Scratch

The CFO and I went to Asheville over the weekend to partake of the special Valentine's Day dinner at Scratch, the restaurant where Matteo is the Chef de Cuisine.

Knowing Matteo, it's difficult to believe that he actually posed for a photograph! It was, however, part of the job for a restaurant review.

The CFO, Biscuit, her mother Patricia, and I had a very nice window table for our five-course dinner:

Amuse Bouche - Blue Point Oyster with champagne vinegar mignonette and watercress sprouts

Mâche Greens Salad with pistachio goat cheese 'truffle', blood orange supremes and pomegranate vinaigrette

Ginger-Scallion Crusted Red Snapper with shitake miso gelee and quick-braised bok choy

Beef Cheek and Ricotta Cheese Ravioli with caramelised cipollini onions and tomato-wild mushroom ragout

Milk Chocolate Cheesecake with toasted meringue and home-made cinnamon Graham cracker

We opted to go with their wine pairing (French brut, Austrian veltliner, California viognier, Italian valpolicella, and Australian tokay) which brought the prix-fixe dinner and pairing to $90 per person but that included tax and service. Most enjoyable.

Following dinner, the four of us ambled over to Cucina24, the restaurant where Biscuit is the Pâtissier (Pastry Chef), for after-dinner drinks and coffee. After a five-course dinner at Scratch, however, we were not ready to take on any of Biscuit's creations. Accordingly, we settled for descriptions of them.

Scratch has already received several restaurant reviews in the Asheville tabloids. Here is one that's online.