The Inn at Little Washington – First Course

I had mentioned that Patrick O’Connell’s sense of whimsy tends to come through in the food he prepares and that is showcased in the First Course selections that Ms  Cocktail and I made. Ms Cocktail has a penchant for oysters so she selected the Quartet of Maine Oyster Slurpees while I went only a touch more mainstream with the Carpaccio of Herb Crusted Baby Lamb with Caesar Salad Ice Cream.

I know, you just did a double take at my selection with the thought of Caesar Salad Ice Cream. We’ll be getting back to that in a minute. We’re going to start with the Slurpees that Ms Cocktail had. In essence, these were nothing more than four oysters on a half shell except that they had one very significant twist. Each one came with its own flavoring in the form of a sorbet. Tequila and passion fruit, balsamic and cocktail sauce, cucumber, and wasabi were all given this treatment and proved a wonderful accompaniment to the oysters.

Now, back to the Caesar Salad Ice Cream. Actually, I’ll start with the Carpaccio of Herb Crusted Baby Lamb first (Just as an aside, isn’t baby and lamb redundant?). The lamb was pounded wafer thin and laid out on the plate with a beautiful swoosh of fresh herbs. Strategically placed quenelles of the Caesar Salad Ice Cream were placed on top of the lamb and a Romaine lettuce leaf was used to hold grated parmesan cheese for topping. It was amazing how the ice cream exactly captured the flavor of Caesar salad dressing which provided an excellent counterpoint for the carpaccio.

Next up, the Second Course.