Best Prize Evar: Dinner at Google

Late last year the Mountain View Google Chefs put together a fun "contest". In short one had to eat once at every cafe on campus (there are 17 of them) within a 1 week (5 day) period and the prize was a private dinner with the chef of your choice on campus. To steal a great line from my officemate Johannes, "I'll do alot of things for great food, and eating is one of those things", although I generally only each lunch on campus. No matter. 3.4 lunches a day later I succeeded.

Last Thursday was the private dinner. There were 9 of us winners at Plymouth Cafe, about to be spoiled rotten by executive chef Jeff Freburg previously of Kuleto's in San Francisco and Sous Chef Armando Litiatco previously of the Nectar Wine Lounge. Johannes took some photos of our meal, and I've reproduced the menu below. I am not a food critic and couldn't do the food justice by attempting to describe it, other than to say that was one of, if not the best, meal I have ever eaten. I also never expect to be able to eat a meal that nice again wearing jeans and a t-shirt.



Creamy Mushroom Cappuccino Soup
Land: Saffron Quinoa Mushroom Caviar and Grilled Broccolini
Sea: Smoked Salmon Wrapped Diver Scallop Beluga Lentils Caulifower Puree
Air: Seared Squab, Mushroom Risotto and Red Wine Reduction
Intermezzo: Yuzu and Citrus Granita Rasberry Compote
Sweet: Chocolate Lava Cake, Espresso Ice Cream and Nut Brittle.

All paired with a great wine that I forgot to note the name of. Yum.