We heard that our friends Barbara and Victoria would be back in San Diego for another special Musical Pairing pop-up dinner, and we were dying to participate again.
Of course, they invited us with open arms and we knew we were back in for a treat at Ruth’s Chris Del Mar.
This time, however, would be different. We already had a preview of what to expect last time, so the question became “would it taste different” and “how could I customize this to my own musical tastes”?
For this post, I’m not going to dig into the finite details since Darren did an excellent job with this first write up, rather I’d like to explore other options applying what I learned. Feel free to let me know what you think!
We kicked off the meal with a sweet treat… vanilla ice cream!
Dish: Vanilla ice cream
My Suggested Musical Pairing: Vivaldi – Four Seasons
Thought: The music is light and airy and would bring out the cool sweetness to the surface.
Dish: Seared Ahi Tuna
My Suggested Musical Pairing: Samuel Barber – Adagio for Strings
Thought: The gradual rise in the arrangement would give a natural enhancement to the ahi tuna by amplifying the spiciness of the pepper.
Dish: Stuffed Chicken Breast – Oven roasted free-range double chicken breast stuffed with garlic herb cheese and served with lemon butter
My Suggested Musical Pairing: Uptown Funk ft. Bruno Mars
Thought: Funky beat is meaty just like this stuffed chicken. Both want to make you smile and get up and dance!
Dish: Brown butter sweet potatoes
My Suggested Musical Pairing: Vince Guaraldi Trio, “Thanksgiving Theme”
Thought: Conjures up thoughts about comfort, warmth, and family which will enhance the sweet layers of this decadent dish.
Dish: Bread and Fresh Butter
My Suggested Musical Pairing: Antonio Banderas – Cancion del Mariachi
Thought: A rich tempo with staccato accents will enhance the texture of the bread.
Dish: Petite Filet Mignon
My Suggested Musical Pairing: Led Zepplin’s Black Dog
Thought: Exciting riffs will pick up the subtle play between salt, fat, and meat.
Dish: Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Ice Cream
My Suggested Musical Pairing: David Foster’s Theme from St. Elmo’s Fire (Instrumental)
Thought: An emotional finale that ends on a high note of nostalgia.
Of course, our hosts graciously provided wonderful drinks along the way to lift our spirits. Since we’re not huge drinkers, we’ll have to defer you elsewhere for someone else’s expertise. 😉
The Synergy
The beauty of musical pairing is that you can play with it to your heart’s content. Although I haven’t physically tried my suggestions above, I can pretty much picture how it would taste and sound together.
If you’re lost, pick up Barbara’s book which explains the weighting system in full detail.
Finally, check out to see if Musical Pairing will be coming to a location close by you. You don’t want to miss it!
Disclaimer: We were invited and provided our meal complimentary. No further compensation was received and our opinion remains our own.
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ThatvWarm Chocolate Lava Cake with Ice Cream looks mouth-watering!