Heritage Foods at Chez Panisse
our dinner
Originally uploaded by melissa nicole.
Food items from Heritage Foods always sound interesting, but they require a significant investment. The meat from imperiled livestock breeds costs more than organic "mainstream" equivalents, even before you add in shipping and, at times, a chest freezer. Still, I'm often tempted, if only to support their endeavors.
So when I saw that Chez Panisse would feature their products at a special dinner, I decided to make reservations for us. Melissa and I have eaten downstairs at Chez Panisse in the past and I wonder why we don't eat there more often for special occasions. If you go on a weeknight, the prix fixe is only $65, though of course that's before tax, tip, and, you know, something to drink. I won't pretend that's cheap, but I feel like it's usually a good value.
After our little aperitif of clear and vibrant Prosecco, the staff brought out the first dishes, wild smoked salmon toasts and a Katahdin lamb tartare. The salmon toast was what you'd expect, but the tartare captivated me immediately. They had seasoned it perfectly, and the texture and flavor were wonderful.
Next up was another set of appetizers, a plate of raw Tomahawk Oysters and another one of Red Wattle pork sausages. The sausages were fine, but the oysters? The oysters may be the best I've ever tasted. Buttery and briny and so exquisitely shucked that not even a grain of shell came along as the meat slid into my mouth.
The main course was a spit-roasted Barred Plymouth Rock chicken. There was succotash as well, but who cares? The chicken was divine. It wasn't moist, I eagerly told my co-workers the next day, it was liquid. Flavorful juice flowed from each bite, and the herbed skin added a darker savoriness that worked as a nice counterpoint.
The meal closed with a tart made from Lagier Ranches cherries and a scoop of noyau ice cream followed by a little mignardise plate of candied orange peel and fudgy truffles. It was a nice come-down after the heartbreakingly good main course.
Chez Panisse has a nice selection of half-bottles, so Melissa and I started with a Premier Cru Chablis whose snickerdoodle finish suggested some time on the lees and perhaps some in oak. We finished with a half-bottle of Tablas Creek's Mourvedre-heavy Esprit de Beaucastel.
In retrospect, it might have been a bad idea to go to the dinner; I'm eyeing their website with my wallet nearby. But temptation can only go so far. We don't have a spit-roaster sitting in front of a wood-burning oven, a crucial ingredient in that fantastic chicken. But the lamb. Well, now, that's a possibility. Maybe I should try and get a list of the seasonings they used.
Another Heritage Foods dinner will come around in September. Patrick and Todd, the founders, will be there to talk about the company. We were hoping they'd be here this time, so we could catch up with Patrick, but their plans changed at the last minute.
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