Black Mussel Soufflé

Memories of the past frame questions of the future

Last night was “late” for me - had a meeting that went until 9:00pm. I laugh as I write that at 5:45am, over an hour since I woke up. Almost a year into pandemic quarantine and it all seems so normal to get up at 4:30 and go to sleep at 9:00. Cook dinner at 5:00 (the tail end of the Early Bird Special hour!) and settle down with a good book¹.

All of this had me thinking about how much I miss the experience of fine dining. I have been fortunate enough over my life to visit restaurants around the country and the globe, and there is no substitute for a perfect meal perfectly served. The hours spent enjoying food and wine, fine service, and the joyful conversation with dinner companions are treasured memories.

I was thinking back to one of the most memorable of those meals, so many decades ago, with a dear friend. The restaurant was Aqua in San Francisco, and the course that fundamentally changed my perception of food was the Black Mussel Soufflé. The young chef, Michael Mina, would go on to create a major restaurant group. But it was that evening, and that dish, that helped me see that food could be elevated to something magical, almost addictive, an experience to be chased and repeated.

Will the world return to fine dining as we once knew it? Do I think it is reasonable anymore to spend hundreds of dollars on a single meal? What are my priorities after this year of being home, rising early, making lunch and dinner (with the regular take-out from local restaurants), settling into bed for sleep?

Now I choose restaurants for take-out that need my financial support more than I really need their food. I bought half a case of wine from one of the most celebrated restaurant groups in the country to help support their worker relief fund. The notion of what I want to spend my money on has changed significantly. I also know I can make that Soufflé at home and it tastes pretty darn good.

Will the world return to fine dining as we once knew it? I hope not. I hope that fine dining will change like the rest of us, find new ways to deliver intoxicating experiences and also be sensitive to the economic, social, and environment realities of 2021 and beyond.

We all must ask ourselves what we will do differently tomorrow based on what we have learned today.

1. I am reading The Ministry for the Future, Notes On Suicide, and If/Then right now. I usually have 3-5 books going at once, allowing me to shift based on my mood. I can recommend all three of these.