We Ate the Whole Thing!

Once in awhile Brock and I like to have a really, really good meal. One of those meals that you remember years after the fact. We had one of those memorable meals while on our recent visit to Las Vegas. We had decided to have a dinner at the B&B Ristorante which is owned by Mario Batali and is located in the Venetian Hotel.

We arrived early and had a lovely mojito in the bar and then gambled away about $3 on the penny slot machines. (We're such high rollers.) Then we presented ourselves to the restaurant (don't try to go without reservations!) and were immediately seated. We decided on a real splurge including a 5-course tasting menu with the wine pairings suggested by the chef.

The meal began with an amuse bouche consisting of a crostada heaped with marinated chickpeas. Then, we were presented with what the restaurant is please to term its

TRADITIONAL TASTING MENU

Cotechino with Marsala Zabaione
Vermentino, Campo al Mare 2006

Cotechino is a coarsely ground cured sausage made in Modena. Here it was presented after having been very lightly breaded and fried. It is often served with polenta and beans cooked in a flavorful sauce at New Years Celebrations.

Chestnut Raviolini with Brown Butter and Poppy Seeds
Morellino di Scansano, “I Perazzi,” La Mozza 2005

Tagliatelle with Guanciale and Parsnips
Lambrusco, Fiorini 2006

Guanciale is an unsmoked cured meat, similar to pancetta but more strongly flavored, made from pork cheeks and generally peppered as part of the curing process.

Lamb “Braciole” with Radishes
“Insoglio del Cinghiale,” Campo di Sasso 2005

A “braciole” is the Italian equivalent to a roulade: a flattened piece of meat rolled and tied around a filling, cooked, and then served by slicing into rounds. I have never before been served radishes as a cooked root vegetable. These were marvelous, with a delightful lemony flavor that blended wonderfully both with the lamb and the red wine that accompanied the dish.

Blood Orange Sorbetto garnished with fresh blood orange sections.
“Bigaro,” Elio Perrone 2006

Chocolate Rum Raisin Torta with Toasted Almond Gelato
Vin Santo “San Niccolo,” Castellare 2001

Finally, we were presented with a lagniappe of sweets from the chef consisting of a tiny chocolate-and-pistachio biscotto, a gelatinous bitter-orange confection that may have been the most luxurious gumdrop I’ve ever consumed, and a little shortbread sphere redolent of anise, accompanied by an Italian digestif of exceedingly complex flavor which I did not, unfortunately, get the name of.

All told, this meal occupied about two-and-a-half hours, after which we were pleasantly replete, and so in a moderately alcoholic haze we staggered back to the monorail, and thence back to our hotel.

Yes, it was expensive. But not overly so when one considers that we got personal attention from the sommelier, new plates, wineglasses, and flatware with every course, exquisitely prepared food and nearly perfect service. It was a celebration of dining as an art form.

And no, we can’t afford to do something like this all that often. Generally we do it every three or four years. Because life IS NOT a dress rehearsal, self-denial is not always a virtue, and we enjoy the hell out of doing this once in a while.

-Lark-