One Of The Best.

Yesterday was our anniversary. It's been 1 year since that incredible celebratory party where we all had such a wicked good time. I wouldn't say it's been the easiest year of my life, I'd actually say it's been one of the hardest; a new baby and a new marriage is quite the combination punch to the old responsibility button in your head. It's nice when you spend a hard year with your 2 favorite people in the world though, and that I did. But that's not what I'm writing about today, oh no, I'm writing about food today.

Rafi and I had a truly remarkable meal in St Andrew's by the sea on Sunday evening to celebrate our anniversary at The Rossmount Inn. We had a 3 course dinner which we sort-of turned into a 4 course meal:

chiffonade of romaine lettuce, caesar dressing, bacon custard, parmesan crisp, shared between the 2 of us, the bacon custard was out of this world!

lentil-vegetables + roasted quail salad, chopped eggs, tarragon dressing, local cantaloupe brunoise, anne's choice

seared beef tenderloin carpaccio, truffle-mustard drizzle, crispy capers, pickled shitake, shaved parmesan, rafi's choice (and what a choice it was!!!)

braised "civet" of deer, egg spatzle, sauteed chanterelles, poached apple, cranberry compote, red wine-game reduction, and we both chose this, the poached apple, oh my!

lavendar-citrus creme brulee with a grand marnier sorbet was shared, with an espresso for Rafi

It was a decadent, rich meal and at the very top of my list of food memories in my life, I can still feel the texture and flavor of Rafi's carpaccio in my mouth. The crack and citrus sweet of the creme brulee. The deer meat that needed no knife to cut into pieces. My love of spaetzle. The very overfull belly at the end of the evening. The love between us to share something so special together, and the dream of eating around Italy someday. However even with so much fanfare, and excitement and amazing food, the top meal of my life is still those lamb sandwiches at Maple Tree Farm homemade by my new love and me in 2009.