deconstucting minibar

Listen. If you thought you had an amazing significant other, I hate to break this to you. Mine is just better. I have the most thoughtful, smart, funny, and just all around fantastic boyfriend in the whole world. No, no...it's not Roy Halladay (although he is pretty sweet too). MMdW took me to minibar last night as a belated birthday gift and my life will never be the same again. I am still walking on a foamy, cotton candy cloud this morning. Guess what? I took pictures of every magical course. The chefs/physicists made us feel at home in their mad science laboratory of genius. Munchies today, flavors & textures tomorrow, and desserts next week. Let's get into it!
First we got what they called Nitro Sangria. It was just that. Frozen wine, vodka, fruit, lemon zest, and an infused watermelon on the side. Refreshing, freeeezing cold, complex in flavor, but tasted just like what I remember about the best sangrias I've ever tasted.
The Beet Tumbleweed was beautiful. A crispy, fried, salty, sweet bite that we both loved.
Popcorn Empanada. Oh dear sweet Popcorn Empanada. This thing changed my life. Crispy, popcorn shell, with a smooth, buttery, fresh corn filling that was velvet. My life's work is going to revolve around making this filling.
Bagels and Lox was my early favorite. This is my favorite thing to eat when I am back in Philly and when I go to NYC...forget about it. I have my lox and bagel radar ON. Good gracious this little munchie was good. Salmon roe, black sesame, dill, and a fantastic creamy filling.
Sea Bean Tempura was so interesting. I've never seen this type of bean before. They were crisped up and coated in a sweet, savory dusting of fantastic.
Ferrero Rocher. Oh how I loved thee. A golden nugget of hazelnut divinity. This thing popped in your mouth and exploded with hazelnut cream that was intense and tasted just like the original, only way, way, way better.
The trippiest of the munchies was this Blue Cheese and Almond Tart. It was served on ice cold rocks so that the nitrogen frozen marcona almond shell would hold up. It tasted exactly like the salty marcona almond and blue cheese flavor that is so familiar, but it was ice cold and the texture was amazing. Super taste bud trip.
Chicken Skin with Eggs. Holy.chicken. The thigh skin was crispy and amazing. Amazing. I loved this dish so much. Mark was no a huge fan. Too rich fr his blood. It reminded my of Friday night dinner, except way better. The caviar mouse was decadent and utterly amazing. I will remember these bites for years to come.
The Bloody Mary made Mark's eyes light up. Bloody Mary is his girl. This was a icy celery stick, powdered tomatoes, fresh wassabi, celery salt, and Tabasco. It was no my favorite, but watching Mark eat it made my day.
Steamed Pita with Avgotaraho was fantastical. The bun was a steamed, pita cloud. The filling was crispy and amazing. I loved this little bun.
No meal at minibar would be complete without some weird cotton candy. Coco Thai was just that. Coconut cotton candy, sprinkled with black sesame seeds and Thai spices. Yum.
So dainty...
More to come...