MasterCard Priceless Table Dinner at The Beverly House

Six of us attended the latest MasterCard Priceless Table Dinner three weeks ago. Chef Antonia Lofaso couldn't have had this event at a better venue. It was held at "The Beverly House" in Beverly Hills. This was the house of former magnate Randolph Hearst and actress Marion Davies. President John F. Kennedy honeymooned there. Iconic movies like The Godfather and The Bodyguard were filmed there. The house and grounds was spectacular but I was unable to take pictures of the premises since it was not allowed.

Chef Antonia Lofaso has competed in several food competitions including Top Chef. We were treated to specialty drinks which we all enjoyed and several wonderful hors d' oeuvres while we walked the grounds. We all had at least a couple of the specialty drinks. We couldn't get enough of the very light and crispy Squash blossom. The scallop was just as delicious and the steak tartare was very nice. Chef Lofaso made her rounds and she was very gracious and posed with us several times as my brother tried to take a picture with our heads cut off, and the second and third time he accidentally tapped the video. Chef Antonia made sure we got a reasonably good picture before she went on.

Dinner was outdoor. The table setting was gorgeous as always with these MasterCard events. Our only complaint was it was a bit chilly and once the winds picked up the food got cold real fast. Our first course was a Crispy Baby Artichoke, zucchini, burrata, frisée, walnuts and herbs. This was paired with a glass of Château de Brézé Chenin Blanc from Loire, France. That was very good. The second course was Stuffed Shells; duck sausage, fennel pollen, ricotta, and mozzarella. It came with a nice Vallana Nebbiolo from Piedmont, Italy.
The main course was a T-Bone steak with polenta and market vegetables. I don't know if it was a combination of the meat being rare and cold that made it unappetizing. The Ultraviolet Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley was enjoyable.

Desserts were  Housemade Cannoli, Italian Cookies, Affogato, vanilla gelato espresso. The cannoli was one of the best I've ever had. How I wish I could have taken a few home. They went well with the de Forville Moscato d'Asti from Piedmont.

It was an enjoyable evening and as we left the mansion, we were handed a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon wine with the MasterCard emblem and of course, our signed wooden menu from Chef Antonia Lofaso.