The Kitchen in one word: Wow!

My favorite Wisconsinites, Chris’ parents, came out to California last week for visit. No trip to visit their favorite son is complete without dinner at The Kitchen, and Chris and I are always delighted to share the experience with his parents.

 The Kitchen serves a decadent, multi-course demonstration dinner. Nothing is off limits at this restaurant, where they invite guests to stroll through the kitchen, chat up the chefs, peek into the wine cellar, even do dishes if that’s what floats your boat. The menu changes monthly, and every ingredient has a story. But instead of trying to recall each of these stories, how about I just show you some photos?

Here’s what we feasted upon last week.

First Course: Tortilla Soup with Maine Lobster, “Creamed” Chorizo, Avocado and Smoked Chilies 

Second Course: A Salad of Foie Gras, Frisée, Sea Grapes, Grilled Chicken, Fennel and Crisped Brioche 

Not pictured (because I was too busy throwing elbows to get the best goodies): The intermezzo, when you’re invited to leave your seats, stretch your legs and help yourselves to a variety of sushi, sashimi and other treats.

Third Course: 100-Mile Salmon, Dungeness Crab Béarnaise, White Asparagus Flan and Preserved Meyer Lemon

Fourth Course: Slow Roasted Young Beef, Duck Breast and Crispy Skin with Shepherd’s Pie and Black Peppercorns

 Aaaaannd, Dessert: Nancy’s Carrot Cake with Butter Crunch Ice Cream, Caramel Popcorn and White Chocolate.

Dinner snapshots: Akebono

Chris and I grabbed a little sushi snack for dinner at Akebono Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar in Granite Bay the other night. A coworker of Chris’ gives this place a double thumbs up, and it didn’t hurt that we had a LivingSocial coupon too.

Their menu is packed with rolls. Here’s Nancy’s Roll — shrimp tempura, spicy tuna roll, unagi, green onion, masago and two sauces on top ($11.95).

We also had Hamachi Kama ($7.95), a broiled yellow tail collar that was super delicious but didn’t necessarily photograph well — sorry.

We told our server we wanted to spend $30 on Omakase Sashimi (chef’s choice) and this is what she brought to our table a few minutes later. Wow!