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April 07, 2005
Notes from a Fully-Recovered Vegan
For whatever reason, I’ve been blessed with a lot of good meat lately. A picnic amongst the wildflowers in Point Reyes included soppresatta (pepper flake, check!) and a wonderfully greasy pepperoni. (Dairy relatives sought retribution perhaps? by blocking the vehicle on two occasions.)
Then I was invited to dinner at Chez Spencer, a hidden gem of a restaurant right around the corner from Rainbow Grocery (who knew?). During an exquisite couple of hours, we feasted on African pheasant, a rack of lamb ordered bleu with sabayon and artichoke hearts, flatiron steak... It’s worth noting that several non-meat offerings, which included langoustine gratinée, a lovely seafood bisque incorrecly billed as bouillabaisse (which didn’t matter as we prefer the former), and asparagus with white truffle emulsion, were also quite amazing.
I realize that fowl doesn’t technically qualify as meat; do innards? Not sure… the foie gras served with a Pink Lady apple tart definitely took a few breaths away, though the portion was a bit large for an appetiser so rich. The sweetbreads with crispy bits of parmesan got my vote for best dish of the evening. Desserts too, goodness, warm apple crepes, pear granité, coconut pot de crème, warm chocolate, hazelnut parfait… Gold Stars all around!
Getting back to the meat theme (much more sustainably so), I got to sample a cowboy steak the Niman Ranch staff had cooked up shortly before I arrived at their office the other day. I had my pick of fatty bits; they claim that when you’ve been there long enough, you lose interest?! Ah, the perks of working in the food industry are many. Gone are the days of free Annie’s mac & cheese by the caseload, but I remember them fondly!
Posted by Elizabeth at April 7, 2005 10:10 AM