Chowhound Maestro Dinner

[brennser]

OK, well its 10 and noone has posted yet on the amazing dinner some of us were lucky enough to have last night at Maestro

others will I'm sure contribute much more lengthily and eloquently than I but let me state for the record it was worth every penny - amazing food, impeccable service, and a great atmosphere unlike any other I've had when eating at a nice restaurant

highlights for me

The Quail Egg wrapped with smelt
The Maine Lobster Ravioli
The Risotto (lived up to Joes advance billing!)
The pan seared foie gras that came with the carpaccio

Thanks for Joe for organizing, Fabio and Emmanuele for executing and everyone else for coming

Lets do it again next year!!!!

[Tweaked]

Everyone must still be in a food coma...

Last night was extraordinary. 14 Courses, 4 1/2 hours of eating and drinking. I had a blast and over all I thought the food was better then Laboratorio and Charlie Trotter's. It's amazing Chef Fabio is only 30 and is producing food this amazing.

I'm not going to go into too much detail of each dish, since hopefully someone will post pictures.

we started with 3 canapes (3 little bites)
Mozzarella Cone with Taggiasche Olives Tapenade
Spoon of marinated rainbow smelt, confit red peppers and poached Quail Egg
Kumamoto osyster with Maine Sea Urchins (flown in that morning!) and flat parsley froth. This was amazing

Amuse Bouche
Fennel Anise Shot with Taylor Bay Scallops and Salmon Roe. Another amazing dish, I hope we have pictures of this one, the presentation was breath taking

Il Mosaico
Mosaic of Steel Head Wild Salmon, Blue Fin Tuna, Carribbean Conch Meat Jelly, Baja Stone Crab on "Saraceno Potato Pancake with Sevruga Cavair and Lemon Vest. A good dish but not my favorite of the night

Il Carpaccio
Rolled Beef Carpaccio in Parmigiano-Reggiano Sauce with Seared Belle Farm Foie Gras, 50 year old Balsamic. The Foie Gras was just delicate and devine.

I Ravioli d'Astice
Maine Lobster Ravioli with Freshly Grated Ginger Glaze with Bisque Jue. Wow, basically lobster 3 ways, a tail, a ravioli, and a lobster sauce, the ginger really set everything off and cut the richness of the lobster

Gli Scampi e le Castagne
Sauted Scottish Langoustine Tail on Grilled Country Bread Soaked in Langoustine Jus, Winter Chestnut Cappuccino with Sherry Whipped Cream. Again another rich blockbuster dish.

Il Risotto
Risotto with Taleggio Cheese and Forelle Pears Flavored with Grappa and Crushed Peppercorns. Better then Roberto's maybe, maybe not, but delicious.

Lo Storione
Roasted Wild West Coast Sturgeon in Taroroot and Basil Waistcoat with Wilted Butter Lettuce in Sturgeon Red Wine Jus. More rich goodness, seriously at this point things were getting a little over the top with the richness!

Il Bue Rossini, XXI Secolo
Australian Pasture Fed Beed Tenderlojn Rossini, XXI Century. My favorite dish, think beef tenderloin wrapped around foie gras, topped with a celery root ravioli stuffed with bone marrow!

Then we got to dessert

Lychee Panna Cotta with Basil Grappa

Glass of Cream of Mascarpone and coffee Dipped Sponge Warmed Caramlized Pears, Pear Sorbet, Served with a Tiramisu martini

then we had 3 Petit Fours, the best of which was a marble sized scoop of raspberry sorbet dipped in white chocolate.

Seriously, the food was as good as the descriptions sound it to be.

Thanks Joe and everyone at Maestro for having us!

[Jeff C]

Yes it was truly amazing.

The Quail Egg wrapped with Smelt and the Risotto were unbelivable. The other 12 courses were outstanding as were the wine pairings.

What a meal!!!

Thank you Joe and the Maestro staff.

[Joe H.]

