quote:

ORIGINAL: mtpisgah

I decided to open a 2011 No Girls Grenache tonight since Brad also had it in his cellar. It was decanted for about two hours while we were at Dr C's work Christmas party. It is much lighter than expected, a bit of Walla Walla funky which is expected, and tart cherry. I am going to let it decant a bit longer before consuming more and see how it is with food.

quote:

ORIGINAL: recotte

Opened the 2007 Checkerboard, and it was fabulous. Didn't get around to the Lillian or Graham's, so I'm thinking I'll make this an OTBW (weekend) and bring the Lillian to a dinner tonight.

Brad was a big enough personality that he can handle more than one night of toasts in his honor.

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ORIGINAL: S1

It started with a big hug at Charleston Offlineorama I. Brad had been my sounding board/guru/complaint department as I planned the weekend. At the Burgundy Thursday dinner at the old Chez S1, he walked in the door and hugged me; we hit it off immediately. Before he left Charleston he made the ‘no one would really take me up on this’ offer for HRH and me to come visit them in FL. I guess we showed him! On one of our first visits to their place, a ‘mostly sober’ HRH walked into the sliding glass door. She loved making Brad laugh, but that unintentional act may have provoked the greatest laugh ever. The next time we visited, he had threatened to mark the spot with blue painters tape, and he never failed to bring it up on each subsequent visit.
When we bought our place in FL, Brad and Lesley were our first guests. We bought the place furnished, and had flown down to get keys after the closing. We made dinner plans at a popular local spot, but Brad insisted on seeing the place first. He arrived with a nice toolbox full of brand new tools (which have seen LOTS of use in two years). Our place is not fancy but Brad made a big deal about how well we did and how much he liked it. The golf course is fabulous; Brad was ready for me to join the club.
Brad/Les and S2/Mrs S2 joined HRH and me at Bern’s for our 30th anniversary. We drank some of the greatest wines I have ever tasted that night. We were staying at the Epicurean so we were able to do ‘pregame’ there, then stumble home after dinner. Pregame for Brad usually meant Salon, and this was no exception. Then, of course, after we agreed on the wines (and budget), Brad had to buy that ’70 DRC Échézeaux (wink wink Scott H).
That brings us to OTBN.
As much as I have been looking forward to this tribute, it is still very painful. Bradley and I were working on some fun plans for this winter. He really wanted me to find a way to bring Charleston oyster clusters to south FL so we could throw them on the grill. He wanted to make me his Florida Cioppino, a dish of which he was really proud. Great food, great wine and better friendship. He would have approved of this lineup--stellar wines (and noe from Thomas Rivers Brown).

for drycab
16 December 2016

Limoncello Sips (final blend finished on 15 Dec)
S1’s Smoked Fish Dip
Croustades

Gougères à Françoise Potel
NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée


Roasted Local Oysters
Sautéed Shaved Fennel
Drawn Compound Butter Emulsion with Crystal Hot Sauce and Rendered Pork Fat
2008 François Raveneau, Chablis 1er Cru “Vaillons”
2012 Sine Qua Non, In the Abstract


Grilled Three Week Dry-Aged Rib Roast
Sauce Béarnaise
Melted Swiss Chard and Duck Fat Fingerling Potatoes
2010 Corra Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Joseph Phelps Insignia


Persian Lime Sorbet


Banana Bread Pudding
Warm Bourbon Sauce

I printed the menu with the same font as that first memorable dinner.
HRH and I shared quite a few Florida smoked fish dips with Brad and Les. No tribute meal would be proper without my spin on that dish as a starter.
At Charleston Offlineorama I, we started the Burgundy Thursday dinner at the old Chez S1 with Françoise Potel’s recipe for Gougères. They are one of the great pairings with full-bodied Champagne.
Oysters on the grill…
I made a compound butter with rendered pork fat and added sautéed fennel atop the oysters. Brad introduced me to Crystal Hot Sauce so I just had to incorporate it into the dish.
Dry-aged Prime rib roast—started in the oven/finished on the Weber—‘nuff said.
In honor of Brad’s magical, ever bearing Lime tree, killed by a rogue freeze in January (I hate 2016), sorbet for a palate cleanser.
For dessert, HRH’s fave (Mrs S2 also)—banana bread pudding with warm Bourbon sauce. HRH bragged on the dish for ages to Brad and he bugged me to make it for him. After one failed attempt when I left the banana bread in SC and didn’t discover it until I had already started the sauce (insert another Brad belly laugh), I served finally served it to him at our final dinner together last spring.

I miss him so much.