Dinner at Veil last night with Andy, Mia, and Ryan. It was fun to drive the new car over.

Veil is a pretty shi-shi looking restaurant, if you ask me. All white interior with thin gauzy curtains and stark white tables. We sat at a table that was as long as the room on big black leather chairs. Other areas of the tiny restaurant were separated by more gauzy curtains. I'm sure it was all designed by someone extremely famous.

Originally we had started out in the bar where I had a really great gin and tonic. Then we moved into the dining room for dinner. We all opted for the three course prix-fixe menu and while sometimes that can mean the food will not be as good, this was all pretty fabulous. With wine pairings, it was even better.

Here was my menu:

Hard Shell Squash Risotto, mascarpone and Parmesan cheeses, chive oil (2005 Westwood Syrah)

Ruby Trout, roasted yams, green apple, bacon, apple cider puree (2006 San Marizano Pinot Grigio)

Warm Cream of Almond Soup, cinnamon rice pudding, roasted pears, toasted orange blossom marshmallow (Muscat)

Andy had:

Celery Root Soup, rosemary marshmallow and balsamic vinegar

Drake Duck Confit , root vegetable hash, sherry vinegar and caramelized vegetable sauce

Salted Peanut Butter Ice Cream, cocoa nip crunch and milk chocolate pastry cream

My dessert was just so-so. In fact, it was a bit too rich and I couldn't even finish it. But the rest of the meal? Fantastic. The risotto was cooked perfectly and the little bits of squash were not mushy at all, but still had a bit of bite. I really liked that they left the skin on the delicata squash. The rice was also perfectly al dente and not soupy. The trout was slightly crispy on the outside and the fish was tender and flaky. The accompaniment to the fish was extremely yummy and the sauce tied everything together.

I would say a winner of a meal.