Happy Birthday to Me!!

Last weekend my boyfriend took me to the Equinox Restaurant in downtown DC for my fabulous birthday dinner. I think he was inspired by my gift to him last year, but he definitely outdid me. The restaurant was elegant and intimate. He let me chose anything on the menu, so since it was a special occasion I thought it might be fun to go all out and do the Chef's Tasting Menu with the wine pairings. It was a five course dinner with a wine for each course... pretty decadent!

Their website says The Equinox has "a seasonal and regionally inspired menu, crafted in accordance with the earth's natural rhythms... A passionate promoter of mid-Atlantic ingredients, Chef Todd Gray combines local ingredients with classical Italian techniques to create the distinctive cuisine of Equinox."


Their Mission: One of the frontrunners of the sustainable and seasonal food movement, Equinox offers sophisticated, pure American cuisine. Chef Gray stays true to his mission of using community-farmed, organic ingredients grown within 100 miles of the restaurant, whenever possible. The name Equinox represents its commitment to seasonal cooking using products harvested in accordance with the environment and the earth's natural tempo.

We started the evening with a celebratory glass of champagne and our lovely waitress brought us a very tasty amuse-bouche of a wild mushroom soup and a fennel slaw on a spoon. For our first course we had Curried Beauregard Sweet Potato Bisque, with braised cabbage, Granny Smith apples, and toasted pumpkin seeds. It was paired with a Riesling, that is all I can remember about the wine. For the second course we had Pan Fried Rappahannock Oysters with Caper-Parsley Butter, with celery root puree, golden pineapple, and celery leaf salad. This was paired with a Chardonnay. Our third course was Pan Roasted Grouper Filet, with mascarpone grits, winter citrus, and avocado vinaigrette. This was paired with a red wine, I can not remember what type... I had already had three glasses people. The fourth course was Grilled Striploin of All Natural Beef, with Yukon Gold risolle, English walnut butter, and baby spinach. This was paired with a Pinot Noir. And our fifth course was Puff Pastry “Cannoli,” with passionfruit pastry cream and Moscato-scented pomegranate and kiwi. This was paired with a dessert wine.


It was one of the best dinners I have ever had. We enjoyed each others company, we ate extremely tasty food and drank wonderful wines. By the time we left to meet some friends at the Tattoo Bar, we were completely stuffed.