Moules Mariniere

Mussels came out beautifully (if a little salty according to kristine...). I thoroughly enjoyed them and filled up on the day old bread soaked in the sauce. yum m m m eeee.

That wine? Le Preceptore, which we bought at LaVinia in Paris! God DANG! is that good stuff. Smooth as butter and yet delicate and full of breadth. Just a friggin' awesome wine (Best part?? the S-man chose it for us-maybe 12 EU??) :) 

Some odds and ends

Polpette e Spaghetti alla Carbonara

to be humbled...

wow.. just when you think you're cooking is progressing....you're feeling confident about making a good meal.....WHAM!! you go to a place like Canyon Chop house and are just blown away. The food was incredible (the ENTIRE meal!). Every aspect of the dining experience there was great. All the dishes from start to finish were fantastic. (we even got a little caviar slash cheese thingy as a pre-starter from the chef)

One of the best aspects was the wine list. Very nice and the markup wasn't extreme like in most upscale restaurants. We had a Peachy Canyon Zinfindel which turned out to be a fine pick for the array of dishes we ordered. DIDN't get a free dessert for my buddy, Pat, for his Birthday, even though the server knew about it. (the man at the table next to us got his!!! AND a birthday drink as well) hmmm.

Ravioli con funghi

Using the last of the demi-glace, I managed to make a decent mushroom sauce for our ravioli.

those are 5 Barrel and Fat Tires to aid in digestion...