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Lucy Lean

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in Chefs and Restaurants· Travel· Worth a Special Journey

Pebble Beach Food & Wine

Pebble Beach Food & Wine

We came, we ate, we drank – or something like that. I was ccooking up my next trip – to Pebble Beach Food & Wine – back in March during my Chef Fest event – Made in America 2 at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Hawaii. Why not? The timing could not have been better. Road trip – Thelma and Louise would hit the road north for Pebble Beach.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine - Daniel Boulud

One of my goals for the trip was to drink only the good stuff: Champagne. My mission to find bubbles at Pebble Beach was hit and miss. The Lexus Opening Night Reception did have a bubbles room – Trapps – but by the timeI got there the Krug and Don Perignon were no where to be found. With a little help from my friends Josiah Citrin and Raphael Lunetta French bubbles were scored – that is until we descended down to the After Party where all that was on offer was Stella Artois and Belvedere vodka – seemed a tad strange at an event that has wine in the title but I guess you have to respect the sponsors. All was not lost – there was a Som room where only sommeliers could gather, away from the beer and spirits rabble, to taste vino of every variety – including Champagne. Fabio Viviani took me firmly by the hand and got me in. The next positive thing to happen after dancing with David Lefevre was I got an invitation to the Final Final party.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine - David Lefevre

If you’ve never been to one of these events it’s all about credentials – Access All Areas, admittance to the best after parties, being seated at the chef’s table at the most fabulous dinner… The Final Final was a short Lexus ride away at a private residence – where we were promised magnums of Champagne, perfectly seared steaks and pounds of caviar. David, Josiah, Raphael  and myself decided to go for the food more than anything else. We were unable to persuade Michael Cimarusti – he’d been prepping in the root cellar and needed his beauty sleep. Matt Molina was no where to be found. We were all starving – so hungry in fact we ate some grapes in the lobby display and got reprimanded by the hotel staff.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine - Josiah Citrin Lucy Lean

The house was gorgeous. However upon arrival all that greeted us was a large bowl of chips and some salsa. Two things changed the course of the night – the first was a very large can of caviar that was placed in front of us.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine - Daniel Boulud

And the second? When a French chef jumped up on the bench I was sitting on to announce that he’d arrived. It was Daniel Boulud. Bubbles, caviar and chips were the order of the night – until after 3am. Really?

Pebble Beach Caviart and Chips Daniel BouludReminded me of the good old days at the Cannes Film Festival – when the time and sleep don’t count for much and it’s all about having a fun time with friends, new and old. Daniel told us stories about his time working at La Côte Basque for my father-in-law, Jean-Jacques Rachou, and said that this is why he stayed on in New York to make it big. Johnny Iuzzini interupted the conversation to help himself to our vat of caviar. I questioned that there were no toast points and Daniel complained about the quality of the caviar.

I was to see Daniel the next day at his Chef’s Table 3 star Michelin lunch with Christopher Kostow and bubbles galore – all courses were paired with Veuve Cliquot. Champagne was the order of the day – paired with an exquisite and luxurious luncheon.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine - Daniel Boulud - table decor

As the heaven’s opened at the Equestrian Center we stayed dry inside the large white marquee sipping on Veuve Cliquot Yellow Lable and nibbling on frogs legs and smoked eel. The only bad bite of the day were the Brown Butter Rocks – not enough flavor and too much of a greasy mouth feel.

Inside the Chef’s Table for 150 guests looked magnificent. Seven long wooden tables adorned with dark purple anemones, sweet peas and hydrangeas were set up in the middle of the tent with the kitchen, ovens and all, wrapped around the edges. Someone had clearly thought about how dramatic the dark yellow/orange of the Veuve Cliquot would look against the purple.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine - Daniel Boulud

We were treated to the theatre of the kitchen as a long line of servers lined up to bring the first course from Boulud – Shigoku Oysters in a Sea Water Gelée with Lemon Custard, Ossetra Caviar and Sea Urchin. This was a seriously good dish and one I will remember for years to come. Like memorable dishes I have eaten in France that stay with you forever, this is one of them. All the flavors of the ocean carefully and subtly working with each other to create a chef’s masterpiece. The smooth custard with the slippery oysters and then the tiny beads of caviar that were dotted with finger lime so that you got a burst of citrus with the fat little briny black eggs, all topped off with the delicate crunch of the little rice cracker. I could have just eaten this dish with the Veuve Cliquot Brut Rosé and my trip to Pebble Beach would have made my palate very, very happy.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine - Daniel Boulud

But there was more – a smoked cod with smashed tubers and creamed borage from Kostow, paired with Vintage Veuve Cliquot from 2002.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine - Daniel Boulud

Boulud’s Four-Story Hill Farm squab with vodouvan spiced breast, leg pastilla, avocado chutney (Boulud’s nod to California) and spring radishes – paired with Champagne Veuve Cliquot Brut Rosé 2004.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine - Daniel Boulud

