Do fish have cheeks?

I never had known that fish have cheeks, so I was surprised when Cafe Mosaic had halibut cheeks as a special last night. But knowing that Chef Mike Pezzillo was likely to come up with something extraordinary, I ordered them. I was not disappointed. He prepared them with white asparagus and morel mushrooms in a delectable tomato pinot noir sauce. I love halibut anyway, and this preparation was really different. The cheeks are a bit more tender than steaks or filets that I have had, but every bit as tasty. And the sauce... well, as usual, Chef Mike outdid himself with the sauce. The dish was excellent with the Blackstone pinot noir we brought with us.

Garrett had another one of my favorite dishes there, seared diver scallops with ginger-braised shittake mushrooms, baby bok choy, and sake pan sauce. They were so good that he didn't even want more than a couple of small bites of my halibut cheeks.

I'm sorry I forgot to take my camera with me, because the chefs at Mosaic do a beautiful presentation. We are really looking forward to their upcoming wine dinner on June 5, featuring wines from New Zealand and Australia. Kristen gave us a sneak peak at the menu and it sounds amazing and unusual.