Proving that I have some of the best amigos on the planet, I came home yesterday to find a big Amazon box in my mail. When I tore it open, I found my very own copy of Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc At Home cookbook, courtesy of one of my very best buddies, Kate.
Perhaps even better was the gift message she sent along, “This way no one can snatch any food off your table!”
I was thrilled about this gift, as it had been on my wishlist even before our visit to the restaurant a few weeks ago. And it’s absolutely beautiful – almost more of a coffee table showpiece than a functional cookbook meant to absorb kitchen splatters and spills. But you know I’m making that fried chicken recipe this winter.
I’m afraid I left the impression that our Ad Hoc visit was full of intrusive, drunken mussel stealers. It was not. To prove it, here are some photos of our delicious five-course dinner:
Baby beet and citrus salad: roasted chioggia, golden beets, blood orange, pomelo, ruby grapefruit, marcona almonds, living watercress, belgian endive, citrus yogurt dressing
Mussels in a saffron-mustard cream sauce with leek coins
Grilled flatiron steak with cauliflower whipped potatoes, braised kohlrabi, black eyed peas, shiitake mushrooms, savoy cabbage, sweet pepper vinaigrette
Central Coast Creamery's Seascape cheese with Hobbs' pork belly, oven dried tomatoes, little gem lettuce (a take on a BLT, they explained)
And the finale: monkey bread with vanilla ice cream
As you can see, fun comfort food with a fresh and upscale twist. Rob, who proclaimed himself “full” three bites into the entree (the bread preceding the meal was pretty fabulous), ate his entire dessert. And of course I lost my mind over the cheese course with crispy pork belly.
Part of Ad Hoc’s fun is the daily menu announcement – each morning, the staff posts that evening’s four-course offering online and sends an email blast to subscribers. We were at Grgich Hills when the email arrived in my inbox. I excitedly showed it to Rob, and the tasting consultant overheard me and asked, “Oh! What are they serving tonight?” The next morning, we arrived for our first tasting at Goosecross Cellars and when the consultants asked where we’d had dinner Saturday, they had the same reaction.
Very much looking forward to using my cookbook – I think I might get the most mileage out of it in the summertime, when the produce is at its freshest.
I stopped by Whole Foods in West Hartford yesterday to start building my New Year’s Eve cheese plate. When I got home, I emailed my list of choices to the party host. She read the list to her husband, and later recounted the following conversation:
Leeanne Griffin is a freelance writer and food enthusiast.
