finally, she posts after a ridiculously long hibernation

not too long ago, I dined with a large group at a local Italian spot near the beach, well one of the beaches, as there are many. i decided to order 2 appetizers instead of a single app and a main, as i am enamored with the grazing concept; sampling from an array of gastronomic sensations, instead of a single, looming plate sometimes heaped with copious amounts of single preparation, although better restaurants don’t heap, but creatively plate lesser amounts of better prepped culinary creations. my first small plate was seared scallops atop a creamy fondue; unusual, I know. no dunking of cold scallops into a plunging sea of boiling oil to bring them to temperature as one might encounter in a fondue joint (ok, just saying –not a fan of dipping meats and sea bits into a mini cauldron of boiling oil at a restaurant). moving along here -- the scallops were sliced in half horizontally, creating much surface area for searing, and rendering the scallops into mini crustacean pancakes. the scallops were perfectly seared, crusty on the outside, creamy soft, with a tiny bite (although not chewy) on the inside - -al dente! . the scallops rested on a golden hued bed of aromatic fondue, thick and golden, like creamy polenta, but not a hint of glop; a perfect foil for the soft, sweet, slightly chewy, opalescent crustaceans perched atop the velvety bed. it was a very small bite...so more to come……

for my second small plate, i was a bit more intrepid with my selection, opting for the veal sweetbreads, topped with a cooked quail egg. OMG, was this ever a taste, texture, olfactory sensation exploding in my mouth at once...the sweetbreads, rich, intense, earthy, topped with a sunny side up quail egg. one quick stab of the tines, and POP goes the yolk, spewing forth it's slightly gelatinous saffron hued river streaming over the succulent sweetbreads, surrounded by what appeared to be a sprinkling of wild mushrooms (although i am not certain of this). in any case, this dish left me hungry for more' of that explosive pop of flavors flooding my mouth, despite the fact that my hunger was now sated. isn't that what any really good appetizer ought to do? stimulate the palate, tease the tongue, torture the diner, helpless and bound in the shackles of gastrogasmic bliss, aching, begging for just a mite more.

i would eagerly return to this venue just to greedily mop up a few more bites of this earthy, oozy, rich palate teasing and pleasing morsel…and if there happened to have been any shackles nearby…well, that my dear friends, will be left for the subject of another sizzling post.

although tempted, tortured, and teased, i opted of out the dessert course, even as various offerings beckoned me like a siren, but despite the tussling with temptation, restraint won out, and my inner voyeur kicked in, as i watched others dive into their dolce (sweet, in italian), taking my own pleasure vicariously, as i gingerly sipped a full bodied italian red, swirling around like a dancer in my oversized goblet.