v-day food

So, no food pictures from last night's dinner, but here comes a description for purposes of documentation. We went to this fish restaurant that also doubles as a upscale fish shop (you can buy oysters, crab, etc.). We got the prix fixe for the day and a bottle of viognier from Chile to go with. The first course was 1/2 a lobster served with chili aioli. This was the first time that I had eaten lobster out of its shell in public. I'd done it several times as a cook, behind closed doors as the other cooks made a mess out of the shell while we devoured the contents. It was nice. The main course was halibut cooked with vegetables with some salty component (poached or brined or something) with grated horseradish on top. This was served with a basic drawn butter sauce, steamed potatoes and a shrimp and egg timbale (they love shrimp salad with bits of hard boiled eggs here). The dessert was a chocolate fondant (aka, a molten chocolate cake) with stewed rhubarb and vanilla ice cream.

Food here has been interesting. It still has definite roots in continental or classical French cuisine, but they are also incorporating the Scandinavian repertoire, as well as nouvelle cuisine techniques and components. But overall, it is still more traditional here than the states (the presence of entrecote and other beef dishes with hollandaise and other heavy sauces is commonplace and the nicer restaurants and cafes).

I leave tomorrow, so it was good to have a meal towards the end of the trip that will linger as good food memory. Now I just need to figure out how to pack everything and then some back into my bag.