My First Dinner with OITF

Secret Sea Cove Dinner

I survived my first dinner with Outstanding In The Field! It was a huge success, but very tiring! We had back-to-back dinners in Half Moon Bay, California this weekend. Half Moon Bay is in San Mateo County about 25 miles south of San Francisco. The weather was perfect! I cannot believe how lucky we got. Jim told me there are only a handful of days like that in this area- it is usually cloudy and windy.

The first dinner was an amazing Moroccan dish by Mourad Lahlou with Aziza. He made (H&H) Grilled Rock Fish, with root vegetables, chard, potatoes and Chermoula oil. Chermoula is a Moroccan spice and herb mixture containing coriander, cumin, and paprika. He also had an arugula, strawberries, and almond salad. My favorite was the Monterey bay squid, cabbage, lime and chili pepper. It was so fresh and had great flavor! He said he sells this dish at his restaurant. The guests were really happy about a surprise dish of lamb sausage with spices and pork fat! For dessert he prepared a chocolate dish with financier cherries.

We had a second dinner on Sunday. Jamie Lauren with Absinthe in San Francisco cooked. She made Strawberry Gazpacho with local cucumber and(H & H fresh fish) dungness crab salad. She also made a salad of beets, goat cheese, mixed baby lettuces, and fava beans leaves with preserved orange vinaigrette. Her main dish was a Monterey Black Cod with roasted sunchokes, braised greens and salsa verde. For dessert her team prepared Meyer lemon rhubarb with wheatberry biscuits and olive oil honey cream. It was so good!

Both chefs did an amazing job. They used fresh and local ingredients. The guests were really happy with the food and the weather! Cheers to California! Next we are on our way to Southern California! Hope they are just as successful! I took a lot of pictures- I might be adding some more later. But here are some for now! Enjoy!