Monday May 23, 2005

Food, Wine and Friends

Saturday night I went out for dinner with two friends I have known for 30 years. Pat, Linda and I were celebrating Pat's birthday which was earlier this month. As usual when the three of us go out it was a special evening. Pat is a connoisseur of wonderful restaurants so we often eat at some truly great places. Saturday night we ate at Manresa in Los Gatos. The evening started with a bit of serendipity. When I arrived to pick up Pat and Linda we realized we were color coordinated. Pat and I each had on chartreuse jackets and Linda's pants were a similar color. When the Maitre D asked what the occasion was we laughed and told him we were starting a secret society.

The menu at Manresa was highly conducive to a great evening of food, wine, and conversation with friends. We had the four course dinner paired with wines. We each picked four things off the menu. Each item came with a glass of wine selected to go with that item. I had the Spanish Mackerel with orange and leeks, the Black Cod, the Beef short ribs with onions and morels, and the Warm Pecan Tart with Brown Butter ice cream. In addition they brought us each four taste treats throughout the evening. One of the them was a parmesan churro. All the courses were small enough that we weren't uncomfortably full at the end of the evening but we were very very satisfied.

The decor was understated elegance and the service was superb. What I love about a meal like we had Saturday night is how wonderful it is to sit and talk with friends and relax over three hours of fantastic food, great wine and the great conversation.