The first of many in 2019

We are doing a long-awaited catch-up with Diva at Neighborhood, and someone was craving for some ro ro.  Spanish ro ro, in fact... so we obviously have come to the right place as Rubia Galega is one of the staples on the menu.

Fried padron peppers / Raclette cheese - surprised to see Raclette make an appearance.  I did think, though, that the peppers were a little too charred.

Black truffle chicken wings - always a nice choice.  Who doesn't like chicken wings?

Scallops / escargot butter - this was a daily special recommended by Shirley.  The scallops from Oita Prefecture (大分県), and came with parsley butter and breadcrumbs.  Not bad at all.

80 day dry aged Spanish Rubia Gallega bone in loin - Diva was very happy about getting some Spanish beef again, and this certainly looked very impressive.  We were recommended to take the bone marrow with caviar along with our beef.

I absolutely loved the strong flavors coming from cattle this old. WHY, YES! I DO like it when my beef tastes like cheese. Blue cheese, to be exactly.  And let's add some bone marrow and caviar on top, while we're at it!  Oh man... Will you just look at that strip of yellow fat down the side??

Black truffle mashed potatoes - for once, I did take some of the mashed potatoes with my main course.  No, a little black truffle never hurt nobody...

Canelés - no dessert for us, but I was always happy to take some canelés.

2014 Ganevat Les Grands Teppes Vieilles Vignes - minerals and enough ripeness on the nose.  Damn! That acidity on the palate!  It's not lean or steely, though... still round and ripe.  A little flinty.

2014 Inglenook Rubicon - decanted for more than 30 minutes.  Very sweet on the palate.  Lots of mint, green pepper, forest, with exotic spices, coconut butter, vanilla, and almost a hint of leather.  So Californian.

2015 Andre Perret Merlot - ripe with stewed black fruits.  Pretty alcoholic.

A very happy meal for all.  As usual this is the restaurant I visit most each year, but I "only" came 9 times in 2018.  Let's see how many meals it will be in 2019!