Friture of fish and shellfish with tartar sauce and peppercress salad
Spring vegetable minestrone with creste di gallo pasta and rocket pesto
Grilled rack and loin of Elliott Ranch lamb with new onions, sorrel and potato gratin, and mache
Cheese plate: Mount Tam, some sheep's milk cheddar, some blue cheese similar to Roquefort (possibly Fourme d'Ambert -- I was drunk at this point)
Pink Lady apple feuillete with prune-Armagnac ice cream; Blue Bottle coffee
Coteaux du Languedoc, Vassal de Puech NobleThoughts: the friture first course was kind of strange to start with, but I will admit that fried mussels is a fabulous (sorry) idea, especially when you've been drinking cava upstairs in anticipation. The soup was boring, familiar vegetables in a mild broth that muted the exclamation points of the dish (handmade pasta and arugula pesto), but a nice gustatory respite in between courses. The lamb was tender and good -- P nibbled his rib clean and I sopped up every drop of the jus with Acme bread. I briefly wondered if the lamb and the mache (aka "lamb's tongue") together on a plate was clever word/food-play on Alice Waters' part. Dessert was pleasant and balanced (I don't think I've ever thought a dessert was balanced). The strong brandy flavors of the ice cream mitigated the tartness of the feuillete. Overall, delicious. I'm really going to miss California.