This was an extraordinary dinner that I'll let the 57 others describe. Many people arrived early at 6:00PM with the dinner starting at 7:00PM. The 14th course was served at approximately 11:30PM with the last ten people or so leaving around 12:15AM, more than six hours after many of them had arrived!

When I thanked Fabio again this morning he told me that it was a special pleasure to serve a dinner like this for us. Often, there were five, six, eight people standing in front of his assembly table with frequent flashes from photographs being taken.

More remarkably there were several dishes served that I noticed at various tables everyone at the table fell quiet as they had their first two or three bites. These included the grappa and taleggio risotto which he made with artisinal arborio from Alba (which he now serves EVERYDAY in Maestro having found a direct source), incredible foie gras the equal of any that I ve had in Paris and a number ofa other imaginatively unique dishes.

This was an extraordinary evening with a closeness and camaraderie among 58 virtual strangers who, by evening's end, were partners in a truly special experience.

Fabio raised the bar last night. I sat next to a man who was at Per Se for its opening on Friday night to invited guests. He thought Maestro the absolute equal. Seveal others in their first visit to Maestro preferred over it over Tru, Charlie Trotter's and other nationally known restaurants. For me this was the finest dining experience that I have had and thank everyone for trusting and sharing it. I am including approximately 15 three Michelin starred restaurants in this statement. I sincerely believe that today Fabio, Emmanuele and Vincent are at the stage of Keller and the French Laundry in their third year of operation: well on their way to being recognized not just as Washington's best but America's best.

[foodie in lawyer's clothing]

Man, am I ever jealous!!! I'm so glad everyone had such a great time. Question for you, Joe....Maestro or Laboratorio??? Curious at to your take. I've been to each once, Maestro first then Laboratorio, and I think I liked Laboratorio better. But is that because it's more recent in memory? Hmmmmm.... One of the things I like about Laboratorio is that you don't have to think, at all. At Maestro there are choices: set menus, chef's choice but number of courses are up to you, etc. (My biggest problem is that I'm a little piglet and at Maestro would want the largest chef's choice option there is, whereas if I ordered that my husband would think I was insane....but at Laboratorio there was just the one option.)

Thoughts?

[Joe Heflin]

Maestro today is very different from what it was even a year ago. Fabio is growing with even more spectacular and imaginative combinations than he had in his first two years. I believe that the others would agree that last night (and much of his $125 prix fixe "Winter Menu") was extremely adventurous with non traditional pairings of tastes and textures perhaps as cutting edge as any restaurant in America. He IS on par with the French Laundry (which I've been to twice), similar in unorthodox composition to say, Tru and Trotter's, but he uses Italian as a foundation for his very personal cuisine. There is only one other "Italian" restaurant in the world that I have been to which is similar to him and that is the three Michelin star Le Calandre near Padua where the chef, Massimiliano is also now 30 years old, the youngest ever to recieve three Michelin stars anywhere in Europe. Maestro, today IS Le Calandre's equal. Fabio is the same age. The restaurants are very, very similar in style, taste, presentation and pampering of their guests.

But Maestro is very different from Laboratorio. Even more so now than it was, again, say a year ago. Fabio has gone in a totally different direction than Roberto. I honestly do not believe that a comparison is fair. To Tru, Trotter, the French Laundry, yes. But I would compare Roberto to Spiaggia, to Mario Batali to Dal Pescatore, the three Michelin star near Mantova.

I've thought about this statement quite a bit but last night WAS the finest dining experience of my life.
Maestro, today, is just a bit of promotion and a major magazine article away from being regarded as America's new "best restaurant." He has grown and matured that much. Laboratorio is still the equal of any of Italy's more traditional, if you will, two and three Michelin strred restaurants. There is nowhere else in America, perhaps nowhere else on earth where such two stellar restaurants, while very different, are only 12 miles apart.

And they're in our city.

One last thought: I built Maestro up a lot before last night's Meal. Of the 58 there several were from New York, two from New Jersey, two more from Philly, at least four from Baltimore and one from Michigan. I'm hoping they will all post their thoughts. When you come that far expectations are raised even higher.

