An Evening with Ladies and Tony and Andrew

My dream job would be to travel the world, eat great cuisine and surround myself with good company (most definitely my three men!)  Basically, I want to know how to get Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern's jobs. While I don't think that is anywhere in my near future, I at least got to live vicariously through them this weekend:

But my evening did not start with bliss ... no, it started with the friendly police officer who pulled me over to inform me the brake light on the drivers' side of the car was out. I guess I got off lucky, because everyone I told asked me right away if I got a ticket. Nope, no ticket ... just a plea to make sure I drive carefully and to get it fixed right away. I am going to attribute this graciousness due to my very clean driving record. Regardless, getting pulled over did start my evening with my pulse racing!!

So, then I was of to The Union for dinner with my two companions for the evening. I didn't eat lunch, so I was ready to enjoy a course or three. Now, normally I am a wine girl, but get a pretty drink menu in front of me and I do have to explore. Their drink menu was quite intriguing with the spices of India a clear theme. I decided to treat myself to what they called The Devil and The Bottle:

It was a garam marsala infused rum blood orange old fashioned. Definitely not my normal beverage. The waiter warned me it was strong ... and he wasn't kidding. Hence, it was the only alcohol I consumed for the evening ... it was enough. 

My first course was a burrata salad that was dressed in a mint pesto dressing, garnished with peas, harts vericots and radishes. It was yummy, reminded me of the summer that hasn't quite arrived yet and was a great way to ensure I got some greens in my meal:

For my main course, I did not get duck! Sorry, I always get duck, and fortunately, I think due to some gluten-tainted accompaniments, I didn't even contemplate it. Viva la variety!

Instead I got what was pork two ways: a pork tenderloin and pulled pork under crispy pork skin (okay, so maybe that's pork three ways?) It was served with morel mushrooms, mashed potato, peas and baby artichokes. It was pretty tasty. Not the greatest meal I've ever had ... but good enough for me to savor every bite: 

After we finished our main courses, we realized we only had ten minutes before the show ... fortunately, we were just across the street from the theater. So, off we went, vowing to return for dessert.

Unfortunately, my pics of the gents on the stage didn't turn out well ... but here's one for you:

The moderator, Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl was the only true disappointment of the evening. I'm sure she was selected because she's a well known food writer who's won a handful of  James Beard awards ... but I wish they would have picked someone like Stephanie Hansen or Stephanie March ... someone who had enough personality they could match the two men on stage. Instead, Dara came off as immature, over-her-head and infinitely unprepared. Tony and Andrew didn't need her ... and it was apparent she wasn't doing a good job. (You heard rumblings all evening.)

The men talked about their darker pasts, their epiphanies and their adventures. There were laughs, mini lectures and a clear display of their friendship. It was a pleasant evening that shed some light on two people who have helped elevate the food world into a community where people make dining out an event,  not just a means to sustenance. Two men who work to expose the rest of the world to other cultures -- through whatever storytelling they can use.

The crowd themselves were interesting ... clearly the alcohol that was served made people leave their manners at the door ... c'mon Minnesota, let's demonstrate some class and respect.

After the show we went back to Union to get our dessert:

It was a butterscotch pudding, with lemon gelee, lemon candied rind and parsnip ice cream. I think I would have been most content with a bowl of parsnip ice cream and the candied lemon rind. But it was a pleasant evening to a night that maybe started off with a some flashing lights!