I was trying to figure out why I picked this particular date to celebrate the route of the Orient Express, but nothing comes to mind, nor shows up in online searches. It would have made more sense for one of our October dinners, as the inauguration of the service was on October 4, 1883. I do recall that I picked out some of the key stops from what I think was the original route, or at least one of the earliest routes, and each course followed on that theme. I also wrote the menu, obviously, as if it were excerpts from someone’s travel diary. Go figure, I was being creative.
10 November 1996
…a harrowing cab ride, we met up with the rest of the Second Sunday Supper Circle at Gare de L’Est in Paris at 7:30 p.m. Weather delightful. One of the group brought along a wonderful bottle of Champagne to start us on our journey. The chef served a ramekin of earthy Truffle Soup under puff pastry…
…pulling into Strasbourg, a lovely town in Alsace. The chef whipped up some local fare, a roasted shallot flan with chive cream and cured salmon. A bottle of 1992 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer…
…safely in Munich. Just time to sample a roulade blue-poached mackerel with root vegetables and a tomato-bacon dressing. The conductor found a bottle of 1990 Spatburgunder from Schloss Schonborn he found in his private cellar….
…reached Vienna we were ready for some good old red meat. A few slices of beef served with a dried strawberry sauce and flamed in cognac was just the ticket. A simple but rich 1993 Blauburgunder from Umathum was a perfect foil to the rare meat…
…be in Budapest at this time of year and we found ourselvse a little cafe that served up a delightful combination of Stilton, Rocquefort, & Harbourne blue cheeses with a bottle of 1976 Tokay Aszu Essencia. An experience fit for…
…for a brief stop in Bucharest before we board our ship across the Black Sea. Gave us time to sample the local poppyseed torte with Slivovitz cream…
a smooth crossing and arrived in Constantinople in good spirits. Just time for a cup of good, strong, local coffee before the embassy limo…
