Was down in Providence for the last few days visiting Fran and Ali and meeting Kiko, who is to-tal-mente encantador. I also gave a talk at Brown on Friday and the fact that it went swimmingly put me in an awesome mood for the entire week-end. Now, when Fran and I hang out, there is always serious food and drink involved and this time was no different. I primed the pump with some Cuvee Catherine Brut and a late harvest vidal from Duty-Free and then we made sure to stock up even further with various trips to Providence's bottle stores (including one that is a bizarre hybrid of a pharmacy and a wine shop). In the end, the provisions included bottles of Bollinger and Taittinger, a bloody fantastic oaked rose from Prado del Rey and, once Rosi arrived from Philly, a trio of the extremely tasty Evolution white and some pear brandy, among other things.
The central meal for the gathering was Saturday evening's extravaganza to which Enric and his girlfriend along with some other friends of Fran and Ali's had also been invited. Fran, Rosi and I had gone to the market to get the lamb earlier in the day and then had a great time preparing things as we munched and sipped our way through the afternoon. The menu included: steamed mussels with a red pepper and smoked bacon sauce, papardelle with Rosi's great bolognese of veal and pork, then the lamb slow-cooked for 7 hours while sealed in the creuset with a mix of flour and water... To say that it all turned out wonderfully would be an understatement...
