Fine dining can be a challenge when you are a group of 15 people.  So, when nearly all of my agency staff and many of my colleagues walked into Aqua last night, I worried that we might not have the best experience this restaurant has to offer.  I was wrong.

The hostess quickly seated us at two tables (a table of 10 and a table of 5); the sommelier quickly came by to discuss wine choices with me; they took drink orders instantaneously; and they drinks arrived moments later.

Now, when ordering a bottle of wine for a table, I tend to be a bit adventurous with prices and varietals.    However, when ordering wine for 15 people, I try to bring my choices down to a common denominator to accommodate everyone's palette and the company's money.  As I looked at the wine list, everything I would have enjoyed drinking had exorbitant prices tags, so I took some risks. 

For the white wine, we enjoyed a 2005 Cuvee des Moulin Bales Sancerre and for the red, I chose a 2005 Mont Tauch from Corbieres, which is within the Languedoc region of LACE w:st="on">FranceLACE>.  The blend of Grenache and Morvedre delivered tobacco smokiness and soft cherries reminiscent of a LACE w:st="on">LACENAME w:st="on">RhoneLACENAME> LACETYPE w:st="on">ValleyLACETYPE>LACE> wine without the big body.  

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As we each pondered the menu, we collectively concluded that our table would order the tasting menu.  This began as such:

·         We began with amuse bouche in three parts; a tiny slice of mackerel cerveche, a carrot and cucumber soup and a deliciously diminutive crab cake

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·         The California Osteria Caviar "Bombe" consisted of a miniature dome-shaped sturgeon mouse sitting on a ring of brioche toast with caviar in the center as well as the parameters of the plate.

o       While delicate and delicious, some of our more conventional table guests struggled to wrap their minds and palettes around this course.  "This dish brings new meaning to the question of the Chicken and the Egg," said Mike, who was sitting just to the left of me.  He solved this dilemma by devouring the dish.

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·         Bringing a new interpretation to surf and turf, the Ahi Tuna and Fois Gras Mosaic arrived as promised: a work of art on the plate.  The chef took a large slice of Tuna sashimi and placed a ring of fois gras in the center, much like a tile of modern art.  This dish presented contrasting textures of silk and substance on my palette and there was just enough to enjoy without flavor overload.

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·         For our next course, the army of servers presented us with a Parmesan and Black Pepper soufflé served with a creamy Dungeness crab, Uni, and chive butter sauce.

o       While light and airy, the soufflé turned out to be a far more substantial course than its appearance would lead one to believe.  We all enjoyed the creamy crab, uni, and butter sauce that accompanied it as well.

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·         Our next course came with more of an Indian flair.  The chef prepared the Diver Scallops in a tandori spice served on a bed of cauliflower couscous and pickled lime vinaigrette.

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·         My favorite course of the evening was the Monkfish and Sweetbread Roti served on a frisee salad and topped with a porcini mushroom fondue. 

o       All I can say is mmmmmmm….

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·         The truffled foam that topped our beef tenderloin perfumed the fillet with the pungent and earthy aroma of summer truffle while the Vidalia onions provided sweetness and the comfit potato bone marrow delivered the proportionate starch. 

o       The richness of this course far surpassed any other so far and took our palettes' into palatial heights.

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·         Grounding us in a gentle and floral way, the passion fruit, rose and raspberry sorbet intermezzo cleansed our palettes and prepared us for dessert

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·         The airy block of chocolate mousse sat upon a praline crunch in the center of a caramelized banana pool of goodness.

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At the end of the meal, I asked to go back to the kitchen to thank the Chef and kitchen staff for their excellent work in preparing an elegant tasting dinner for so many people.  I know that could not have been easy on an evening when the rest of the restaurant was packed.  The chef was quite gracious.  He stopped by our table. 

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Our entire group – even our somewhat unadventurous eaters – had enjoyed themselves and we made our way back to the hotel to prepare for today's meetings.