We recently hosted a small dinner to celebrate 20 years as the T's... ok, I've been "T" for over 50 years but the couple also known as the T's just hit the 20 mark. We planned a small dinner in the private dining room at Sansei Waikiki - kudos to managing partner Ivy Nagayama for arranging the evening. We set up little containers of customized M and M's for each guest...
Along with a Schott Zwiesel dessert wine glass with its own wine charm. Whenever the Mrs or I host a B-Day dinner, we always provide each guest with a take-home wine glass - usually a Schott Zwiesel titanium oxide glass as a momento for the evening. Since the wine charms were metalic owls, I couldn't resist telling each guest that the wine charms were selected so that they knew "whooooose glass it belonged to....."
And as usual, it has to start with bubbly so the K's generously uncork a bottle of 1990 Salon Le Mesnil... Perfection in Champagne!
We also uncorked several bottles of Piper Heidsieck Rose Sauvage in these cool pink latex coated bottles...
Ivy then starts off dinner with complimentary appetizers for the table, the Burrata from DK Steakhouse...
The Bresaola also from DK Steakhouse...
And the Kampachi Sashimi from Sansei...
I also uncork a bottle of 2011 Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang Pouilly Fume...
And the Sake de Resistance, a bottle of Born Yume wa Masayume or "Dreams Come True" sake aged at 17 degrees for 5 years... which is why I provided the Schott Zwiesel glasses to guests.. it's the perfect sake glass...
For the assorted sushi including Salmon Skin Roll, Smoked Salmon Bagel Roll and Negitoro...
Along with Vegetable Tempura...
And Edamame and French Fries...
Then I uncork a 2003 Domaine Leroy Mersault...
For the individual servings of Truffled Crab Ramen... (the Mersault was perfect as the ramen brought the fruit out of the wine and the wine balanced the rich flavors of the ramen and truffled essence...)
We then moved onto the mains which included the Misoyaki Butterfish...
Braised Shinsato Farms Pork Shoulder...
And Vintage New York Steak sliced pupu style..
Along with a 2005 Sine Qua Non B20 Syrah and Viognier blend...
And a 2002 Modicum Cabernet Sauvignon. What's cool about this wine is it's the "house wine" for the French Laundry in Yountville and we actually celebrated our 10th with dinner at the French Laundry and this is the vintage thatthey poured with the beef course... and it was still at peak...
Of course you need sides so we also had the Roasted Beets...
And the Local Style Fried Rice...
And I apologize to guests that were present who uncorked their own special bottles of wine but once the evening got rolling, I neglected to photograph most of the other wines... guests did indulge in dessert including these selections...
And we did end the evening with the usual bubbly including a bottle of 2011 Sea Smoke "Sea Spray" Blanc de Noir...
So to my lovely Mrs, thank you for putting up with me for over 20 years, to my guests, thank you for the friendship over these past several years... I did... ahem... start the evening with my a capella version acknowledging both my Mrs and my guests...
And before the last guests leave, Ivy serves us a simple bowl of ochazuke with Japanese pickles to "sop" up some of the excesses of the night...
So hopefully there's another 20 more years in the future and at the very least more great times just celebratin' life with friends and family... A Voitre Sante!
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