A-Class Days:

Life is a beautiful, difficult journey.  Every once in a while, we all have days that are just great; days where everything works out better than expected; truly A-class days.  I enjoyed a truly wonderful yesterday, which played out in two acts…

Act 1: The Performance

Every decade or so, a group of phenomenal actors gather on stage and bring life into a literary masterpiece.  In my lifetime, I have had the privilege of attending three such performances.  The first one – and far-and-away my best one – took place about 10 years ago: Patrick Stewart acted the lead in Shakespeare's The Tempest.  Next, last year, I attended the Roundabout Theater Company's revival of Pajama Game with Harry Connick Jr. They re-did the Hernando's Hideaway and hit it out of the ball park.

The Third (sequentially; second qualitatively) performance took place yesterday with Kevin Spacey, Eve Best and Colm Meaney in Eugene O'Neil's A Moon For The Misbegotten.  It helps that Kevin Spacey is one of the most talented actors of his time and I have been following Colm Meaney's career since Star Trek Deep Space Nine. It also helps that Eugene O'neil is one of history's best playwrights.

I have attended other live performances of Eugene O'Neil's plays, including Gabriel Byrne in A touch of the Poet.  Parallel to Tennessee Williams (whose plays nearly always address an overbearing mother and a closeted gay son), O'Neil's plays usually portray the desolate darkness of immigrant Irish in America. 

However, this performance brought life and humor to the desolation in such a way that they made the darkness bearable.  My suspension of disbelief came within the first few moments and I was there, in the story with them and therefore appreciated the life and humor.  By the end of the play, I could see how tired the actors were and how hard they worked.  I performance touched me and the actors earned another notch of my respect and admiration.

After the play, my friend and I were standing in front of the theatre when a crowd began to gather around us.  We then realized that Kevin Spacey would be leaving through the stage door that we were standing directly in front of.  We waited a few moments and had the opportunity to meet Kevin Spacey and congratulate him on such a fantastic performance.

Act 2: The Meal

That morning, my friend Rich informed me that he secured a table for us after the theater at Esca, which is Mario Batali's theater-district seafood restaurant.  I have always wanted to go to Esca.  In fact, I have tried to obtain reservations on numerous occasions and could not get in.

From the beginning, Mario's signature acid/olive oil flavor combinations boldly stood out.  Each dish seemed to utilize a different type of olive oil.  Some were really fragrant and fruit-forward, while others were subtle and provided structure to other flavors.

Our waiter knew everything about food preparation.  He was nice, accommodating, very knowledgeable and around often.  We did not wait for anything.  Our glasses were always full; our utensils replaced after each course.  All our questions answered immediately.

I heard rumor that Mario likes classic rock, and plays it in all his restaurants.  So, when the restaurant played the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, my friend Rich was happy.  When they played Stevie Nicks and Peter Gabriel, I was happy.  They kept the volume up enough for us to enjoy the music but not overpower dinner conversation (a challenge in a busy restaurant).

The food, company and music all came together to form a fantastic meal.

Here are the details:

Wine: I opened with a glass of Moscato d'Asti, my friend had a scotch.  Then we both moved into a Peitit Arivine, Les Cretes, 2004 from Valle D' Aosta for our first three courses.  I am not an expert in Italian wines.  However, they often have a distinctive nose that says "Italy," to me whenever I try them.  This white wine immediately informed us of its Italian heritage. With strong vegetal, green pepper notes, it paired nicely with the Crudos and first course of our tasting menu. 

We stepped up to a 2000 Ada Nada Barberescco to carry us through remainder of the meal (until dessert— when I switched to earl grey tea).

Reminiscent of Pinot Noir, this light, smoky (tobacco) red wine paired so well with fish. I kept smelling the nose, and could not place the scent.  All I could think of was lavender. My friend Rich did not pick up the lavender.  So, we asked the Somillier "Do you pick up lavender from these notes?"  He promptly obtained a glass from the bar and joined us.  He not only talked about but tasted the wine with us.  He said, "Mostly, I pick up smoke, tobacco, and cigar.  There is a hint of wildflower here; perhaps that is what you are honing in on?"  We could not place it, but we had a great time trying!

Tasting menu:

Amuse Bouche: Cannelloni Bean crudités

First Crudo:

o       Malbec oyster,

o       wonderful

o       a singular, raw shrimp scampi,

o       unique, unconventional, quite good

o       Nantucket Bay scallops cerveche.

o       Lovely balance of fragrant olive oil, lime/ chervil acidity, and briny scallop flavor

Second Crudo:

o       peanut encrusted swordfish,

o       phenomenal

o       orange marlin,

o       good, too simple after the swordfish

o       razor clam cerveche

o       left me with a strong capsicum finish

Third course:

o       Fried Calamari in warm arugula with jalapeños and capers

o       Nice balance between the lightly fried calamari and the warm, nutty arugula.

Fourth course:

o       Maccheroni Alla Chittara; homemade guitar cut spaghetti with crabmeat and sea urchin

o       This dish is one of meal's highlights.  It felt like comfort food.  The delicacy of the crabmeat contrasted well against the thick pasta.  The sea urchin provided structure and balanced the flavors well.  

Fifth Course:

o       Merluzzo Nero; Slow-roasted black cod with asparagus, peas, fiddlehead fern and mint

o       The cod came out as the better of the two cooked fish courses.  It had a crisp, crunchy skin and light flaky meat with a perfect balance of delicate flavor.

Sixth course:

o       Razza; crispy skate with wild mushrooms and young chicory

o       Quite good for what it was, but the cod overshadowed it.

Seventh course:

o       Robiola Bosina with chestnut honey (an unpasteurized mixed sheep/cow's milk cheese)

o       A meaty cheese with structure and a distinctive sheep overtone

Finale:

o       Flourless chocolate cake with espresso ice cream

o       Chocolate Crema with primitivo sabayon

o       All I can say is "heavenly"