I’m not entirely sure who came up with the concept, but in the last year or so, my friends have started to host events they call Michelin Night. The basic idea is a potluck… but fancy. Gather a group of ~10 people and tell each person to prepare their own dish, with servings for every person. They should bring their A game and create something that is Michelin quality, complete with beautiful plating and presentation. End result? A ~10 course meal that is a feast for both eyes and stomachs. This past weekend, our friends Jon and Reba (you may remember them from their Carmel proposal or their classic Jekyll Island wedding) invited 7 of us over for a San Francisco Michelin Night in their new apartment. We had an incredible 9-course meal with everything from ridiculously intricately carved vegetables to orange tarts with brown butter caramel sauce.

We started things off with fried polenta cakes topped with prosciutto and arugula.

Sam served sous vide octopus three ways (aji amarillo, tomato basil salsa, and lemon)

Jon spent hours watching Youtube videos on how to carve vegetables and prepared this beautiful dish

Sarah Marie made squid ink pasta in a delicious broth topped with pickled bell pepper and capers

Matt made filet mignon with the most incredible chimmichurri sauce!

Reba made seared scallops with a butternut squash puree and Jon put together a quick salad for Annika, who is allergic to shellfish.

I totally forgot to photograph my pork belly confit with a blood orange gastrique and blood orange salsa

Annika made delicious blood orange tarts with brown butter caramel sauce, beautifully plated with edible flowers.

Liane made perfectly creamy pannacotta with fresh fruit and mint.

Can we all agree that my friends are amazing chefs, haha? I’m looking forward to hosting a Michelin Night or something similar at our new place!