Epic meal

After a tough day friday and to celebrate the end of our first week (and Duncan's only week), we went to a seriously nice restaurant called Maison Akira for an epic meal. It was a lot more expensive than I expected but worth it. We all had the the 6 course taster menu with paired wines and a glass of champagne to start. And it was the real stuff, not just sparkling wine.
We got a small starter compliments of the chef. Honestly we have no idea what it was. We think the waiter mentioned cauliflower but we could find or taste any.

Looking forward to our meal, with champagne

Something with cauliflower maybe?

Our first course was asparagus, seared scallops and sweet tomatoes. The scallops were amazing! And there some little red balls in with the petals which had a really strong sweet flavor. Very tasting.

Asparagus and scallops

The second dish was actually my favorite! It was tuna sashimi with a quail egg, wasibi caviar, and pumpkin puree. I can't remember what the pink dot was. The tuna was the best I have ever tasted! I could happily have just had a whole meal of that!
We also got a glass of saki to accompany it.

Tuna sashimi

Next was a consommé with either shrimp or lobster and some white fish in a ginger soup. Tasty but not our favorite by far. It also had some thing called kinki in it. But we have no idea what they was!

Fish and ginger consommé 

Then we got a choice. I chose the chefs signature dish, miso chilean sea bass.  He served it to the emperor and empress of Japan when they came to visit. And I could see why. Rachel and Duncan got the days special, Mediterranean sea bass with a saffron sauce.

Miso Chilean Sea Bass 

We then got a little palette cleanser before our main course. So cute!

Pomegranate palette cleanser

 I chose the 24-day aged angus beef ribeye in a Marchand du Vin sauce (no idea but tasty) with gratin potato and some summer veg. The beef was amazing!

My main course! So tasty!

The others got Kobe beef (super expensive and famous) and lamb. But we all tasted each others meal which was great as I have heard of Kobe beef but never tried it. Though I think mine was the nicest.
 We also got a second glass of champagne to go with our deserts. However the measured sizes were a little different! And I got the baby one. :-(

More champagne

But desert was really cool. Rachel and Duncan ordered baked Alaska. They then set fire to it at our table.  

Flaming baked Alaska

Filled with green tea ice-cream

I choose a flour-less chocolate cake with ice-cream (it was a given really). Yummy! It was so light. I could have eaten 2 or 3.  And wanted to lick the plate. I am amazed I eat a complete 6 course meal and didn't leave anything - it was too good to not eat.

Chocolate cake

I also let Duncan borrow my camera and direct. (This was after a few glasses of champagne which always goes to my head.)

Tragedy and anger

Love (though I look more smashed) and distain

It was a really nice night and an amazing meal. Probably my best. The food was amazing. The only bad part of the night was when they brought the bill. Ouch! But worth it.

All enjoying our night out.

First few days in LA

I have just stared a month long trip to work at CalTech, based in Pasadena. The trip to LA on sunday was a little more stressful than usual. Rachel picked me up early and we found out she had a flat! Thankfully her boyfriend took us to the airport and we had left lots of extra time so had enough time to change cars, pick up Duncan and get to the airport. (Luckily the flight was also delayed.)

The rest of the trip was ok until we got to LA and "found" our car. When we tried to get out of the lot, they hold us it was the wrong car and to put it back and get a different one. But there was already a car back in that space. After a short period of confusion (and too many cars) we sorted it out, found a car they would let use have, and left the airport.

Thankfully Rachel drove as I was not brave enough to tackle LA traffic that day. I will before I leave certainly but I just couldn't face it. After a few wrong turns (Rachel was much calmer than I would have been), we got to the apartment. We are staying at the Fuller Seminary Guest House. The name worried me for a while. But the place is lovely. The apartment is huge!!!! We have our own bedroom and bathrooms, a full kitchen, dining room, balcony, and TV with 50+ channels. Though I don't think we will be needing to use the fireplace! It's a lot nicer than I expected.

Our living room and fireplace

Kitchen and dining room

On Sunday night we went for the poshest sushi I have ever been for. I don't normally post pictures of food, but this was amazing. We split an appetizer which was truly spectacular. There was asian pear, cucumber, a quail's egg (which you pour over the fish), and tuna, all topped with goat's cheese. It sounds a weird combination but it really worked! We also split a bottle of sake. Best I have ever had.

Sake and sushi

My sushi was very tasty though I was jealous of Duncan's sashimi platter. And my desert was amazing.

Creme brûlée and green tea ice-cream for desert 

The little glass is basically berry coulees and ice-cream. Sugar overload! But I did get to try green tea ice-cream (it's been on my list).

I think I am going to like California!

This week has been and will be meeting people and working. But lots of fun things planned for the weekend. And I will put up pictures of campus soon. It's really pretty!

