Today we had an office lunch outing.  Our outing took us to Beacon,  a very fine New York restaurant.  When faced with a menu of this class and knowing that someone else is paying, all bets are off;  especially when all of my coworkers are trendy Manhattanites who are very accustomed to fine dining, and make no exceptions in ordering all courses.  It goes without saying that there was no counting of calories.  The meal was fabulous and the service was supreme.  The only part I was disappointed with, was dessert.  I’m going to record what I ate because it was absolutely exquisite.

Pumpkin Apple Soup – the waiter poured the soup into my bowl out of a steaming, hot tin and then dropped what looked like a rolled up blob of white cotton candy in the soup.  It was basically spun sugar with croutons inside it, and it melted instantly in the soup. AMAZING.

Seared Scallops with toasted almonds and chipotle – while there were only 4 scallops, they were rather large and were topped with a savory breadcrumb-ish rub. Each scallop was sitting on a roasted endive leaf.  A spicy orange chipotle sauce and sweet toasted almonds were drizzled around the leaves on the plate.  Probably one of the best combination of flavors I have ever tasted.

The table shared two side items– Green beans and garlic mashed potatoes.  Both were fantastically done.

Desert was a tough choice.  Everything looked amazing.  I couldn’t decide between the chocolate cake/vanilla ice cream and the cappuccino creme brulee.  The waiter recommended the chocolate cake so I went for it.  I wasn’t that impressed.  Apparently the vanilla beans in the ice cream had been smoked before they made the dessert so that it had a very smoky, roasted flavor.  Something in the cake had the same burnt sugar aftertaste as well.  Maybe some people like it, but I’m not one for smokiness in my dessert.  It’s a good thing I ordered a large glass of milk to go with my dessert.  It helped wash away the smokiness.  The others smiled at me when the waiter brought the milk.  I think they thought it was cute, or something.

Over two hours after leaving the office, we slowly made it back, each of us filled to the brim with yummyness.  I now have the unfortunate after effects that commonly ail me when I eat too much.  I’ve settled on a large mug of camomile tea in an attempt to ease the pain in my belly.

I guess I’ll be starting fresh again tomorrow.