I am a great believer in the importance of dessert – it should finish the meal on a sweet high note. Sadly, the white chocolate and fresh pea salad from Kostow just didn’t work for me. Perhaps the peas weren’t sweet enough or the lemon custard – that had worked so beautifully in Boulud’s sea fantasy dish – wasn’t able to bring the peas and cake together into a well executed dish. Something was lacking and not even the Veuve Cliquot “Grande Dame” could convince me this dessert could rise above the odd factor of eating peas for dessert.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine - Daniel Boulud

Rather than ending like this let’s take a moment to go back to that dish of dishes – Boulud’s oysters in a sea water gelée:

Pebble Beach Food & Wine - Road TripThe best parts of Pebble Beach for me – apart from Daniel’s food was the fun times I spent with all the chefs. Eating stolen grapes with Josiah Citrin and Rapheal Lunetta, disco dancing with David Lefevre in the early hours at the after party; chips, caviar and Champagne with Daniel Boulud until 3am; and lattes with Nancy Silverton, Cindy Pawlcyn and Bruce Aidells on the patio of the hotel looking out to the Pacific Ocean. Food Network stars huddled around a fire pit, the sky was blue – for the most part – and so were the blankets a kind woman from the hotel brought for us to snuggle in before I said my goodbyes and headed home via giant rainbows in Paso Robles.

Filed Under: Chefs and Restaurants, Travel, Worth a Special Journey Tagged With: Anthony Bourdain, Bruce Aidells, Champagne, Cindy Pawlcyn, Daniel Boulud, David Lefevre, Don Perignon, Fabio Viviani, Giraffe, Josiah Citrin, Krug, Lucy Lean, Made in America, Made in America Our Best Chefs Reinvent Comfort Food, Melisse, Michael Cimarusti, Nancy Silverton, Pebble Beach Food and Wine, Raphael Lunetta, Stella Artois

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Comments

  1. vanillasugarblog says

    April 16, 2012 at 5:28 pm

    very very very jealous of your little trip
    those are some good memories to last a lifetime

    • Lucy says

      April 16, 2012 at 5:34 pm

      loved everything about this trip – memories to last a lifetime indeed

  2. Allison [Girl's Guide to Social Media] says

    April 17, 2012 at 6:20 am

    It looks like you had a FABulous time. Thanks for sharing!

  3. Kristina Vanni says

    April 17, 2012 at 9:17 am

    What a great experience! Sounds lovely – thanks for sharing!

  4. Marla says

    April 18, 2012 at 1:06 pm

    I have huddled around that exact fire pit for a delightful wedding a few years ago. Looks like a fab event with such amazing food and friends 🙂 You are looking great girl!

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Always chasing rainbows 🌈 woke up to this odd l Always chasing rainbows 🌈 woke up to this odd light and thought if the sun just came up and it’s raining there must be a rainbow 🌈 and sure enough there it is! New administration and a new day for America and the world #GoJoe #GoKamala #MadameVicePresident
I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watc I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers, for the sleepers in that quiet earth.  #WutheringHeights #EmilyBronte the in between - How it started How it ended - bedroom monochromatic light at 7am this morning to 7pm tonight and cocktail time with Tink gin and @david_austin_roses post parents evening and then in the middle I went on a walk with @chloescotland - actually it was an adventure to find the prettiest 13th century church with a moat and a graveyard filled with snowdrops and the tiniest grave - a child? And headstones that were leaning over - I thought tipsy Chloe thought giving up and I was reminded of the Brontë passage about #unquietslumbers #ghostsinmygarden swop harebells for snowdrops - the peace and quiet of a tiny graveyard with a moat and lopsided headstones and peace and quiet - a moment of calm and hope as the #inauguration looms large and as we keep to the rules of lockdown #stayhome #staysafe
Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks and just when you think it can’t get any worse it does - Covid levels rising and hospitals dealing with record numbers of very unwell patients, a third lockdown and schools going online and exams cancelled, then there was the runoff in Georgia 💙 overshadowed by the insurrection in D.C. which led to the swift impeachment (again), there’s the excitement of Joe Biden’s inauguration that is being sucked away by the pandemic, the rise of white supremacy with troops guarding the Capitol and ever present fear.  But through it all we have to have hope - for the vaccine, for the teachers helping our kids learn online, for the nurses and doctors working against the odds, for M&S and Ocado deliveries,for a new administration, for arrests of violent rioters, for congress doing its job and for decency to be about to be sworn in.  It’s a lot and we all struggle daily to keep our heads above water.  On a personal level I find painting helps, as do walks in nature and family suppers, I’m wearing pretty dresses, silk underwear and wrapping myself in soft cashmere and yes I’m consuming more champagne than I usually do - if not now then when?  #Lockdown #Stayhome #staysafe #EnglishCountryHouse #EnglishCountryside
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