[Bacchante]

Now it's my turn to pile on. We were travelling yesterday and man was it tough to drag out of bed. I couldn't even face a cup of coffee!

Joe, I agree with you. We first ate at Maestro within a few weeks of their opening. Even at the time, I wrote in the guest book "better than Charlie Trotter and better than Vissani" (must of been us you were confusing with Art). We eat at Maestro a couple of times a year, as it is now our standard "occasion" restaurant. Wednesday's dinner was superb and demonstrated how he had grown over the past few years. He is really brilliant. My husband, who isn't a fish fan, was raving over every fish course! I couldn't even begin to choose a favorite course.

In the last 2 years, Fabio has only improved and really solidified his direction. As you said, I also would group him with Trotter in approach, as opposed to the more tradtional Italian approach--even though his starting point is clearly and solidly Italian. Vissani is somewhere in the middle, but more toward the Maestro/Le Calandre/Trotter/French Laundry.

I think the service at Maestro certainly contributes to the experience. It is impeccable and formal without being pretentious in any way. Emmanuele seems to be able to maintain just the right balance and seems to be sensitive to where on that spectrum individual customers feel comfortable. The same with Vincent Ferraud: his credentials and wine knowledge are the best. But his way of interacting with customers maintains the same balance and enhances the experience of both those knowledgeable and unknowledgeable. He can be trusted to recommend perfect wine at a reasonalbe price if that is what is desired. To me, that says more about a sommolier than the ability to recommend a $250 bottle.

I think last night was the finest dining experience of my life as well. The food and the wine pairings were superb. But I'll emphasize the word "experience" because it was the total experience that really did it for me. It was so different from even the same meal that we might have in the same restaurant but with each little group isolated at their own individual table. After all, when you have 58 people swooning collectively, it just creates the atmosphere for more swooning.

So, my sincere thanks to Fabio, Emmanuele, and Vincent for arranging for such a fabulous evening, to Joe for organizing it and being a presence throughout, and to all the chowhounds for being there.

Joe, the exerience lived up to all the hyperbole you've been writing!!

[Joe H.]

Wonderful words, beautifully expressed. I'm smiling. It was just so special to be able to share this.

Your e-mail is a knockout, by the way!!

[Joe H.]

Sorry, e-mail ADDRESS. I'm typing faster than I can think!

[Bonz]

Joe, you are so right: FABiO = FABulOus! But so are you for organizing this entire affair, with John B's help. Cheers to all three of you . . . and Vincent, Emanuelle, and the entire Maestro staff, who showed us unparalleled hospitality.

Speaking of Fabio . . .

Image: http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47...

[Art]

Oh. My. God.

While my dining resume is not as formidable as Joe's is, I have been to my share of great restaurants both in North America and in Europe.

Last night was the greatest overall dining experience of my life. Where to start? The service was outstanding, the theatrics were entertaining, the professionalism was inspiring, the creativity of the menu was never-ending, the presentation of each course was beautiful and demonstrated perfect timing, and the quality of the food was amazing.

Foie Gras? The greatest single dish ever prepared by anybody. Anywhere. EVER.

Moreover, as if the whole thing were part of a John Irving novel, this entire event was facilitated by a larger-than-life roller coaster salesman that by self-proclamation "sells thrills for a living." After last night I can honestly say that is no overstatement.

Thanks again Joe...what do you do for an encore?

[Joe H.]

Thank you, sir for such a beautifully written expression.

Yes, I will buy dinner the next time!!!!

Art, forgive me if I'm wrong on this statement, but wasn't one of the restaurants you've been to in Italy, Vissani?

[Art]

Joe, I think you have that part confused with somebody else. I think that the restaurant that I spoke to you about was Tour D'Argent.

Either way, my Mom and I had a great time and my wife has directed me to secure reservations at Maestro for our anniversary in August.

