Monday, January 07, 2008

Taste of Durham - Nana's


I was treated to a fine dining experience with a fantastic friend who asked for a knowledgeable waiter when we got reservations. Isn't Claudie cool!
So, we ended up doing the tasting menu here: http://www.nanasdurham.com/ - but they don't have the winter menus up, and it changes all the time.
Five course meal, so here goes:
1. Foi Gras with fig and pear/pepper relish. I don't know if the foi gras didn't have much taste in and of itself - but with the fig sauce and pear/pepper relish (which were both tasty), and eaten on a garlic crouton - it was good. First time for everything.
2. Escargot with asparagus and other stuff in a butter garlic sauce. Claudie described them correctly when she said they had a mushroom texture. They were actually pretty good - and I didn't have to deshell them like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. So, I didn't make a fool out of myself!
3. Crab cake and fried oyster with greens. I don't like raw oysters at all, but this was good. I didn't care for the sea urchin broth it was in - a little too fishy and salty for me, but the friet oyster and crab cake were delicious.
So, even though these are little portions, I was already getting full - but I still had two courses to go -
4. Venison and gnocchi with sauteed root vegetables. The venison was quiet rare, but it was good, especially with the vodka sauce.
5. THE BEST PART: chestnut souffle with mandarin orange creme anglaise. The waiter came and dug a hole in the center of the perfectly cooked souffle, poured the creme down it - it was amazing. I could only eat half of it - but, it was so good.

I'm thankful for Claudie for the treat, our fantastic waiter, new experiences of fine food, and good country cooking! :)

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