Another Case Team Dinner

Last night I had the honor of actually attending one of Ryan's awesome case team dinners. Since it was just Ryan and one other guy on the team, they invited me to help rack up the bill and since I'm eating for two, I had no problem obliging to their request. Unfortunately, we didn't get to fly to San Francisco for the French Laundry again, but we did try Wolfgang Puck's new restaurant, Cut. It's located in the heart of Beverly Hills at the end of Rodeo at the Four Seasons.


Since we didn't make a reservation until Monday, the only time we could get in was 9:30 p.m. (that's only about a half hour before my bedtime). As I was getting ready around 8:30, I couldn't believe I was actually getting ready to go out on the town during the weekday! Yes, I'm getting old and that kind of thing just doesn't happen for me anymore so it was a big deal. I also couldn't shake the feeling that we'd be a little out of place... Santa Monica and Beverly Hills are two different worlds. I feel at home in SM - it's laid back and unpretentious (most parts). BH, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. As we drove up to the hotel's valet in our Camry (thank heavens I had just gotten it washed - at least), and saw a couple Ferrari's and Range Rovers, my feelings of being out of place were no longer just feelings but clear cut reality. I just kind of laughed to myself and looked at Ryan, as he turned to me and said, "maybe we should have taken a cab." We both laughed and knew while we totally didn't belong in that crowd, we were about to have an awesome dinner.

And we certainly did. The menu included:

• Maple glazed pork belly with a berry compote (definitely one of the favorites of the night)
• Cantaloupe with prosciutto, figs and some kind of weird cheese (the guys liked it more than me)
• American Wagyu / Angus “Kobe Style” Beef From Snake River Farms, Idaho (now Ryan's favorite steak ever)
• Kobe beef short ribs
• Tempura onion rings (because you can't have steak without fries of some sort)
• Creamed spinach with fried organic egg (just ok)
• Organic corn caramelized with onions (so simple, but soooo good)
• Chocolate soufflé with hazelnut glacé
• Farmer’s market mixed berry and almond crumble
• Blackberry Alaskan

Yes, this was just for three of us - don't worry, we did a number on it and needed wheelchairs to get us out of there at midnight. It was a late night and I'm so extremely tired today, but it was definitely worth it. I love case team dinners (when I'm invited)!!!