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wine lockers for their<br />
frequent patrons. I won’t<br />
disclose all the celebrities<br />
whose names adorn the<br />
lockers, but I’ll say one<br />
goes by the nickname “The<br />
Governator”.<br />
I was already in heaven<br />
and dinner had not even<br />
begun. We had the great<br />
pleasure of meeting two<br />
of the owners, one being<br />
the head chef. I told him<br />
to bring us whatever<br />
he wanted. The rest of<br />
my party seemed a bit<br />
perplexed by this, but<br />
having written many dining<br />
reviews in my career, I<br />
found this request to be<br />
not only fun for me, but<br />
also exciting for the chefs<br />
as they get to prepare their<br />
favorite dishes – some of<br />
which I probably would not<br />
have ordered on my own.<br />
We began with their<br />
famous Abalone Bisque, a<br />
smooth bisque prepared<br />
with bacon, chives,<br />
and Madeira wine. This<br />
specialty was served<br />
at President Reagan’s<br />
Inauguration. Talk about<br />
historic. The bisque was<br />
followed by one of the<br />
day’s specials, a panseared<br />
sea scallop over<br />
foie gras. I’ll admit, I’m<br />
not a big fan of foie gras,<br />
but I do love scallops.<br />
They paired perfectly<br />
together. Next came one<br />
of the chef’s favorite<br />
dishes, Linguini Carbonara,<br />
homemade pasta prepared<br />
with Parmesan & Romano<br />
cheeses, egg, scallions,<br />
chives, pancetta, and black<br />
pepper. Growing up in New<br />
York, I had this dish many<br />
times, but this was the<br />
best I’ve ever had…and my<br />
favorite dish of the entire<br />
trip.<br />
Chef Cutino decided<br />
we’d not tried enough of<br />
his dishes, so he brought<br />
us his version of surf and<br />
turf which in this case was<br />
veal and lobster. To end<br />
the evening, he brought<br />
us delectable Chocolate<br />
Dipped Bonbons served<br />
over dry ice – which made<br />
for great Instagram photos<br />
and videos, in addition to<br />
his homemade Chocolate<br />
Kahlua Cinnamon gelato,<br />
and “The Factory” spumoni.<br />
I’m still dieting!<br />
It was the perfect way to<br />
end a much-needed vacation<br />
by the sea. Being by the<br />
water always relaxes me and<br />
of course, being surrounded<br />
by great people and great<br />
food never hurts either.<br />
Joey Amato is the founder and<br />
publisher of Pride Journeys,<br />
an LGBTQ travel website and a<br />
syndicated column. For more<br />
LGBTQ travel ideas, please visit<br />
www.pridejourneys.com.<br />
CHEERS! / NOV+DEC <strong>2020</strong> / focusmidtenn.com / Page 35
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