a week

Okay, so I said I would post the next day and didn't...in the same articulation of famed celeb Anthony Bourdain chef (whom we met that evening by the way) may I say, too bad.
Seriously though, I can't believe its already been more than a week since we returned home from our fabulous time at SOBE. So here's where I left off:
Saturday night, we donned our black-tie attire and headed to the Loews hotel in South Beach for the Tribute Dinner to Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin. We were more than happy to join the dozens of other accomplished chefs, industry moguls and folks like us who just plain enjoy their food, in honoring Chef Ripert.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by tables of Dom Perignon and passed hors d'oeuvres of caviar and ceviche. Yum! We immeidately spotted Chef Bourdain. I had to tell him that his motto - Don't be a tourist, be a traveler - inspired my own family motto - Live well, travel far, taste everything. Hearing this, he said "Well then cheers," and clinked my glass. The night couldn't get any better - or so I thought. Once the doors open to the ballroom, guests made their way to their seats. We were at table 35. We passed by Martha Stewart, who Luke had a brief conversation with, but once she found out he didn't own the Standard, she quickly said her goodbyes...let Luke tell you the story! We dined on a six course meal where a different chef prepared each course and paired it with a perfectly complimenartary wine. Of course I'll have to post that menu a bit later on the blog. It was great to have met Daniel Boulud of Daniel in NYC - the restaurant that inspired our engagement. The night was magical and the food, wine and friends were a perfect pairing.


Luke, Char and Daniel