Christmas Celebration #2

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Last night we had a fabulous dinner at Eve with our dear friends, P&J.

Eve is our special occasion restaurant in town.  Right before the family craziness of Christmas, we sit down with P&J and spend a cozy, leisurely dinner together.  And Eve IS cozy with maybe thirty tables and a small bar in historic Kerrytown here in Ann Arbor.  The interior walls are brick, the tables covered in white cloth, topped with tiny white vases holding a single sprig of fresh sage.

Once we were tucked into our table, I started with a tropical bellini, sparkling wine with passion fruit puree.  Per usual, we shared a plate of "Inspired Nachos", fried won tons topped with fresh plum tomatoes, avocado, black beans cooked with chilies and bacon, and Gouda, Jack, and cheddar cheeses.  Never a disappointment.

For the entree, I had the Moroccan scallops.

"Aromatic spiced and seared day boat scallops with a fresh carrot lime puree, creme fraiche, coconut-ginger rice and vegetables of the season."

I usually take photos of my food, but between the spirited conversation and my hunger pangs, I dove right into my scallops and forgot about the Kodak moment.  Believe me when I say that my meal was one of the best I've had all year.  The scallops were silky and milky on the inside, surrounded by a spicy sear of cinnamon, cumin, and cayenne.  The rice wasn't its usual quiet side dish self, but an in-your-face coconut-ginger wake up call which paired perfectly with the intensely flavored scallops.  The carrot lime puree wasn't exactly a puree, more like a finely diced carrot relish with lime.  The freshness of the carrot and the fact that it was a cold dish worked well to balance the actual heat of the scallops as well as the heat of the spice.

A long, lingering, delicious dinner is one of my favorite things.  Best of all though was the company at the table.