Sea Change

Two entries in 24 hours, to be a rare event I am sure.

We had a great dinner out last evening, with two of our favorite friends – Terry and Katherine.  They are our favorite foodie friends – always willing to share in new restaurants and our partners in crime for two trips to Chicago with the sole purpose of eating dinner.  In addition, they are great cooks in their own right and true wine connoisseurs – we consider ourselves fairly knowledgeable about wine and yet when we dine with these two we don’t even bother to peek at the wine menu as we know Terry will choose something better than we could…last night is was a 2004 Riesling that just about melted in my mouth. 

We dined at Sea Change, a new restaurant located within the Guthrie Theater.  Executive chef Tim McKee is considered by many to be the best chef in Minnesota (with apologies to Wolfgang Puck but he doesn’t actually cook here often).  Sea Change was not a disappointment.  I was first impressed that the menu made clear that they are proud of that they are – the entrees are entitled FISH and NOT FISH.  Between us we managed to try spot prawns, 4 different raw oysters, linguine with rock shrimp and sea urchin, bouillabaisse, octopus with salsa verde, striped bass, romaine egg brioche, steamed mussels and desserts!

Table talk quickly turned to Ed’s adventure in culinary school and I was the receiver of a gift from Terry and Katherine – a copy of Gordon Ramsey’s Fast Foods.  It’s a big, fat, colorful cookbook and with lots of pictures of the dishes I am anxious to try them out.  I might have to work my way up to "Poached duck egg with anchovy fingers" but I can tackle "Penne, green beans and goat cheese" any day now. 

I am taken aback by the kindness of this gesture – and it must have seemed a special occasion to others as well as a woman at the next table offered to take our photo.  A reminder we are forever celebrating, it is always a special occasion.