Food, Wine & Friends Page 99
A BIRTHDAY DINNER FOR LUCY TOLMACH AND JOE
THIERS
February 2006
I arrived at Casa FitzJensen to find the
Birthday Girl preparing salad fixings. Joe, the Birthday Boy, was sucking
on a beer bottle in another part of the house.
Jonathan, meanwhile, was working on some freshly caught
Chanterelles.
I opened a bottle of Von Buhl Riesling, a 1999 dry wine and
this was still young and fresh!
The Holy Mackerel was smoked by Dittmers in Mountain View.
Jonathan had found a bunch of Black Chanterelles and these
earthy, earthly delights joined their cousins in the frying pan.
Jesper, meanwhile, was working on some crab cakes.
Elsewhere, Chef Dane was preparing his own version of dinner.
Dane's idea of good wine is similar to his father's.
That's why the little tyke is known as "Dane Gerous."
Jesper took care of serving the Mackerel...
Amy had lit her birthday candle.
Nothing quite adds fragrance to a room like a candle made entirely of ear wax!
Jesper and Jonathan took care of plating the starters...
We had a taste of Guigal's 2003 Condrieu with this...the wine is peachy and
shows a mildly oaky, vanillin note.
The birthday kids.
Meanwhile, Dane was having a grand old time.
Jesper got busy and prepared a small platter of Choucroute.
Here's a better view...
Too bad we don't have Smell-A-Vision, because the perfume rising off this
platter was heavenly.
Lucy served some veggies...
Jonathan wanted to see if the choucroute would cut the
mustard.
Apparently these senfs/moutardes/mustards/senapes cut more than simply the
choucroute!
Jesper and Tony.
Aviva was enjoying all the vino and vittles, too.
Pierre was off in Belgium, searching for Moules & Frites.
Malat's Pinot Noir from Austria was a delicious red wine to pair with the
choucroute. It really was outstanding, showing nice fruit and a
spicy/woodsy note.
We also had a wonderful bottle of Allimant-Laugner Riesling which was very dry
and perfectly suited to this dish...a Joseph Roty 2001 Marsannay from an old
Pinot Noir vineyard was exceptional!
Joe had been singing the praises of Lincoln, now he was singing "Happy
Birthday."
Out of courtesy to the local fire department, only one candle was employed.
Then it was time for birthday gifts!
Even Amy, who celebrated a birthday a few weeks earlier, was
given a nice little gift.
She was especially happy...it wasn't made out of ear wax!
Old Peculier! A famous British beer!
Lucy and her chickens!
Someone mistakenly suggested Jonathan shave completely...This was a big mistake,
because Jesper had already had parts of 5 different bottles of wine!
What a great party...!
I was glad I did not have to do the dishes!
Thanks!
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