Last Dinner of the Year
Each New Year’s Eve, we go out for a fancy dinner. The restaurant is always one that we’ve not been to previously and this year we chose Alloy. They offered a set four course plus desert menu, with two options per course.
At the risk of looking tacky but sacrificing my pride for the sake of blogging, I whipped out my camera after each course was delivered. My husband deserves an award for his patience during these snap shot meals, though I suppose it’s reward enough when he finally gets to dig into his food.
As if the complimentary champagne wasn’t enough, I ordered the Alpen cocktail made with elderflower, bacardi limon, apple vodka, mint and egg white. It was a good sipper cocktail; creamy, sweet and minted.
We both agreed that the roasted vegetable consume with sundried tomato dumpling and chili oil was a great start to the meal.
The second course stole Murph’s heart away with a seared Hawaiian Ahi tuna, citrus gazpacho, micro greens and tempura hot peppers. Alloy should sell those tempura hot peppers by the package as snacks. They’re amazing!
The third course shone for me with wild prawn & roasted poblano pepper cakes, coconut mango cream, mango salsa and cilantro oil. Murph enjoyed the roasted Brome Lake duck breast with apple and potato croutons, sauteed bitter greens and calvados emulsion.
Half way through the fourth course of grilled beef tenderloin, Atlantic lobster and mascarpone sausage, pomme puree and barolo demi glace, I was starting to feel full.
But there’s always room for desert and the Kahlua Espresso Bean creme brulee, white chocolate biscotti and Mexican vanilla whipped cream was the perfect way to finish off a great meal.
Dinner was such a treat and the service was excellent. Now we just have to buy a deep frier so we can make our own tempura hot peppers.
We rang in the New Year with good friends and crashed in a bed covered in flannel sheep sheets, loaned to us by a gracious 3 year old gal pal. If the way you spend New Year’s eve is an indication of how you spend the rest of your year, it looks like we’re going to eat well, spend time with people we love and sleep like babies. Sounds good to me.
Happy 2012!
~Maggie
Photos by Maggie Murphy