Really, an unforgettable night. Thank you again for your role is setting it up.

By the way, we had hamburgers (on the grill!!) and sweet potato french fries for dinner tonight. It was a one course dinner served on paper plates accompanied by a bottle of Two Buck Chuck. Fabio was unable to attend.

[Joe H.]

Sounds like a great dinner with a wine that I relate well to!

Art, I don't think I could handle another rich meal for a while. By the way, when you go back to Maestro call Emanuele direct 703-917-5717 and ask for one of the tables (normally two four tops) that are right in front or in the same place as where you sat last night. Many people specify these tables. (For anyone else reading this, also.)

[Hon]

Pictures???

[Bonz]

Please be patient. . . some are on the way. But here is an Amuse Bouche.

Image: http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47...

[Tweaked]

Actually that's the Beef Carpaccio dish

[Bonz]

Indeed! I knew I was being imprecise . . . I should have said a PHOTOGRAPHIC amuse bouche!

[Tweaked]

ah! yes! very funny...body still trying to digest...brain not yet functioning.

[Joe H.]

Eight aspirin last night. Tied previous record set at Laboratorio dinner!

[Bonz]

I am going to let the food speak for itself: below is a link to some pictures that Roe's incredible Laboratorio shots inspired me to take. I am of course waiting for hers (if the camera troubles she reported to me did not interfere), for Roe is a far better photographer than I.

So instead of addressing the food per se, I want to "widen the lens" to address the whole experience. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Joe H. and John B., we had the entire restaurant to ourselves. Everyone wandered around and shared the joy and excitement of Fabio's incredibly delicious inventiveness and Vincent's skillfull wine pairings.

The ChowHound camaradere was unequalled, and that is important. We all know that context imparts taste to food. Here , the ability to share the entire room with so many like-minded folks was indeed an added deliciousness. These Blowouts have shown that there is nothing "virtual" to this community -- it is a community of very real friends sharing very real enjoyment with each other!

Link: http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b34b1a20c439

Image: http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47...

[Joe H.]

GREAT photos-and captions, too, sir. My favorite is #23 because it shows a number of us at the food assembly counter. Throughout the course of the evening many of us would walk up to this. This involvement is one of the reasons that I thought this was such an incredible experience. And, remember, in the beginning many of the 58 of us were strangers! In the end the incredible chemistry had us leave as friends!

Thanks, David.

[Jen B]

Exactly. As these pictures make clear, the food was only part of the equation last night. The company was exceptionally interesting (well, at least at The Good Table ; ) ) and fun, which is rare enough in life and even more rare in a group of mostly strangers.

Bonz, thanks for the pictures (and the nod!) and another thanks to Joe for bringing us all together again. Where/when is the next blowout?

[Joe H.]

Four or five people want me to try to do Citronelle in May or June. That would depend on how many people we will need to "take over the room." I strongly believe that we MUST have the whole restaurant for the chemistry to work as well as the ability to walk to the front of the kitchen as we did at Maestro and Laboratorio. Both Fabio and Roberto WANTED us to come, both went far out of their way to put our evenings over the top. I don't know if Citronelle will do this but, in a month or so, I'll look into it.
It is also possible that more people will come from out of town that post on other boards on CH, hearing of the enormous success of these two dinners. In any event I also believe a limit on the # of people is necessary,too. There was not a bad nor a distant seat at Maestro last night. (For those reading this who may go to Maestro for their first time: ask for one of the tables directly in front of the open kitchen. In David's photographs a round table is shown (we had all 6, 7 and 8 seat tables which helped the communal ambience); normally there are two four tops there.)

Charleston is also a suggestion. I'm probably going to send everyone an e-mail in a month for their feelings on this and how many we might have for there.
Thanks again, Jen.

[MSPD]

Joe said: "It is also possible that more people will come from out of town that post on other boards on CH, hearing of the enormous success of these two dinners."

ABSOLUTELY!!!

I'm hoping to be the first person to say "I drove over 1,000 miles to get here!" at one of your events.

