Thank you Heather and Aaron: Our dinner at St. John

Last night we went to our favorite restaurant in London (so far), St. John. Our friends Heather and Aaron got us a gift certificate there for our going away/anniversary gift. Thank you, thank you, thank you! For their benefit, I shall now recount our meal in their foodie speak:

We ordered a bottle of Côtes de Provence Domaine de l’Ile (2003) and started with the Langoustines & Mayonnaise and Pig's Spleen with Bacon. The langoustines were enormous and very sweet. The mayonnaise was a bit tangy, so a perfect complement to the sweetness of the meat. One of the langoustines was full of roe, which we learned we could have mixed in with the mayo, but instead we just ate it on its own. The spleen tasted like liver, and was rolled with the bacon into discs. It was served with cornichons, sliced red onions, and vinegar (I think it was red wine vinegar). All of the accompaniments cut the creamy, organy flavor of the spleen.

For our main courses we shared the Chitterlings with Dandelions and Pintail with Jerusalem Artichokes. The bitterness of the dandelions nicely cut the fatty, buttery-richness of the chitterlings. The pintail may have been soaked or cooked in tea, since it tasted slightly of Earl Grey. The meat was a deep burgundy color, and tasted almost like organ meat, which I love! As an added bonus, I found two bird-shot pellets in the meat (by "found" I mean bit down full-force and was afraid I cracked my tooth). For dessert, Leo had a glass of Fernet Branca and I got a glass of Muscat, and we shared a half-dozen fresh, out-of-the-oven Madeleines, which were buttery, airy, and delicious. It was a wonderful meal all around. So thanks again!