Anniversary Dinner with Photos

A little over a month ago, my wife and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary by going to dinner and sitting at the chef's table at a restaurant called L'Espalier. We were the only two people seated in back in the kitchen, and it was an absolutely incredible 12 course meal with wine pairings that took about 4 1/2 hours to get through. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and I thought the FDB might enjoy some of the photos we took (because we were the only guests, we were comfortable being "those people" and taking photos, and the GM that served us actually encouraged it).

Here was a view from our seats:



First Course: Black ash roll with homemade butter



Second Course: Chef's eggs espuma with Russian Osetra



Third Course: Chevre with yellow beets, toasted walnut milk, fines herbes and raw spring crudites



Fourth Course: Poached clams with wild fennel, mustard, and bone marrow broth



Fifth Course: Butter poached Maine lobster with nettles, bok choy and three-cornered leeks



Sixth Course: Seared foie gras, an array of stuffed morels, ramps, green garlic, English peas and carrots



Seventh Course: Barely cooked king salmon couvert de dill, asparagus, lemon rosemary crisps, green garlic, and watercress



Eighth Course: Grilled squab with white asparagus cooked in juniper and liver vinaigrette



Ninth Course: Rack of lamb with fava beans, garganelli, mint, harissa, merguez, and melted leeks



Tenth Course: Grand Fromage



Eleventh Course: "Citrus" with lemon-mint marmalade, honey ganache, and sable Breton



Twelfth Course: Grand Dessert