[hm]

Joe - Thank You for last night. A lot of work goes into putting an event like this together.

As someone who came as a single and not having met anyone prior to last night, I had a great time meeting everyone.

I can also honestly say that this was the best meal that I have ever had. There were two courses that were not great for me. I am not a fan of olives and the Il Mosaico (Steelhead Salmon, Blue Fin Tuna and Conch Meat Jelly) was not my favorite. The other twelve were over the top, each one better than the other.

My favorite was a tie between the Carpaccio with Seared Belle Farm Foie Gras, melted in my mouth and the imported langoustine tail, very dreamy and rich.

Thanks also to Chowhound for letting us post our dinner talk.

[Joe H.]

Please send me your e-mail and I'll keep you on a list when I begin to put the next dinner together. I have about 50 or more e-mails now and it is becoming rather easy for me to do this. Thanks.

[butterfly]

Joe, even though I wasn't able to make it to Maestro (and, oh, am I ever kicking myself after reading the reviews), but please keep me on your list. I would be very interested in a Citronelle meal.

And--in the interest of simple pleasures--is anyone willing to step up to the plate and plan a Joe's Noodle House or Huong Viet Chowdown soon?

[Roe]

Your pictures are wonderful! Thanks for the kind words but you've raised the bar...

Everything is fine with my pics, except that they're still in the camera as WORK interferred with my fun time today. Hopefully I can download and annotate tonight and be into slide show form tomorrow.

What a wonderful evening we all had the pleasure to enjoy. Thanks for all your efforts Joe and your patience, Carol. To the Chows!!!

[Joe H.]

The more documentary evidence of the evening, the better!

For those who are reading this there were several courses that were Roe's kind of eating: entrails! Jim Zurer, where were you? At least James G. was there as the H Street enthusiasts were well represented. Today, Carol, were it not for the photographs, would deny that she not only ate but rapturously devoured several of the courses.

[Dave Feldman]

I just wanted to thank you, Joe, and everyone else responsible for the wonderful dinner at Maestro. It was more than worth the drive down not only for the fabulous food, but to meet DC-area Chowhounds.

I've been a bit of a wreck today. For reasons unrelated to the meal but to a noisy and unrelenting heater in my hotel room, I had two hours of sleep last night. I've decided it is much easier to endure overconsumption of comestibles than a lack of zzz's.

[Joe H.]

Why is it that heaters only make noise at three o'clock in the morning?

Hmm....

Dave, it was an absolute pleasure meeting you; Carol and I thank you for joining us and sharing this extraordinary experience. My perspective is already changing as you might note from the Imponderable above. In fact I'm about 30 pages into your book! It's great! I also sincerely thank you for tolerating me. I have sympathy for anyone enduring over five hours of my excess!

I'll be in Vegas on business in several months. I'll think of you at the Lotus of Siam.

Link: http://www.imponderables.com/

[Roe]

More pictures:

http://dell.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b34becf045a2

or link below.

Link: http://dell.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b34becf045a2

Image: http://dell.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=...

[Joe H.]

With all due respect to Bonz (forgive me, please) but Roe, I knew you were a professional photographer, but you have topped yourself with these!!! Especially the many photos that really capture the essense of Maestro's kitchen and the symphony that Fabio directs. Just superb. I'm at a loss for superlatives to describe them! (Well, almost at a loss!)

My favorite photos of all were #34 and #35. These show at least ten people gathered around the assembly table watching this symphony up close. An extraordinary unprecedented gathering at Maestro. Allowing us up close like this along with the camaraderie and the imaginatively exquisite dinner is what causes me to say that it was the dining experience of my life.

Thank you, Roe, for capturing it.

[Roe]

Joe, thanks so much for the superlatives, but I'm not at all a professional photographer, just blessed "with a eye" sometimes.

[Joe H.]

Hmmm.... 26 photos of Fabio, eh?

He photographs well!

