It is not longer Friday evening.
But the memories of a great night last Friday with friends Sharon, Karie and Jim linger on.
We were a part of San Francisco's first "Le Blanc" diner - or "le diner." It is a "pop up" dinner in white.
Fashioned after the "le blanc" dinner in France, 750 were among 10,000 people who applied online to be invited to the event. If you were lucky enough to hear about the dinner, and were accepted as one of the first applicants, you were given these instructions:
1. Check your email at Friday, 4:00 pm.
2. Show up at the designated place, in white, with white. Tables would be provided. But you had to bring food, chairs and settings for your and your guest.
3. Set up began at 5:30. Dinner began at 7:30, with 750 of your new friends all waving white napkins in the air.
We were lucky enough to get in. And it was a wonderful evening!
I volunteered to be the chef for the evening. In my kitchen, this would have been doable. But I took on the challenge to do this tableside, without heat. Our 7 course meal included:
Champagne, Russian and Israeli caviar with accoutrements
Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms
Purple Potato Vichyssoise with Roasted Garlic, served in seasonal pumpkins
Pan Seared Beef Carpaccio with sweet potato chips, fried capers and lemon Aioli
Arugula Endive Salad, with Ajou pears, Rogue Blue Cheese and prosciutto
Rosemary Port Braised Lamb Shanks with Mascarone Polenta
Chocolate Orange Crème Brulee
WeI prepped and served out of a small suitcase behind my chair. And I have to say - it all tasted pretty good!
If you want to see the television coverage - you can watch here:
Diners Gather For Pop-Up Picnic At Golden Gate Park
And here are a few pictures....
Who is joining us next year?
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