Kimberley & Al Graham
Albert Robert Graham celebrated his 68th birthday on June 9, 2012 with his family and friends making a weekend of it. To top off the celebrations, we dined at Mistral, the fine-dining restaurant at Loew’s Coronado Bay Resort. Hosted by our son and daughter, Ariel and Austin Graham, we were treated to the best of cuisine d’arte all graciously served by none other than my son, Austin, who was our waiter extraordinaire!
Chef Patrick Ponsaty, who was recently named Maitre Cuisinier de France (Master Chef of France), personally prepared our savory Mediterranean faire. Master Chef Patrick joins an elite group of chefs honored by this appointment, a title that is one of the most envied in the culinary world. As a fifth-generation French chef, Mistral’s Chef de Cuisine, has the recognition of many awards over his 30-year career.
So as you can imagine when Chef Patrick rolled out the red carpet of culinary excellence just for our celebration, we were ecstatically thrilled – our palates dazzled by the cuisine d’faire. Course after course were presented to us each personally selected from the Master Chef’s favorites in a showcase of culinary delight. We sampled almost everything on the menu paired with the finest aperitifs, libations, and wines culminating our experience in the most delectable selection of desserts from the patisserie d’Mistral.
Amongst our samplings included these starters: Dungeness Crab Salad with Tomato Water, Avocado and Herb Salad ; Tuna Tartar with Sea Weed, Citrus and Avocado Mosaic; Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Port Wine Sauce; Followed by these select Entrees: Brandt Beef Tenderloin Hickory Wood with Chestnut, Cardamom and Poivrade Sauce; Squid Ink Risotto with Calamari Steak and Pimiento; Sea Bass Geranium with Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cannelloni and Pearl Onions; Slow-Cooked Kurobuta Pork Loin Stuffed with Sweetbreads; Grilled Colorado Lamb Chop with Eggplant Caviar; and our collective Sweet Tooth was more than satisfied by desserts such as: Strawberry Consomme Lime-Geranium Ice Cream; Tahitian Vanilla and Rose Crème Brulee; Bisou au Chocolat (A French Kiss from Chef Patrick); and Rose Velvet with White Chocolate Mousse and Saffron Raspberry Sorbet.
Ingredients Par Excellence for a Wonderful Celebration, wouldn’t you say? Thank you Chef Patrick for making Al’s Birthday so wonderfully memorable!
Plan your special celebration at:
Mistral Restaurant on Coronado Bay
Loews Coronado Bay Resort
4000 Coronado Bay Road
Coronado, CA 92118
(619) 424-4000
(AND REMEMBER TO ASK FOR AUSTIN GRAHAM, MISTRAL’S WAITER EXTRAORDINAIRE!!)