After seeing the menu of Dominique Kitchen’s 3rd Anniversary, I wasn’t excited. Five of the dishes contained green peppercorns – including green peppercorn ice cream. While I like green peppercorns, I usually like more diversity in a single meal.

Fortunately I was able to overcome my fear with an almost all green peppercorn menu. Instead, I refocused myself and decided to place my complete trust Dominique’s culinary abilities. Had I not been able to do that, I would not have been able to experience this event.

The event was sold out and I was happy that I made my reservation early enough to get a table in the main dining room.

kirroyaleThe evening began with a complimentary glass of Kir Royale. This is Dominique’s signature drink which kicks off his special event dinners.

Since my wife and I have contrasting tastes, we usually order different dishes. For me, it’s great because I get to sample the dish that I didn’t order.

Organic tomato soup topped with a crostini with goat cheese and green peppercorns
Organic tomato soup topped with a crostini with goat cheese and green peppercorns

My wife ordered the organic tomato, garlic and artichoke soup. It was topped with green peppercorn and goat cheese crostini. The soup was creamy with a pronounced tomato flavor and a touch of garlic. The small amount of green peppercorns in the goat cheese was a nice contrast to the soup.

Country pate with cornichons. Not pictured are the crostini.
Country pate with cornichons. Not pictured are the crostini.

I ordered the country French pate with green peppercorn gelee and cornichons. It wasn’t until I visited France that I really started enjoying pate. Dominique makes his own pate and you would might expect, it was quite tasty. The cornichons were flavorful and crunchy.

Filet mignon with green peppercorn and brandy reduction sauce
Filet mignon with green peppercorn and brandy reduction sauce

My wife ordered the filet mignon with green peppercorn and brandy reduction sauce. The steak was perfectly cooked and sliced like a piece of butter. The green peppercorn and brandy reduction sauce excellently paired with the steak. Underneath was a goat cheese and truffle polenta with a small side of fresh asparagus.

Chilean sea bass with green peppercorn and champagne butter
Chilean sea bass with green peppercorn and champagne butter

My entree was the Chilean sea bass with green peppercorn and champagne butter. The sea bass was nicely seared on the outside to give it a crispy exterior and the interior was moist and flakey.The honey and carrot puree was very simple and yet it was absolutely delicious.

Spanish manchego cheese with dried fruit
Spanish manchego cheese with dried fruit

Slices of Spanish manchego cheese with dried fruit was served as our fourth course. This paired quite nicely with the Spanish red wine that was poured.

Lemon Tart with vanilla ice cream mixed with green peppercorns
Lemon Tart with vanilla ice cream mixed with green peppercorns

I selected the lemon tart with green peppercorn ice cream for my dessert. The lemon tart was nicely brûléed and the peppercorns were mixed into vanilla ice cream making it a unique experience.

Macarons
Macarons

My wife was so full she had to have the macarons packed to go.

Throughout the evening, complimentary wine was being poured to all of their guests. Because I was so intrigued with the food, I didn’t jot down the wines that I sampled. We started off with a light muscadet. One of my favorites was a red Spanish blend. Hitching Post Pinot Noir even made its way to our table.

If you haven’t had a chance to experience one of the special events at Dominique’s Kitchen, I recommend you to do. Sign up on their mailing list because they tend to sell out quickly.

Dominique’s Kitchen