Independence day

Friday was Independence day here, one of the few American holiday where we actually get the day off. And the weather was a lot better than last year! And thankfully cooler than the rest of the week or I would have melted.
Unfortunately none of the buses were running so I walked down to Smithfield Planation which took about an hour. I was melting when I got there but managed to find someone selling cold drinks.

Dressed for the occasion 

Different version of the USA flag

 There was a band playing on the porch of the house so I sat listening and cooling down for a while.

Band

 There was also a re-enactor talking about the war and showing us who to fire his gun. He let me hold it and it was really heavy.

Preparing the rifle

Take aim... 

Fire!

It was really loud. And the little flame on the photo was only a small amount of the fire that shot out from that thing. They have had to add bits to the gun to stop enactors from setting themselves on fire!
They also sang "Star Spangled Banner" and read out the Fincastle resolution (an early version of the declaration for just this area) and then the Declaration of Independence, which I'll admit, I didn't sit through.  I snuck out (it's long and really quite out of date) and headed across town to get some food and a good spot to watch the parade.

Leading the parade

Community band

Scouts

 There was a lot about the veterans so in the parade there were lots of army jeeps and veterans groups, including (in Preston style) a car from the Veterans cemetery.

And a car from the forest services with a guy dressed as Smokey Bear suit who must have been really hot!

Smokey bear

Apparently they let any who has a really cool car in the parade as a lot seemed to be just random people in cool cars.

So American

My favorite!

 There were also some horses who must have been the most placid horses alive. As right behind them came the entire of Blacksburg's rescue service, EMTs, and fire service. All honking their horns and using their sirens.

Docile horses

 Even a random bus got in on the act.

Blacksburg Transit buses

The mayor got the coolest seat!

Blacksburg fire department

I hope no one needed to emergency services! They were all in the parade. But I was very impressed. They closed down main street and reopened without any dress or drama. Within 10 mins of the parade finishing, everything was normal again. I guess they do it so often, it's easy.

After the parade, there was a free movie, "Angels in the outfield", a Disney film, showing at the Lyric. But I had to do it the full American way. With popcorn and Milk Duds. Which I had never had before but are very tasty. Basically chocolate coated chewy caramel. My jaw ached after a while but it was worth it.

Classic movie snacks! Yummy!

There was some time after the film before the evening shuttle buses started over to the park, so I just chilled around campus and read my book in the sun.

War Memorial

Alumni Mall 

Buress Hall and the Massacre memorial

Once at the park, I found a stand selling fresh lemonade (so American! Loved it!) and a hot dog and sat listening to the community band playing American classics. (I couldn't name any of them but they said they were classics so I'll believe them!)

Listening to the band

 I also brought a "small" bag of kettle corn.  Small by American standards. The large was bigger than most 6 yr olds. (I did not eat all my bag!)

Kettle corn with my shoes for scaling purposes! 

The second band, the Meter's Running (which until they got on stage I did think was some sort of strange race they were going to run through the park), were a jazz/blues/swing band and despite the lack of a dance floor, it didn't stop many people from dancing. The atmosphere was really fun.

Dancing

The band 

the band

 They sang until the fireworks started. Which was the real reason me and most of the audience were there. I got some decent photos. Though I missed the one which shot a smiley face into the sky. Very cool! :-)

They got to a certain point and it seems they got up setting them off in order. They just set everything off at once. Awesome!

After the fireworks, which were worth the wait, I had to walk home, which was very uncomfortable thanks to 2 large blisters (evil shoes!). But it was a good day.
Now I have to start packing again :-( But have lots of fun things planned for the next month. So I am excited even if it does mean more planes, airports, and living out of a suitcase again for another month. :-)

Happy Independence Day!

Lavender festival

Sunday was the annual Lavender festival at Beliveau Estates vineyard. They have lots of lavender products and of course lots of wine.

Lavender everything 

After a bowl of lavender ice-cream (odd but nice), we headed over to the Winemaker's reserve barrel tasting which we decided to do instead of the regular tastings. These wines are all the pre-released wines which won't be out for another few months. And the guy who owns and runs the vineyard does the tasting which was great. I got to ask lots of questions.

Ivan preparing for our wine tasting

Chemistry wine

 The wines were really nice and I think we will have to go back and get some when they are released.  And he let me have 2 glasses side by side so I could taste the difference between the ways they oak the wine, either using a teabag of wine chips or putting it in an oak barrel which was really interesting. (And I loved the beakers of wine!)
After the tasting and grabbing a bottle of my favorite (a desert wine which goes amazingly well with chocolate so of course we had to get some chocolate as well!), we sat on the grass listening to a small jazz band and enjoyed the sun.

The band

Enjoying the music

The winery