Happy (and Delicious) New Year!

For New Year's Eve, we decided to get dressed up and go to our favorite restaurant, W.A. Frost. (It's where we got engaged last January.) We invited Kris and Dave (who also got married this year) to join us, and as it turns out, their first date was at W.A. Frost! They came over to our place about 7:00, and we cracked open a bottle of bubbly. Then we headed to the restaurant. W.A. Frost still had their Christmas lights and decorations up, which made the place especially warm and cozy. In addition to the food and ambiance, I also appreciate their excellent service. We all decided to get the tasting menu; Tomkin got his without the wine pairings. It was a bit of a splurge but well worth it. Definitely one of the best meals I've ever had. We had a long, leisurely dinner (about 3-1/2 hours), and it was a treat to spend the evening enjoying delicious food and wine with good friends. A wonderful way to wrap up a fun and memorable year!
Here's our dinner, course by fabulous course:

We started out with a lobster bisque (which included a butter-poached lobster claw), paired with bubbly Italian Prosecco.

For our first course, we had filet mignon carpaccio, presented beneath a wreath of melted lacy parmesan. Almost too beautiful to eat! That was paired with an Austrian Riesling.

Our second course was a caramelized diver sea scallop, served with a shellfish risotto under a lemon froth and paired with a Spanish wine called Txakolia.

The third course was grilled New York steak with a foie gras and parsnip sauce and horshradish foam, paired with a red Italian wine (Valpolicella Superiore--can you tell that I kept a copy of the menu?). Normally I wouldn't order meat so rare, but I really enjoyed it.

Our cheese course was a Pleasant Ridge reserve that had "light nutty flavors with hints of caramel and pineapple." It was paired with a Spanish cream sherry--something, again, that I wouldn't normally have ordered but ended up really liking.

We finished off the evening with a dessert course that consisted of creme brulee and a small chocolate cake, paired with a sweet French wine (Sauternes).

I savored every bit of food and drink--everything was absolutely delicious.
We got home about 11:30, just in time to change into comfy clothes and ring in 2009 with kisses all around (for Chloe, too!). I don't think any year can possibly top 2008 for me, but I am looking forward to the fun and adventures that 2009 is sure to bring.