On Wednesday, after meeting an old friend for a drink at the Library Bar in the Royal York, I met Dan & Abtin for our annual steak dinner tradition. This time we tried Sammarco; Dan’s second time, my and Abtin’s first. An overdue catchup, and a wonderful time as always.

Here’s what we ate & drank:

• Cocktails
  • Il Capo (Sammarco rye whiskey blend, Turbinado & aromatic bitters) for me
  • Two gin martinis for the boys, despite a few gin inventory (ginventory?) issues
• Starters
  • olive all’ ascolana: fried Castelvetrano olives, sausage & pecorino
  • pane e burro w/ St. Brigid’s butter & sea salt
  • insalata di cicoria: heirloom radicchio, chioggia beets, walnuts, white balsamic & ricotta salata
    • bottle of Bachelder 2022 Chardonnay, ‘Grimsby Hillside – Red Clay Barn’, Niagara
• Main
  • 40oz Fiorentina porterhouse steak
  • broccolini w/ gremolata & hazelnuts
  • patate con granchio w/ zabaglione & herbs
    • bottle of 2015 ‘Sensis’ Cava d’Onice Brunello, Osservanza
• Dessert
  • Profiteroles: vanilla gelato, warm Valrohna chocolate & gold leaf
    • glasses of 2021 late harvest ‘Primae Classis’ Tempos Vega Sicilia Tokaji