New England Trip #4
Allow me to make fun of myself as well as others. One detail of the impressive lunch at The Hermitage that I failed to mention earlier was the very first bite I took.
Michael and Amanda’s enthusiastic description of the food at The Hermitage had me poised to dive in the moment something edible reached our table, and dive in I did. My first glance at the first small plate to arrive suggested it was a soft cheese drizzled in extra virgin olive oil and a balsamic reduction. “Ah!” I thought. “An amuse-bouche right out of the gate. Fresh Vermont cheese. Brilliant.” And without pause, I cut off a generous (but not greedy) portion and popped it in my mouth.
The look on Amanda’s face warned me a second before my taste buds.
It wasn’t cheese at all, but butter. Good butter, sure. Drizzled in olive oil and a balsamic reduction, yes. But straight butter.
No need to chew. Just swallow, gulp water, and deal with the embarrassed flush on my cheeks.
Currently this amuse-bouche faux pas makes my Top Ten Stupid Restaurant Critic Dining Decisions. If the very secrective oversight board that licenses restaurant critics worldwide hears about it, I am sure I will be put on critic probation for at least six months.
