Dusty and Marlina
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  • Archives

  • Dinner at Bret’s Table

    April 12, 2012

    Last weekend we were in Minneapolis visiting Dusty’s dad, Dean and stepmom, Julie before I get overly busy with the end of the semester and Dusty gets inundated with last minute details for Big Omaha.  Dean and Julie have some good friends, Bret and Jon who we have become close with, in part because they love food just as much as we do (if not more).  Bret recently traveled to France and lead a culinary tour around the country, including Provence, where they went to the former home of Julia Child.  He also runs private events and classes in the Minneapolis area as well as in his home.

    It just happens that this past weekend Bret and Jon were having some friends over for a little day of cooking, eating, and drinking, and we got the privilege to attend.  We got some excellent culinary lessons from Bret (who is an excellent teacher by the way) and then ate the beautiful masterpieces we had created.  One of our prep jobs was to be in charge of choosing the wines to pair with each dish and I must say we did an excellent job.  Minneapolis had this great wine shop, France 44, that had an excellent selection of French wines.

    bretstable

    Here’s a look at the menu we prepared:

    Aperitifs
    Anchovy Tapenade with Crackers
    Kir Royal (a popular French cocktail made with creme de cassis–black currant liqueur topped up with champagne)

    Plat
    Cuisses Poulet farci avec la saucisse avec jus (Stuffed Chicken Thighs)
    Pomme de terre parisienne (Parisian Potatoes)
    Steamed small carrots

    Salad Vert
    Fromage

    Dessert
    Tartelettes au chocolat individuels avec des framboises et crème à la pistache (Individual Chocolate Tarts with Raspberries and Pistachio Cream)

    No Comments | Posted in: Family, Food, Fun Times | Tagged with: , , ,

  • Dante Cooking Class

    April 11, 2012

    Dusty and I really enjoy food and wine! We absolutely love eating at Dante Ristorante and Pizzeria. Nick, chef and owner, is brilliant and Andy, wine director, has so much energy and passion for not only Italian wine but all wine.  The entire staff at Dante’s is the best.  If you live in Omaha and haven’t eaten there you need to.  Dusty likes to say that it’s a phenomenal pasta place disguised as a pizza shop.  Seriously, the pizza is the best in town (Pitch being a close second) but the pasta and green salads are the hidden gem.  All of their pasta, dough, mozzarella, and most everything else is made fresh in house.  Most everything (if not everything) is locally grown and raised.

    Dante’s started offering wine dinners a few month ago that Dusty and I started attending.  It’s a great reason to try excellent food and wine and to learn how everything pairs together.  For months Nick and Andy have been talking about hosting a cooking class where guests can do a little Italian cooking and end the night with a great dinner.  A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to be able to attend and had an absolutely wonderful time.  They closed down the restaurant for the night  and we were able to go to four different food stations and two different beverage stations to learn about wines, beers, making fresh pasta, making neapolitan pizza, homemade sausage, and breaking down poultry and fish.  I learned and did so many interesting things. It was a great date night out with Dusty. I can’t wait to do it again.

    No Comments | Posted in: Food, Fun Times, Omaha Night Out | Tagged with: , , ,
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