Page 15 of Scribbled Excellence

“Well, this is definitely an experience. I really appreciate it. You are speaking to my artistic heart. I love that you can find the art in life.” That was a hard thing to do for a lot of people, even artistic ones.

We talked about the palette cleanser and other things until the server came out to clear the table for the first course. It felt like I sat on pins and needles as we waited. I had never been this excited on a date. Add that I loved to eat good food, I was in heaven.

“I know you’re going to like this next one,” Kyro said with a smile. During our phone and video conversations, he asked a lot about what I liked to eat. Now I got it.

The server came out again with a smile and two plates. “Ma’am and sir, your first course,Negative Space, is an appetizing blue crab, lump crab cake, lemon aioli with charred corn succotash and finished with pickled watermelon radish and fresh herbs.”

My eyes moved between the plate that the server set in front of us and Kyro. “It’s like edible art. I almost don’t want to eat it.”

“Girl, you better eat that crab cake. I paid good money for that blue crab,” he said with a titter.

I giggled. “I didn’t say that I wasn’t going to eat it. I’m about to tear this up! It smells so good. Extra points for the crab cake since you know that I love crabs.”

The crab cake was as good as it smelled. It was seasoned perfectly, and you could tell the herbs and spices were fresh.So much pussy! I am going to give him so much pussy.

At this rate, I would be full before the main course. Who was I kidding? I could eat a whole crab boil and would still want dessert. We talked about the art around us as we enjoyed the first course. About ten minutes after it was brought out, a different server came out to clear the table and refresh our drinks.

Kyro leaned forward on the table. “I need to sketch you so that I can hang you on my wall. Beauty like yours needs to be captured in every way.”

I leaned forward to match his energy. “I’ll let you sketch me if you let me sketch you. That sounds like a fair trade.”

“Yeah, that’s the shit I love to hear. We can do that,” he said with vigor. His hand reached across the table and grabbed mine.

Our stare was intense. We had a conversation with our eyes; no words needed to be uttered. The smell of brown sugarinvaded my senses and pulled me back to the date at hand. The server’s eyes were bright as if he carried the bell of the ball in his hands.

“Mr. Goings, based on the flavor profiles that you sent over for each of you, our chef thought that it was best to create separate masterpieces for each of you. You also mentioned that you two will more than likely share.”

He chuckled quietly. More than likely, he saw my reaction to the whole share nonsense. I was not a fan of sharing food, especially if it was good food.This is our first date, so I guess I can share . . . maybe.

He continued once he got himself together. “Mr. Goings, for your masterpiece . . .” He lowered the plate in front of him. “You have two herb-crusted filet medallions. They are accompanied by a cloud of whipped garlic mashed potatoes. The charred asparagus is graciously spread across the plate as intentional as brushstrokes on a Tomorrow Bennett’s piece.”

Again, he paused. My cheeks warmed and my ear tilted toward my shoulder. He knew who I was. When my attention connected with Kyro, he smiled with a wink.

“The glossy red wine reduction adds the added flavor that enhances the dish to perfection,” the server concluded.

I stared at Kyro’s plate.Maybe sharing isn’t such a bad idea.I surely planned to ask for a piece of that steak.

“Miss Bennett, we were made aware of your love of seafood.” He set the plate in front of me.Art, we are eating fucking art.“Tonight, you have Atlantic salmon that is perfectly seared to perfection, rested on a bed of sweet potato purée so smooth that it looks painted onto the clay plate. We have deep orange, ivory, gold, and purple honey-glazed carrots that appear to give the emerald broccolini a high five. The salmon is crowned with crispy shallots. The brown sugar sage sauce rims the plate like highlighted excellence. The beautiful flowers that decorate yourplate are, of course, edible, and the microgreens pull it all together for a complete masterpiece.”

Wow! He said something before he walked away from the table, but I was too caught up in the beauty of the plate. It was hard because all night, I wanted to take photos of the dishes. The hesitation was that I wanted to stay in the moment of tonight. Yes, this would have been great content, but I wanted to hold this sacred between me and Kyro.

Seconds after the server left, a man came out with two females trailing closely behind him. “Good evening, Mr. Goings and Miss Bennett. My name is José, your sommelier for tonight. I wanted to personally bring out your wine pairing for tonight.”

One of the ladies stepped forward. She flipped over a glass that was in her hand and set it on the table. Next, she held out a bottle of wine toward Kyro that showed the label.

The sommelier pointed to the bottle. “For your dish, sir, you needed something that was bold enough to not be overpowered by the herb-crusted beef. You need something that is masculine and confident like yourself. Cabernet Sauvignon from theBasil-Sand Lineis perfect for this challenge. The red wine reduction is complemented by the rich black cherry, blackberry, cedar, and cocoa note in this bottle.Basil-Sand Linedid an amazing job with the balance of the tannins. It cuts through the richness of the filet but does not overwhelm it. This wine fits the dish and your personality.”

I willed my mouth not to drop open by his explanation of the wine pairing. This kind of experience were things that you saw on television on those high saditty shows. This was the type of thing that you would expect at a $1,000 a plate fundraising dinner. I couldn’t wait until he got to me.

Kyro took a sip from the wineglass, then nodded. “This is perfect. I have not had wine from this line, but I am familiar with their beer.”

José nodded. “Yes, their beer is superb as well. Let’s move on to you, Miss Bennett. Oaked Chardonnay is the choice to match the richness of your salmon with its buttery texture. The brown sage sauce needed to be perfectly complemented. Once again,Basil-Sand Linedid a phenomenal job on the notes that makes this wine so great. The citrus, baked apple, vanilla, and toasted oak is that perfect compliment.

“This wine speaks to your elegance, Miss Bennett, as well as your gentleness. You are a force to be reckoned with. You also know when to pull back to not be overpowering which is an important part of that excellence.” José’s words were absolute and appreciated.

The other young lady poured my glass. I took a sip and immediately appreciated everything that he said about it. I drank wine, but it wasn’t this level of wine. Whatever the grocery store sold was what I drank.

After he made sure that we approved of the wine, José and the ladies were on their way. Kyro picked up his fork, then glanced at me. “Ready to taste these masterpieces.”