* General Tso chicken with shrimp fried rice from Wu’s Open Kitchen.
* Hot and sour soup from well, pretty much any Chinese place.
* Original recipe Kentucky Fried Chicken.
* Dragon rolls at Sushi Train.
* Chicken tortilla soup at Chevy’s.
* Most pork products. If it’s pig, I dig. Oink, baby.
I love these things. A lot. I want to buy them Christmas gifts and cuddle with them by the fireside. It’s a bit sick, I know.
Ahem. Anyway --- I love food. So when I’m presented with a dish that I’ve never had before…. well, even if I like it or even love it, the odds are it won’t impress me enough to earn itself a place among my hallowed hall of beloved entries. It’s like my favorite foods are Iron Chefs, and they’re pretty much unbeatable.
This, dear reader, is the tale of a meal that knocked my socks off, smacked my ass, and somehow managed to surpass every morsel I’ve ever consumed. And it did it by candlelight, no less.
We had a kidless evening Saturday night, which is pretty rare. So what did my lovely wife Teresa do? She sent me out of the house for a couple of hours and, while I was gone, put together the single best meal I’ve ever had. Ever. In my entire life. No kidding.
The feast began with a bowl of king crab sweet corn chowder (not pictured), which was beyond delicious (pick some up at your local CostCo!). Then came a huge shrimp cocktail, complete with Bloody Mary cocktail sauce. The main course consisted of a pepper-crusted steak, cooked to pink-center perfection, drizzled with a sauce made from Pendleton whiskey *, sliced and fanned out atop a decadent roasted shallot aioli, flanked by plump, juicy asparagus spears. Oh yeah, there was wine too. Everything was perfect. The meal had a transcendent, once-in-a-lifetime quality. That’s not to say she’ll never make it again, but even if she does… well, it’s like that Sade song: “It’s never as good as the first time.”
But every silver lining has its cloud. I’m now wondering if my enjoyment of my go-to favorites will be a bit diminished in the future. I can see it now: I’ll take a bite of a Dragon Roll at Sushi Train, and as I chew, I’ll think to myself: “Yeah, this is pretty good, but it can’t touch that Pendleton whiskey steak Teresa made for me back in ’08.”
Anyway: best meal ever, thanks to my awesome wife. I think I’m still glowing a bit. You know, that woman is too good for me sometimes. Wait, I mean ALL the time! Honey, put down that frying pan….!
*if you’ve never had Pendleton Whiskey, you’re really missing out. I’ve tried a lot of whiskeys over the years (surprise, surprise), and this is by far the best. And it’s made right here in Oregon!
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