Day 39, Level 1: Beyond Launched out into Facebook Land, dinner at Antoines and sticky dessert wine

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Not a bad day outside today, warmer than it has been. I spent most of it on the computer.
More fiddling with my website, some racehorse owners stuff to sort, bits and pieces.
And then in the afternoon I put the word out about Beyond. It is now in Facebook Land.

There's more marketing to do of course, but now that I have things properly bedded down (in a post-Covid way) we'll see what happens.

This evening we went out for dinner with friends. It was raining as we went off to Antoine's - it's a lovely little restaurant in Parnell Village that was established in 1973. It's a bit of an institution in the restaurant world. We've all had some good memories there through the years (before we knew each other) and, as there are various associations and connections with Tony, the owner and chef, we decided we'd go along and have a good old meal like the old days of elegant formal dining.

It was indeed just that. You ring the doorbell upon arrival and in you go, stepping back in time. You're seated at a table with white linen.The menu is traditional and delicious - large meals, well-cooked, and delivered with finesse. Bread rolls presented with tongs - they were baked to perfection.
We started with champagne. Brett and I had oysters from the Bay of Islands - they were ginormous!

Oysters from the north, with Bollinger

Duck, ox-tail and fish were devoured for mains with a Bordeaux style red. We were so full only one dessert was ordered - with several spoons. That was washed down with dessert wine and a Liqueur coffee for Brett. Good fun. It really is like travelling back in time to the "olden days" i.e. 70s/80s.
All in all a lovely experience. We left with very full bellies and smiles on our faces.






SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Dessert Wine ...
I do love a good sticky dessert wine.
Tonight I had a "Sweet 16" Botrytis Pinot Gris from Gibson Bridge Vineyard in Marlborough. It is described as "Gorgeously sweet yet delicate. Showcases a range of characters including apricot, fig, prune and mild soft cheese. Luscious and opulent showing gold fruit, citrus peel and marmalade. All class with delightful aromas and complex finish".

I thought it was divine - like syrupy liquid raisins.

There was also a French Muscat which I got to try - it looked like a rosé, had a fragrant nose and tasted like berries.

Yes, I do love a nice dessert wine!





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