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An Evening at Oriole
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- Name
- owls
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- @owls@yshi.org
We finally made it to Oriole tonight.
It was excellent. The last image in the gallery includes the wine pairings — and I have to say, their sommelier was on point. I’ve had excellent pairings before, but this was really something special.
The uni, pawn, and lobster trio came with a 2009 Riesling Spätlese from Weingut Hexamer and it was unlike any Riesling I’ve had before. It paired perfectly with all three shellfish and complemented them in different ways.
Similarly: the 2017 Domaine de Montbourgeau L’Etoile Savagnin was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. It’s difficult to describe. It didn’t so much compliment the flavour of the mushroom custard as change its shape (if that makes any sense).
The 2000 Chateau Brane-Cantenac was also an uncharacteristically light-bodied red wine, which was another delight.
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Caviar resting on a bed of hiramasa & wasabi, with a beurre blanc sauce.
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Foie gras mousse with a huckleberry jam, and anise hyssop garnish. The entire thing is covered in gold dust and served atop a finger of toasted brioche.
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On the left: sea urchin tart topped with king crab served in a tart shell that looks like nori. But it’s actually a tart shell, with a bottom and everything. On the right: a big ol’ slab of carabineros prawn glazed in sauce américaine, served with a sourdough dippin’ sauce. Instead of dipping a crusty sourdough into a shrimp bisque, we dipped a shrimp bisque into a sourdough bread.
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Spiny lobster under a saffron & key lime air, with bits of honeydew melon.
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Matsutake & black truffle, served atop a custard and a savory ginger broth.
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Poached trout in an artichoke broth with olive & sous vide potato chunks underneath. The trout skin has been puffed like a churro. On the side is a sourdough roll and an artichoke dip.
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White truffles covering up a nest of ultra-thin capellini, with some puffed wheat berries in the sauce for texture.
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Perfectly-seared wagyu and charred gem lettuce served with a honey sauce, a turnip puree, and a dusting of turnip powder. The wagyu has a bit of wasabi grated table-side on top of it.
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A peach gelée on top of a spicy foam and a sorbet.
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A lemon & sesame soufflé topped with a bit of triple-cream cheese sauce.
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A mont blanc with an eggplant center and a roasted soybean flower tart shell.
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A set of bon-bons: toasted yeast that tastes like foie gras (but isn’t), and a coconut-herb caramel.
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The Oriole menu & wine pairings for December 20th, 2022
The foie gras toast covered in gold dust was a bit of fun. This is served at a counter in the kitchen while you’re standing up. That makes it a bit more difficult to eat, but that’s intentional: the gold dust goes everywhere. It’s all over your face and hands and the kitchen. I kept looking up and seeing sparkles.
I was a big fan of the dessert eggplant. I’ve certainly never had an eggplant for dessert before.