The Shop Tart needed a bit of cheering up. It comforted her to believe the collaborative effort between Chef Alex duMonde of Baan Sawan and Chef Tim Peters of Motor Supply was just for her - and all the other lucky diners on Sunday at Motor Supply. The mood was exactly the way the Shop Tart likes it, mellow and fun. Motor owner Eddie Wales, the two chefs and Baan Sawan co-owner and oeno-therapist Sam were having a great time, admiring each other right and left. With all due respect to her own husband, Eddie, Tim and Alex’s wives and Sam’s significant other, the Shop Tart must take a moment to offer a word of advice to her male readers: Mutual admiration is sexy as h*ll. Snarky competitiveness - as opposed to the good-natured kind - is just not sexy. After dinner, a conversation was had - the Shop Tart will not say by whom, to protect the more or less innocent. One of the men wanted to know why women often referred to something as “cute” or “adorable” when it was actually “sexy as h*ll.” The Shop Tart enjoyed her fair share of feminist theory and women’s studies classes in college, as well as some reading on her own, and launched into a brief but rambling explanation of society’s expectations about women’s sexuality and the fact that many women are taught to ignore or subjugate it. She also mentioned the theory that some eating disorders are triggered by that fact rather than skinny ladies in magazines. This lecture got boring, though it was met with approval by her lady friends.

The confidence to admire other people’s skills is always sexy, especially when their expertise lies in the same area as your own. Especially if you are working with those other people to feed the Shop Tart one of the best meals she has ever enjoyed, with some of the best wines she has ever had the pleasure of drinking. That’s hot. Without further ado…

The extravaganza began with boiled peanuts. That’s right. Where’d you think you were, fancy pants? Boston? The Shop Tart has the utmost respect and enthusiasm for legumes boiled in the traditional manner (with lots of salt water, for a whole day before being taken off the heat and soaked overnight). But these were no ordinary boiled peanuts. They were pad Thai boiled peanuts with stained glass cilantro, paired expertly with Victory’s Golden Monkey beer. The Shop Tart is not a beer drinker, but Sam recently introduced her to a beer she liked and she could mos def imagine enjoying a cold one with boiled peanuts and shrimp. Please note that these photos do not convey the presentation as well as they could, as the Shop Tart and her party requested seats at the bar, which is slightly sloped.

After just the right amount of time had passed, round two arrived. Oh. My. Gosh. Did you know there was such a thing as rice grits? Did you know they are really good prepared with coconut milk, half and half and butter? And topped with wild shrimp, lemongrass and Kafir lime broth? Well they are. Every diner the Shop Tart asked named this as one of their favorites of the evening. The toasted coconut on top was perfect.

That course and the salad following it were paired with Cristom ‘07 pinot gris from Oregon. The wines came from Advintage wine rep Danielle Iskrzak Robinson, who worked with Sam on the pairings. She was seated at the bar, too, and is a heck of a lot of fun as well as verrah knowledgeable. (Look for her tastings around town.)

The pinot gris also went well with the salad of local greens, pickled onion and quail egg.

In between courses, the chefs and Sam would give brief explanations, peppered with jokes and plenty of ribbing. They wanted diners to enjoy the meal and know what they were eating and drinking, not write a thesis about it.

If you are interested in a more expert - and sober - take on the wine and food pairings, take a look at Baan Sawan’s blog. The next course was a spiced miso consommé with poached frog legs and foie gras stuffed in a Shiitaki mushroom.

The wine with that course and the next was Bilton Estate’s 2004 Matt Black blend of shiraz, merlot and petit verdot. Heck yeah, it was.

The following course, paired with the same wine, was also a crowd favorite. What’s not to love about Thai-braised local Caw Caw Creek bacon in a natural reduction? Heaven! Again, the lopsided presentation is due to the slope of the bar, not any unbalance in the kitchen.

Next came a lime sorbet to cleanse the palate.

The sorbet was paired with Avinyo cava rosado, which was much-appreciated as you can see from the empty bottle. One of the diners brought it from his table to the bar to chat. (Wonder if he was looking for a re-fill? One of the many advantages of sitting at the bar is a friendly pour.)

The cava mixed with the remains of the lime sorbet wasn’t a bad idea at all. Sipped through a straw and super-fancy, y’all.

The main course was a divine combination: Beef tenderloin tournedos topped with red curry-poached black cod and lobster and finished with a ponzu demiglace. Sommelier Sam, who also happens to be Chef Alex’s brother, mused, “As with a lot of things my brother does, [this dish] complicates my life.” Pairing a wine with a course that has a little bit of everything is a challenge. Sam rose to it with gleeful enthusiasm. Are you surprised? Sam’s words are far better than the Shop Tart’s:

now. the main course of tenderloin, cod, and lobster in a citrusy demiglace was an expression of indulgence for my brother, who is quite fond of food on top of food on top of other foods. and if he can wrap one in another he’s especially happy. but he’s not really a wine drinker and this combination is a terror when i felt the need to pair the main course with a red. a good, rich graves bordeaux blend would’ve worked great but i feel like the general expectation for a main course is a red wine. working with my wine rep we settled on the domaine des tours vaucluse, a bright, smooth blend of grenache, cunoise, cinsault, syrah, and merlot from the south east of france. i was so happy with how this turned out as there was enough richness of flavor for the red meat, brightness of red fruit and acid for the seafood and the fresh fruit quality it had (as opposed to ripe or cooked fruit) played nicely with the ponzu demiglace.

Et le vin.

The Shop Tart can take or leave dessert. In this case? A resounding “take.” The ginger and coconut panna cotta with Thai coffee crème anglaise and peanut lace was exactly as fusion-tastic as you imagine. But better.

And may we present the chefs, who like each other a whole lot. And might be mad at the Shop Tart for this photo. But she likes it.

So…missed the dinner? This Sunday, they are having another one at Motor Supply. The Shop Tart is 100 percent sure it will be amazing. See you there!

Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!

P.S. Don’t forget to comment on Monday’s post to be entered to win tickets to John Tudor’s amazing magic show at Cromer’s on Saturday. Let the Shop Tart and your fellow readers know what your favorite party favor is. Favor suggestions for adults, children and pets welcome. The drawing will be random, so even if you feel your suggestion is not the most creative, please share!

P.P.S. Kicks on Devine Street is also still rocking a sidewalk sale, so go now to take advantage of great deals. On Friday, all the sale goods will be moved to Kicks in Lexington for a sidewalk sale out there. Ready, set, go!

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