AS ONE DOOR CLOSES, A BRIGHT, SHINY NEW ONE OPENS...

Thursday night was bittersweet for me and my fellow diners as we enjoyed one of the final PushStart dinners…EVER! For each of us, there was the realization that there will be no more gatherings of strangers around that beautiful communal table. No future opportunities to dine and converse with new found friends brought together by a shared passion for great food and a great dining experience delivered by the very talented duo:  Zach and Christina Meloy. And sadly, no more final shots of Moonshine to cap an amazing evening.

That was the bitter, but the sweet is that we all walked away thrilled that we will join Zach and Christina as they embark on their next adventure…a new restaurant called Better Half. Many of us PushStart regulars have watched them dream and drive toward this goal and we are excited to watch the new door open …and walk through for more amazing meals. So a toast to Zach and Christina. We love you for sharing your home and your passion for food. We wish you great success with Better Half. We can’t wait for the doors to open!

So…for the final meal…

As always, Zach poured his heart, soul and creativity into the final meal. Every course built on the last in terms of flavor, textures and the subtle nuance of heat that I love so much. For the Tasteless Gourmand, these textural combinations and heat “runs” across courses provided tremendous depth to the meal.

Enjoy...

Roasted Pumpkin Soup, Coconut Panna Cotta, Onion Relish, Chile Serrano

I am the first to admit that I am not a huge pumpkin fan, but Zach won me over with this one. The silkiness of the soup combined with the creaminess of the panna cotta and the back-end heat of the chile Serrano was amazing. If only I could get my soup that silky!

Chicken Confit, Napa Cabbage, Beets, Chestnut, Golden Raisin

It was the perfect little package of goodness…and the beets were a bonus for me since I love them! I heard a few of my fellow diners who are not beet fans lament that they now may have to expand their beet repertoire. Zach has an amazing knack for converting non-INSERT FOOD eaters into fans!

Pork Tenderloin, Crispy Pig Ear, Platano Maduro, Ancho-Dried Plum

Folks…you just can’t go wrong with Pork Tenderloin that is soooo tender you can cut it with a butter knife and pig ear! For those that might say, “never, not me,” you have no idea what you’re missing. DELISH!

Palette Cleanser; Lemon-Ginger Sorbet, Gingerbread Puree

Lemon and gingerbread? Never in my wildest dreams would I have put the two together, but the ginger tied the two together beautifully.

Salted Caramel Flan, Spice Cake, Caramel Apple, Macadamia Praline

This has to be one of my all-time favorite Zach Meloy desserts. I am a sucker for Salted Caramel ANYTHING! The combination of the salted caramel, spice cake and apples was Fall on a plate!

And as always…to cap things off – Candy and Cordials. For this final dinner, Zach gave a nod to his southern roots with a Sweet Tea Moonshine!

The final, final dinner was held last night, but today is a new day and one step closer to Better Half!

As always, I am…the Tasteless Gourmand!