A Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Tasting Dinner

The other night we went to a great dinner at John Elways's Restaurant at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Denver.  There was a Glenmorangie single malt scotch whisky dinner in their private dining room and six different scotchs were served that evening.  Of all the six, I liked the Lasanta the best because of its sherry overtones.

The first course were some deliciously pan-fried sweet breads with finely shaved fennel and asparagus dressed with a sprinkling of walnuts and a blood orange vinaigrette.  I thought this was the best dish of the evening but I would have preferred a vinaigrette with a really good, aged balsamic vinegar.

The next course was seared duck agnolotti (Agnolotti is Italian for priest's hats - small, crescent shaped ravioli) with a puree of butternut squash topped with a citrus cream and ground hazelnuts.  The butternut puree was a bit too sweet and I would have thought 
deep-fried crispy shallots would have added a better dimension to the overall dish instead of the ground hazelnuts.

The third course was three, large seared scallops with a minted cauliflower puree with a dollop of caviar on each scallop and drizzled with a ginger oil.  Perfectly seared scallops.  Wish there was more of the ginger oil though.

By now, I am totally stuffed but I had to have at least two bites of the braised short ribs that that just fell apart when I put my fork into it.  
It was a sold out event and because of the over whelming interest in the dinner, there were around 65 people there than the original planned crowd of 30 some.  The portions were generous and the presentation of each dish was very punctual.  A different chef prepared each course and he came into the dining room to explain it.  It was a very enjoyable evening and I certainly would go back for another special dinner.   OK, now I am hungry again!