by Administrator
22. July 2008 05:59
I think I am at the point where I can comfortably call myself a professional diner. Thanks to my years of having the finer points of service being drilled into my head by maniacal chefs and ostentatious F&B directors, I have come to be a bit particular (dare I say, unrealistic) in terms of my expectations on fine dining experiences. Understand however, that I consider eating out and dining out two very different things. If a meal is all that I crave, then any old place without smoke and a half decent turkey club will suffice. However, when I plan my evening around the dinner, I am looking for an experience, not simply a full stomach. The service, the atmosphere, the glittering feather light crystal stemware, the white tablecloths, the server who knows what I want before I know myself, the wine and food are in perfect harmony, the kind of meal that leaves you with that feeling I lovingly refer to as “perfect full”.
I have been lucky enough over the years to eat at many of the U.S.’s great restaurants. From Per Se in New York, to TRU in Chicago and The Herbfarm in Washington, a great dining experience is something I have zero reservations (pun intended) about traveling for. This unfortunately is actually somewhat of a necessity, as my home city of Indianapolis has come a long way in recent years with the influx of some amazingly talented chefs, however currently there are no true fine dining restaurants. This past Thursday however, I had my first professional dinner experience in Indy, and I have to tell you, it was nothing short of breathtaking.
Now yes I am a bit biased. After all, it was an event we planned that our sister company Kahn’s Catering hosted at our facility on Allisonville Point, The Montage. So needless to say, I was involved. Even this being the case, I was genuinely impressed with the end result. It was a five course menagerie of gorgeous food and stellar champagne. You know you’re at a nice event when the cocktail hour champagne is 1999 Dom Perignon. From the 1995 Krug mingling seamlessly with the apricot soup with truffle foam, or the Veuve Clicquot Le Grande Dame over succulent diver scallops, it was an experience all its own. The service, the gleaming silver chargers, the laughter and quiet appreciation of such an amazing evening was apparent on the satisfied smiles across the room. This was a night of like minds and perfect harmony.
I enjoyed it so much in fact, I’ve already begun planning the next one! I hope to see you there.
-Louis
