It was quite a treat; I look forward to the day when Ryan and I can have our own gas range, although it won’t be a Molteni. :)
Saison’s architecture really caught my eyes, so I also took the time to snap a few shots of the kitchen counters and staircase leading to the upstairs office.
Ryan and I had the most wonderful dinner, thanks to Meghan and Russ’ excellent company, the amazing food and wine, and the most awesome staff at Saison. I wanted to especially thank Roby and the APT SF office for making the magic come together that night!
And, for those who could always use some inspiration:
For more pictures from the night, visit my portfolio here, and if anyone would like to share some thoughts regarding the food and wine from that night, I’d love to hear it!
