Veuve Clicquot Dinner at Ruth's Chris

Wednesday. March 25, 2015

Good thing I left work early. Dinner was scheduled at 6:30. It took me 105 minutes to drive 36 miles. There was a car fire on the 405 in the Carson area and it had everything at a standstill.  Not the best way to begin a dinner. But I did beat Doug to the restaurant.

Met Douglas at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Irvine.   www.ruthschris.com  No one else seemed interested in this dinner. Maybe the price got to them.

This dinner tonight was the leftover people on the reservation list for the dinner last week. That sold out in a matter of days.

We started out with a passed appetizer of Salmon Tartare on crisp cucumber rounds. Nice flavor but this appetizer is being  so over done by restaurants. The drink they served with it was a winner. Grand Marnier Smash. Mint leaves muddled with fresh lemon juice. Pour Grand Marnier, mix and add ice. Very refreshing and would make a great cocktail for hot summers months. Doug got the recipe from the beverage manager.

First course was a Chilled Jumbo Shrimp with Honeycrisp Apple, Haricot Vert and Dijon Mustard. The Haricot vert were almost raw. Good thing they were very tiny. Shrimp was excellent and the Dijon added just the right amount of spice. This was served with a Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label. Pour was very generous. At least 5 ounces. But no refills.

Second course was a Lobster Bisque En Cruote paired with  Veuve Clicquot Rose. Soup had good flavor of lobster but not many pieces of meat in the dish. Pairing was spot on.

Entree served was a Filet Mignon with black truffle and foie gras butter. Meat was tender and the topping added a depth of flavor. But the filet I had at Chianina had better flavor without any adds to it. Tenderness was the same. Served with a side of pan roasted cremini mushrooms and garlic mashed potatoes. A 2004 Veuve Clicquot Vintage was poured. Beautiful wine and a nice pairing.

Dessert was a Pear and Almond tart with chamonille tea whipped cream. Good flavor. A tad dry. They poured a Veuve Clicquot Demi Sec. A nice conclusion to the meal.

The wine rep sat at out table. Doug got some information about going to Veuve Clicquot when he is in France in October. Doug also won the door prize which will come in handy for his excursions to the Hollywood Bowl this summer.

This was a good, solid dinner. But nothing truly outstanding. The champagnes will make it memorable. Probably should have been $20 cheaper but you are in an area of the "beautiful people", high rents and snobbery.  I would go back to another dinner, pours are generous in size.