Several friends and I had lunch at Samar in the Arts District in downtown Dallas.
Fancy teas, hand selected by the chef all over the world displayed in a fancy little box. Oh la la!
Our waiter suggested we order a "chef's tasting" menu. It was just perfect. He brought several dishes and we all shared. We started with flatbread, hummus, Baba ghanous and a delicious yogurt spread.
The first courses were inspired by Spanish cuisine. Samar's menu is made up of "international small plates" meant to be shared. These roasted peppers were delicious. Kind of like Spanish edamame.
It was a lovely setting -- modern, international, sleek. I made a set of fabric ATC's with this image for each of my lunch-mates as a thank you for sharing my celebration.
We had a great table in a little alcove. You can see the Tres Vasos dish in the foreground on the table. (This dish received lots of buzz in local press.)
Here is our charming waiter telling us how the chef recommends we enjoy the Tres Vasos.
Karen and I had particularly high hopes for the Tres Vasos since we had read several reviews lauding the sublime culinary experience. We were utterly disappointed. But, the surprising disappointment and the wildly contrived flavors made for lots of interesting conversation.We finished Spain with egg, potatoes, and foie gras. Divine.
The other dishes came from the eastern Mediterraian and India. I'm not sure I can remember exactly which is which and what came first... it was all so wonderful.
Little pumpkin fritters topped with crab.
This must be India... shrimp with fried okra, excellent chicken curry and something with lamb. Or was it veal?
And then there was dessert....
(By the way, do you recognize my face in that shot?)
In addition to the empanadas and rice pudding above, we also had ginger fritters and an amazing Turkish chocolate coffee pot de creme.
My friends each made a lovely ATC for me. So wonderful.
Later, Claire and Benjamin and I enjoyed some birthday brownies and ice cream!
Jeff was out of town and I really missed him, but we are planning a pretty amazing celebration trip in February.Forty is all good.
10 comments:
Happy Birthday - what a great place to go and sample new food and with friends. It looked delicious and far more tasty than lunchtime pizza. Your little pressies looked adorable. Enjoy your trip next month...
Happy 40th. Oh to be only 40 again!
That looks like the best kind of food. Lots of new taste treats. If I ever get to Dallas...
What a nice day. The food looked fantastic.
Yummmmmmmmmmy! 40 with your girlfriends -- I can't think of a better celebration than that! Well, it would have been nice to have Jeff home, but hey, the flip side will be great and I'll see you in Feb!
We can't wait to celebrate your birthday over fire dancing and pork in just 2 weeks!
Looks like a fun and delicious lunch! What a great celebration! Glad you had a lovely birthday.
Wish I could have been there, lots of envy here! And Benjamin has new braces! Oh boy!
Happy Birthday!! I wanted to tell you at the class on Saturday and forgot!!
Katina
Happy Belated Birthday to you Deborah.
Alma
Happy birthday, friend. I have to tell you, that translucent chair made me say fabulous out loud. I knew what you intended even before I read your words. Fabulous!
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