Mr. and Ms. S&C have been married seven years now. It has become a tradition to celebrate the occasion with a super fancy dinner – one of those dinners you can only afford once a year. After year one, we went to Marcels, and we’re still talking about the duck confit and chesnut soup we had. Last year, we visited the tasting room at Restaurant Eve, and it was a marathon of 12 courses. On Saturday night, we headed to CityZen, at the Mandarin Oriental, with high expectations.
We opted for the amazing six course tasting menu and the sommelier’s wine pairing. Before I get to the food and wine, let me say that they do everything right over at CityZen. They anticipate your every need, and no detail is too small.
The gentleman started the evening off with a Chivas and soda. He appreciated that the soda was served on the side, so you can add as much, or as little, as you want. The lady began with one of the restaurant’s signature cocktails, the Peachy Keen, made with a peach-ginger flavored vodka, iced tea, and peach puree. It tasted like peach iced tea and was a little too sweet for my liking. That’s okay, she knew she had six rounds ahead of her.
The complete tasting menu and sommelier’s pairing is below. The first course of tuna was paired with an excellent, light Reisling that wasn’t too sweet. The sweet Semillon, however, was a perfect match for the rich foie gras. The branzino may have been my favorite course, and it was paired with one of my favorite types of wine, Pinot Noir. An earthy Grenache/Mourvedre accompanied the succulent veal shortribs. A trio of micro-brewed beers was a surprise pairing for the plentiful cheese cart that was wheeled over. And lastly, Port was served with dessert, which was probably my least favorite course. While a fun idea, I just didn’t love the warm peanut butter and jelly concoction.
CityZen’s Tasting Menu and Pairing
CONFIT OF BLUEFIN TUNA AND TORO SASHIMI WITH HEIRLOOM POTATO SALAD AND PEPPER AOLI
2005 Schloss Gobelsburg, Urgestein
Reisling
Kremstal, Austria
SAUTEED MOULARD DUCK FOIE GRAS WITH MISSION FIGS AND CELERY BRANCH
2005 Margan Family
Botrytis Semillon
Hunter Valley, Australia
CRISPY SKIN FILET OF MEDITERRANEAN BRANZINO WITH ROAST GARLIC CAVATELLI, DRIED SAUSAGE, ITALIAN PARSLEY AND BOTTARGA DE MULLET
1999 Lignier-Michelot
Pinot Noir
Chambolle-Musigny, France
BRAISED MARCHO FARMS VEAL SHORTRIBS WITH SAVOY CABBAGE, CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS AND BEURRE COLBERT
2005 Domaine de Font Sane, Terrasses des Dentelles
Grenache/Mourvedre
Gigondas, France
ASSORTED ARTISANAL CHEESES
Trio of Micro Brews
Hofbrau Munche Hefe Weizen
Brooklyn Brown Ale
North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
PEANUT BUTTER AND VALRHONA CHOCOLATE CHIBOUST WITH TERRAPIN STATION CONCORD GRAPE SAUCE
1995 Smith Woodhouse Late Bottle Vintage
Touriga Nacional/Tinta Cao
Duoro, Portugal
Assorted artisanal cheeses paired with a trio of micro-brewed beers at CityZen
All in all, I can’t imagine a better dining experience, or a better way to spend my last seven years.
posted by Ms. S&C
Shoes & Cocktails 
That sounds amazing! How fun.
How awesome that they served beer with your cheese course? Was that a surprise or did they announce it ahead of time?
Of course the most important question. What kind of shoes did you wear?
Sounds like a fabulous night. Hope the parker house rolls lived up to expectations!
A funny thing about the parker house rolls — the guy with the bread box came by early in the evening and offered us a choice of 3 breads. I was very concerned because none of them were the parker house rolls. So, I asked, anxiously, “What about the parker house rolls? Do you have them?” He calmly told me that they would be served with the main course. Whew!
I’m pretty sure the beer was mentioned on the tasting and sommelier menu, but we didn’t pay attention.
As for shoes, I wore black patent BCBG heels. I’m so regretting that we didn’t get a picture b/c I think we both looked great. But, I’m weird about asking strangers to take pictures of us.