Food, Wine & Friends Page 173
A BIRTHDAY DINNER
for
ALEXIA MOORE
Celebrated at Bob's in San Bruno--Summer 2009
We gathered at Bob's house on a sunny, warm summer evening
to celebrate another anniversary of Alexia's 39th birthday...
Foie gras, a truffled terrine, prosciutto and melon, radishes, olives, pita
bread with a cilantro pesto and more...
Jonathan cut the home-grown cherry tomatoes for Bob's Caprese-styled
salad...
Henry! opened the 1999 Charles Heidsieck Brut Rosé
Champagne...
The Birthday Girl.
The Charles Heidsieck bottle was slightly corked...there was a nice yeasty
element there, but over-shadowed by a cellar-like smell.
Meanwhile, the second bottle, a Veuve Clicquot 1985 (yes, a 24 year old bottle!)
Brut Rosé was stunning.
Sandy and Jonathan
Meanwhile, Bob was working on the lamb stew and the clams...
Preparing the pot for the clams...
Before...
...After
We enjoyed a magnum of Daguenau 2006 Pur Sang with the
clams...
At this point, for some strange reason, Alexia started yodeling...
This shocked Jonathan.
Paul, too, seemed stunned.
For a main course, Bob prepared a lamb stew...I had arrived in
time to douse the flames on his arm as he was attempting to flambé the lamb
with a bit of Cognac before braising it.
Bob plates the Daube d'Agneau.
We had two 1978s with the lamb...
Domaine de Chevalier was beautiful...mature, mildly tobacco-like and with
leathery notes.
The Léoville-Las-Cases was good, as well...a bit firmer and even a tad
tight. Still, a nice old Bordeaux...
Bob had a couple of cheese platters to go around...and we had
two Mazis-Chambertins from Philippe Naddef.
Alexia cuts the cheese.
Sandy...
Next it was the Birthday Cake...
Bob phone the San Bruno Fire Department to have them alerted
to the number of candles on this cake.
Alexia managed to extinguish the candles without setting anyone on fire.
Bob had a nice bowl of berries to accompany the cake...
Accompanying the cake was a 1950 vintage Rivesaltes.
A nice combination...the mocha/Kalhua cake with a caramel-like, toffeeish
dessert wine.
Bob was beginning to nod off...
Soon it was time for some birthday gifts.
"There's no time like the present!" exclaimed Alexia.
Alexia, of course, was thrilled to receive some bacon-flavored
chocolate.
And some coffee, pancake and bacon-flavored dental flosses.
Bob was barely able to keep an eye open...
Then Paul slipped a sharp tack on Bob's chair, apparently...
And so with that as our parting memory, we all headed for
home...
Many thanks to Bob for preparing some splendid courses...and to Jonathan and
Lucy for the breads and garden work.
And to Sandy and Paul and Alexia and Henry!
Until next time...
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