A Time for Celebration - 2015 Birthday Dinners at Catch and manna

Happy Monday!

As this year is coming to a close, I wanted to share some of my experiences from this year from both Chris' and my birthdays. We had amazing dinners at two of the best fine dining restaurants in town, Catch and manna, and both were extremely memorable. Chris' birthday was earlier so I'll start with our night at Catch.

Thai Sake Blossom Martini

My aunt Tricia (who is also a foodie) gave us an incredibly generous gift card to Catch for Christmas, so since Chris' birthday was right after New Year's, we decided to use it then. I had heard about Catch a lot; the chef there, Keith Rhodes, is fairly well-known - he was an NC James Beard Semifinalist for Best Chef, Southeast in 2011, and has also been voted the city's best chef for three consecutive years. This was all a promising start!

The restaurant is tucked away in a sort of strip mall on one of Wilmington's main roads (the same road where Indochine is located, but farther north). While the outside is nothing special, as soon as you walk in the door you are greeted with warm colors, a large, beautiful bar and modern, coastal-inspired decor. We were seated immediately and given menus, and our server came to tell us about the specials. We ordered drinks to start - I ordered the Thai Sake Blossom Martini (see above). I'm not normally a fan of sake but it was paired with enough other juices and liquors that I could barely taste it. (And, it was pretty!) Their menu is quite extensive so it was difficult to choose what we wanted, but I think our decisions were all the best off the menu. Rather than describing each dish individually, I'm going to lump them all together, as I was unfortunately unable to find specific descriptions for each item (in addition to being long, their menu changes seasonally, so their current dishes are not the same as what they had back in January).

Cajun Fried Oysters

Duck Confit

Crab Cakes

 We chose the Cajun Fried Oyster as an appetizer, which were served with some sort of spicy sauce and pink peppercorns. They were fried perfectly so the outsides were crunchy, yet the oysters themselves still had the consistency and flavor that you want (chewy, and  tasting of the sea), and whatever sauce came with them had just the right amount of fire. I knew our subsequent dishes would be just as appetizing. Naturally, I went with the duck entree, which was duck confit (two legs), served with venison sausage and foie gras. Now, I've had duck a LOT of places, but this has to be one of my favorites of all time. The legs were tender and juicy, the venison sausage was gamey and the casing snapped when you bit into it, and the sauce... oh, that sauce! Again, I'm not exactly sure what was in it, but it was like a gravy that had been upgraded x100. With the foie gras and apples, it balanced the sweet and savory like you would not believe. The duck was supposed to come with blue cheese polenta, but I am NOT a fan of blue cheese (one of the few foods I don't eat), so I just ordered the polenta plain. Between that and the greens it came with, I think that was the most well-rounded and -balanced meal ever.  Catch is famous for their crab cakes so we knew we had to try them! Most  places tend to make their crab cakes about 50/50 (crab to filler), so we were pleasantly surprised to find that these were mostly lump crab. They were incredibly delicate but still quite filling. These particular crab cakes were served over white truffle mash with mixed greens and what is described on their menu as a "Pamlico Shrimp and Cognac bisque." It reminded me of the quality seafood bisque that you get in Charleston, South Carolina - it was so delicious! I can taste it right now - it was light yet chock full of shrimp flavor. The mashed potatoes had an earthy, truffle flavor that was not overwhelming, and the greens were the perfect complement. We were very pleased overall with our meal and felt like it was the perfect way to celebrate both Chris' birthday as well as ring in the New Year!

Seared Duck Breast

My birthday was in April and my wonderful Aunt Trish took me out for dinner at manna, which is in downtown Wilmington. I had never been there either, but had heard wonderful things, so I was very excited when she suggested we go there! The head chef specializes in French technique, which he incorporates into fine American cuisine. Their menu is full of elegant dishes with mostly local ingredients. Once again, I was faced with a tough decision... but as soon as I saw "seared duck breast" I was hooked. Searing is the best way to prepare the breast meat of a duck. The skin gets nice and crispy and the meat itself is still tender and flavorful. This duck in particular was served with parsnip puree and gnocchi. I had never had parsnips before but had always wanted to try them, and I'm very glad I chose to try them for the first time at manna! Being that they are root vegetables, parsnips (when mashes) have a similar texture and taste to potatoes. They were the perfect combination of smooth and creamy. The "gnocchi" was not the traditional dumpling-style but actual diced potatoes that were very soft and seasoned perfectly. They were a terrific accent to the parsnip puree. Drizzled on top was a sort of pan gravy that had delicious flavor and added a little something extra to the overall dish.

Lemon tart

After the meal I wasn't too hungry for dessert, but since it was for my birthday I decided I had to have something - I'm very glad I did! Instead of ordering my usual, crème bruleé, I went outside the box and chose the lemon tart with shortbread crust, caramel gastrique and basil ice cream. As you can see above, it was beautifully presented! The tart had a perfect lemon flavor - bitter yet sweet, and the crust was absolutely amazing. It was exactly like a shortbread cookie, buttery and crunchy, and complemented the smooth, creamy texture of the tart. The basil ice cream was very interesting - not something I would have chosen but somehow the earthy, herbaceous flavor of the basil worked with the lemon. All in all I was extremely satisfied with my birthday dinner and would be more than happy to revisit manna sometime!

I'll leave you with a quote by Louise Fresco: "Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy. It's not about nutrients and calories. It's about sharing. It's about honesty. It's about identity."

Basically, food is what life is all about. Have a great rest of your Monday!