For the first time in almost two years, we were able to hold a “normal” RCC at someone’s home rather than a restaurant. I have to say – it was great to be back to normal. While there are some benefits to going to a restaurant – certainly in terms of cleanup — nothing beats the warmth of being hosted in someone’s home. Also, assuming you have the right chef, the quality is going to be better – and we had the right chef. Chef Amrom Pitterman has cooked for us once before and everyone is impressed. He further upped his game this RCC. Besides being inventive, one of the most difficult tasks for a chef is being able to put out multiple courses that will be able to carry heavy red wines without breaking the budget. I have to say, most chefs fail there. But Amrom put out a single fish course, which was good for the whites and PN that we had, and from then it was all red meat – which certainly worked well for the wines involved. The lamb and short ribs were truly standouts. Another challenge is keeping the desserts truly inventive, while complimenting the wine. At best, usually you get a dish that can work with but not necessarily enhance the wine being served with it. Not true here – this was one of the most inventive desserts we have had – smoked chocolate mousse and sous vide lemon curd with candied ginger, nori, and a blueberries coulis. On paper, there are elements there that shouldn’t work together – but when you think about it – it actually has many flavors you would find in wine descriptors, and they played extremely well with the port that we had for dessert. A really smart and tasty dish and pairing. All in all it was a great evening highlighted by some VERY fine wines – some of them historic bottles (like the first fully kosher Castel Grand Vin release and the first Mia Luce release). Speaking of wines, let’s get to the notes….