Foodbuzz Gala Dinner

Wow, what a meal. It was legen- (wait for it) dary.

Last night, the Foodbuzz Gala Dinner was held at the Grand Hall in the Ferry Building. It was a beautiful location for a fancy, celebratory dinner. I kept picturing how perfect it would be for a wedding reception.

Before dinner, we enjoyed a cocktail hour with wine from Bonny Doon Vineyard.

After about an hour of mixing and mingling, we headed inside for a lovely four-course meal.

We had a great group of ladies sitting at our table last night: Ali, Brittany, Cate, Anne, and Cara. We all had a lot in common and the conversation never once waned over the course of the evening.

We also had some great blog buddies at the table next to us: Monica and Janetha!

For the first course, we started with a Roasted Golden Beet Tart with Crimson Beet, Feta and Currants, Wild Arugula and Basil Puree.

I love beets, so I really enjoyed this course. The basil puree, in particular, was incredibly fresh and totally enhanced the flavor of the beets. I ended up using a piece of bread to sop up every last morsel of the puree.

During dinner, of course, there was plenty of this going on:

I love dining with food bloggers!

The next course was my favorite– even more than the dessert! We had Seared Scallops with Bonny Doon Vineyard Verjuse Beurre Blanc, which was served with Braised Fennel and Garnished with Fried Fennel Fronds.

The scallops were cooked to perfection– so tender, so flavorful. And the fennel! Mmm! It was the highlight of the dish for me. I absolutely loved it. I never think to cook fennel at home, but I might have to give it a whirl soon.

The main course was Rosemary and Garlic Infused Rack of Lamb served with Local Wild Mushrooms, Pinor Sauce, and Butternut Squash Puree. I only had a few bites of the lamb, but it was very tasty. The mushrooms were outstanding– tender, flavorful, perfection. I ate every last one.

The final course was a Tarta de Almendras with Oranges. Basically, it was a buttery almond cake with fresh orange and figs. There was also a cheesy crisp on top, which I thought was sort of strange, but I liked it.

Jenna, Anne, and I decided to skip the Farewell Breakfast this morning to get a head start on our trip up to wine country. (We’re blogging from the bus right now.)

Stay tuned! There are more adventures to come!