I’m in Austin, Texas, visiting with Amy and Gary this week. Jay is also in town on business, so tonight Amy and I made dinner for the four of us.
– The fish recipe calls for sea bass, but Central Market only had Chilean sea bass. We chose the more environmentally correct halibut, which worked well with the sauce. The sauce would also be great with chicken. The tomato relish could have been made with a greatly reduced portiion of olive oil – Amy drained the relish before we put it on the fish.

• Grilled Halibut with Tomatoes and Herb Cream Sauce (Bon Appétit, April 1998)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Mâche salad with tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil

Wine:
– Milton Park 2002 Chardonnay (South Eastern Australia). This wine was under ten dollars a bottle, and was very good with the fish. The wine steward at Central Market recommended it. I liked it because it wasn’t overly oaky, but still has some fruit and body.
– Pascal & Nicolas Reverdy 2002 Sancerre Cuv�e Les Co�tes (Loire, France). The wine steward at Central Market described this wine as “the ulitmate pairing” for our main dish. All four of us disagreed. It was much drier than the Chardonnay, but it grew on me as I drank it after dinner.