This Sunday evening meal began with plain smoked eel and continued with a simple sirloin steak.

• smoked eel, packaged by H. Forman, from Eataly, and a dollop of  softened cream cheese mixed with double cream, shallot, chives, capers, lemon, spring garlic, salt, and pepper, served with upland cress from Two Guys from Woodbridge, dressed with good olive oil, fresh lemon, salt, and pepper
• thin slices of Rustic Classic bread from Eataly
• the wine was a Sardinian white, Le Giare Vermentino di Sardegna 2013
• the music, during both courses, was that of Ferdinand Ries, friend, pupil and secretary to Beethoven, beginning with his 1826 Piano Concerto No. 8, ‘Gruss an den Rhein’

 

• sirloin steak from Millport Dairy, seared and cooked for a few minutes in a very hot iron pan, seasoned, removed, cut into two pieces, allowed to rest for five minutes while aprinkled with two small sliced baby leeks from Rogowski Farm, and drizzled with lemon and olive oil
• ‘red potatoes’ (white inside) from Samascott Orchards, cut into wedges and roasted at 450º for about 35 minutes along with thyme leaves from Eataly and several unpeeled garlic cloves, also from Samascott Orchards, and finished with chopped parsley from Whole Foods
• the wine was a California red, F. Stephen Millier Angel’s reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Lodi 2013
• we continued with the charming music of Ferdinand Ries, here his Symphonies No. 1 and 2 (1809 and 1814, respectively)