[Kay]

The pictures are outstanding. I have already ordered a set. Thank you for taking so much time to do this for us.

[Bonz]

Roe, these pictures are fantastic! I am jealous of how you managed the nearly impossible task of capturing and conveying the personality of Maestro's kitchen operation, the warmth and graciousness of the waitstaff, and the excitement of the delicious edibles.

I also love the portraits of the table sculpture. Whimsical, no? Thanks for sharing . . .

[Tammy Coxen]

I had the great fortune to happen to be attending a conference in DC the same week of this fabulous dinner, and the even greater fortune of having someone on the DC board know that and send me a link to the information. So while I didn't travel all the way from Michigan just for dinner, it was certainly the highlight of my week so far.

Before I say anything else, I must say thanks to Jen B and Bonz for helping me get from my conference hotel in DC to the restaurant (and back again). And both of them and everyone else for providing such a great welcome and hospitality and friendliness. Truly a night to remember.

Joe asked if it lived up the expectations he'd set, especially for those of us that came from out of town. I have to say that it absolutely lived up to them for me. I think I'd rank this as my second best meal ever - my Tour de Force dinner at the kitchen table at Trio still holds the number one spot, but last night's dinner has a firm hold on number 2. Not a single course was less than good, few were less than great, and several were absolutely stellar.

Here's my course by course write up:
Canapes (these were all just single bits, to be eaten with fingers or served in a spoon):
Mozzarella Cone with Taggiasche Olives Tapenade - Olives are the one food I just can't seem to acquire a taste for. I ate this anyway, but it was well, olivey.
Kumamoto with Maine Sea Urchins and Flat Parsley Froth - Kumamoto oysters are my least favorite, but this was a pretty decent one. The hit of parsley from the parsley froth was really excellent.
Spoon of Marinated Rainbow Smelt, Confit Red Peppers and Poached Quail Egg - My favorite dish of the night, although there were several close contenders. A marinated smelt, wrapped around a poached quail egg and served in a spoon. All the flavors and textures just worked so well together, I was in awe, and the meal had scarcely begun.

Amuse Bouche: Fennel Anise Shot with Taylor Bay Scallops and Salmon Roe. Marinated scallops and salmon roe served in a scallop shell perched atop a glass of warm Fennel Anise soup. Another lovely, lovely dish. I don't like fennel or anise that much, but this was still great.

Il Mosaico: Mosaic of Steel Head Wild Salmon, Blue Fin Tuna, Carribbean Princess Conch Meat Jelly, Baja Sone Crab on "Saraceno" Potato Pancake with Sevruga Caviar and Lemon Zest. Beautiful presentation on this. One cube of each of the four main ingredients set atop a long rectangular potato base, and a stripe of caviar along the top. Amazing. The fish was really, really fresh and wonderfully flavored.

Il Carpaccio: Rolled Beef Carpaccio in Parmagiano-Reggiano Sauce with Seared Belle Farm Foie Gras, 50 Years Old Condimento Balsamico, Maestro Style. Another big, big winner with me. What the name doesn't tell you is the the carpaccio was stuffed with tofu that had been marinated in honey and something else. That's right - tofu! But it totally, totally worked. Served with a piece of parmesan on top and a quenelle of mushroom duxelle on top of that, with the two sauces and foie off to the side. The foie was lovely, beautifully seared and very, very tasty.

I Ravioli d'Astice: Maine Lobster Ravioli with Freshly Grated Ginger Glaze and Bisque Jus. One of the largest dishes of the night, this was not only the ravioli, but a big chunk of lobster alongside. Very rich. Keeping in mind that we were only about halfway through, I only ate half. It was a good dish (although not as great as the preceding 4) but I'm not a big lobster fan and it was very rich.

Gli Scampi e le Castagne: Sauteed Live Imported Scottish Langoustine Tail on Grilled Country Bread Soaked in Langoustine Jus, Winter Chestnut Cappuccino with Sherry Whipped Cream. That description is a mouthful, and this dish was too! A chestnut soup, essentially, poured around the bread and langoustine. Very rich, but delicate and refined flavors that worked really well together. As one of my table mates said - "I like that it fills my mouth even when I don't have a mouthful."

