Sunday, November 21, 2010

Back on Track


Now that my life has both simplified and got more complicated, I have found more time on my hands. This so called free time has helped me become more "myself" whatever that means. Almost three months ago residency ended and now this is starting to feel like real life. At first I had to study for boards (taken 4 weeks ago), then plan Henry's party (3 weeks ago). So really, these last 3 weeks have been great.

I believed that once residency ended, life would just open up and be free. I am finding that is not exactly true. There are always different stresses around the corner. My naivety has ended and I'm starting to realize that I just have to deal with things. This is one way to do it right here. This blog used to be completely about Henry, but I'm changing things a little. It would be nice to get my thoughts out, reach my family far away and also keep myself motivated. I will still talk about Henry, but I am also going to add my crafts and fitness into things.

Before I forget, Henry said the cutest thing. For some reason we were talking about me being nice. He said "Mommy, I like it when you're mad." Then he went into detail such as a dragon head and a dragon tail. If that's what he wants, I'll give it to him.

Also before I forget, about 3 weeks ago Aaron and I went to a movie. I'm trying to think of the name, but it escapes me now. Obviously not too memorable. Anyway, the movie was in Overland Park which was also the location of the new Roasterie coffee shop. If anyone does not know, the Roasterie has the best coffee hands down. Go ahead, try it, they ship. This week they were having a promotion and all you had to do was go into the new coffee shop and take a picture with a certain part on the wall. Both Aaron and I sent in the pictures, and guess what? I WON.

I know everyone feels like they never win anything, and maybe I've won enough now. There was that Glamour magazine/Star Tribune thing, and now this. So, I won free coffee for a year and also a free dinner. Now this dinner isn't just a McDonalds or something. This was at Julian restaurant in Brookside. The chef there (chef Tio) was a great chef at the American restaurant in KC and also was in the competition to be the next iron chef. Sadly, she did not win (but made it very very far). The dinner was a special Sunday night where she basically serves what she wants. You don't order a thing, it just comes.

Tonight Aaron and I went there and probably had the best meal of our lives. Let me give you the rundown.

5 course meal plus some really good Malbec.

First course: Lobster with some pate and lemon and celery. If anyone knows me, they would know that I am not particularly adventurous with my food. I vowed tonight to try everything (and I did). When this came out I was a little disappointed, but dug right in. Man, I'm glad I did. I'm not sure if I have ever had lobster before, but this was AMAZING. There was no fishy texture or taste and it was perfect. Easily the highlight of my meal and a definite surprise that made me even more excited for what was to come.

Second Course: Oysters in her cocktail that she made on the iron chef show. Now when I was in new orleans for my board review, I did taste a char-broiled oyster. It tasted like coal and was crunchy/rubbery. That I swallowed quickly and then was immensely proud of myself. Tonight with chef Tio's meal, I first tried the liquid around the oyster. Not exactly sure what was in it, but saw radishes. The liquid was very salty/briney and scary tasting. By this time Aaron had eaten his oyster and told me that it was very chewy. I knew I had to try it, but was not looking forward to it. I cut 1/4 of the oyster and put it in my mouth and chewed. Um, not very good. I don't think I'll every be able to like oysters even when they are cooked..... uh wait a minute. I think this was RAW! Man, okay, this was not a winner and it took a lot of wine to wash down that flavor and then I burped 5 minutes later and again had to wash it down with more wine.

Third Course: Asian Duck with parsnips. This was very good. After the oyster, I was very anxious to clean my palate so I dug in quickly. My first instinct was that it was very salty, but yet when I kept eating, all the complex flavors came out. There was a spiciness to it and the parsnip seemed perfect with it. The duck appeared quite red, but that didn't bother me in the least. Very flavorful and made me wanting more.

Fourth Course: Beef with shitake mushrooms, little onions and pate of some sort. I saw chef tio on iron chef for one episode and she mentioned that she loved fish, so I was a little concerned that the main course would be fish. It wasn't. Instead it was a beautiful pairing. I believe I ate all of the mushrooms (and that is saying something for me). The beef again was pretty rare, but great. Very happy with the main course.

Fifth Course: Yes the dessert. I don't think we got a full explanation of this, but it seemed like a rum/raisin bread with a little soft cheese on top. I was nice and spicy (cinnamon vs nutmeg) and perfect.

I am not sure I have ever eaten a 5 course meal, but it was all great (minus the oysters). Next time, I might even pay.

Alright, this seems like a long enough post for now, but I'll be back soon.

Laura

1 comment:

Unknown said...

That meal sounds amazing.