Excerpt Fifty One

“In the orchestra of cuisine, the saucier is the soloist” Richard Blaise

Not wanting to trust my own feelings, I texted back, accepting his invitation. He quickly replied that he would pick me up from the Château Gaillard at noon the next day. I told myself to buckle up and get in the right mindset for a date. I would be a fool not to accept a Sunday date with a cute French winemaker. I was in wine school, for goodness’ sake, and only an idiot would turn that down. If nothing else, I would experience more of Bordeaux and have a nice day. I told Cedric and Claire that I would see Julien the next day. They looked at each other and smiled.

It was approaching noon on the day of our date, and Julien would be arriving any minute. I had thrown on jeans, sandals, and a black, fitted shirt. I was still sun-kissed from the beach and was finally feeling rested and replenished. The depressive feeling from the night before had passed, and today was a new day. I was glad I had accepted Julien’s invite and told myself to drop the pressure I was inflicting upon myself. This was not so serious and didn’t need to mean so much. I watched Julien pull up in front of the chateau. As French women are more aloof, I decided to act the same. I would wait for him to knock on the large door as to not look like I had been waiting punctually for him. Knock he did, and we exchanged bisous, a hug, and he complimented my appearance.

We got in the car, and he proceeded to tell me that he was taking me on a drive to see the hidden roads of Saint-Émilion. Then we would go to lunch at a nice restaurant he was fond of in Pomerol. We had a great conversation the whole car ride, and I enjoyed his company and the scenic drive. We arrived at a restaurant called La Table de Catusseau. Nice was an understatement; this was a beautiful place, Michelin-starred and hidden on a charming road. I would have never found it left to my own devices, but Julien said he was a regular and led me down a pathway to the entrance. I will never forget the absolutely delicious Beef Wellington I ordered and devoured that day. It was perfectly cooked, with buttery mushrooms and creamy, maple-glazed sweet potatoes. A melt-in-your-mouth balsamic sauce drizzled the plate. I paired this with a glass of Bordeaux and was in food heaven.

Over lunch the dreaded but much-needed question was asked:

How long since you have been in a relationship?

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A short excerpt 🙂 I told you I would throw them in now and again. This was a very formal lunch that Julien the wine maker in Saint Emilion took me to. This dish I will never forget. Nor will I forget our conversation that day. Julien is a key player in my reflection journey and this picture also happened to show up today on my instagram memories “6 years ago today” So I figured, well it’s in the book let’s go down memory lane …