Il Risotto: Risotto with Taleggio Cheese and Forelle Pears Flavored with Grappa and Crushed Peppercorns. Fabio is well known for his risotto and this proved why. Perfectly al dente (a bit of trick when getting 60 plates ready simultaneously, I'd imagine) and wonderfully flavored by the cheese. I cleaned my plate and was tempted to move onto Karen's (who decided that if she didn't like this risotto, she just wasn't going to like any risotto and could stop thinking she was missing something).

Lo Storione: Roasted Wild West Coast Sturgeon in Taroroot and Basil Waistcoat with Wilted Butter Lettuce in Sturgeon-Red Wine Jus. The texture of the sturgeon was marvellous, and the taroroot waistcoat utterly unique. But another very rich dish. You'll notice that there are several in a row here starting with the ravioli, and there's still one more to go. Something with vegetables would have been a nice change (there's nary a vegetable to be seen on this menu, you'll notice) and a sorbet intermezzo would have helped reduce some palate fatigue. But that's pretty much the only complaint I have about the meal!

Il Bue Rossini, XXI Secolo: Australian Premium Pasture Fed Beef Tenderloin Rossini, XXI Century. From what I've read, this dish usually comes with a really elaborate presentation, but since they didn't have 60 of the necessary props, ours was a bit more laid back. Tenderloin stuffed with foie gras, topped with some kind of ravioli or something, served with a port wine truffle sauce and a potato puree. Yum, but I was glad to be done with the rich dishes and onto dessert - my dinner stomach was full, but I knew my dessert stomach still had some space...

Pre-Dessert: Lychee Panna Cotta with Homemade Basil Grappa. A light and delightful panna cotta, with a little basil grappa poured on top. Lovely, and the palate cleanser I'd been looking for.

Il Tiramisu: Glass of Cream of Marscapone and Coffee Dipped Sponge, Warm Carmelized Pears, Pear Sorbet. As far from the ubiquitous chain restaurant tiramisu as you can get. The pears and pear sorbet added a surprisingly nice touch, given that it was a combination that I wouldn't have thought would work.

Petit Fours. More than just an afterthought, these were really good. I wasn't a big fan of the macaroon (although others at the table adored it), but both the white chocolate truffle filled with raspberry sorbet and the miniature molten chocolate cake were divine.

Thanks again to Joe for putting this together. I look forward to having a chance to come back and chow with y'all sometime again!

[James G]

I have not yet been able to read the posts re: the dinner, nor upload any of my photos, nor look at the other diners' photos, as I am en route to London and using a dialup modem. However, let me chime in with my opinion of the dinner from this airport lounge; the meal was fantastic, at the very least the equal of any of my favorite meals (including one previous blow-out dinner also hosted at Maestro about 2 years ago). My favorite dishes were the oyster/sea urchin spoon and the mosaic, and my least favorite (bar none) was the risotto. What I did not care for about the risotto eludes me a bit: I love taleggio, and risotto, and even grappa, but perhaps the combination did not suit me, or the timing of the dish in the line up left me not in the mood for something that rich, or perhaps the al dente preparation of the rice, or the wateriness of the dish. In any event, that's why they have horse races.

I would surely be up for a repeat dinner at some other venue, so please do keep me posted. Also, it was great to meet so many of you face-to-face for the first time, though a bit intimidating to have so many say that they knew me through my posts! I shall have to be much more careful with the spellcheck feature in the future!!

[Joe H.]

Thank you, James. I appreciate your sharing this with us.

Joe

[James G]

I wish I had had the presence of mind to stand up after you thanked Fabio et al to give my thanks to you for organizing this event! You deserve big kudos!

[Joe H.]

Thank you, James. Your words are really appreciated. I'm just really glad that you were part of the dinner.