the plan

My weakness is Sauternes. I have been known to order only a side salad for a main course, just so I can ensure I will have enough room for dessert and the appropriate accompanying dessert wine. (Is there anything more wonderful than that pale amber liquid?)

The ultimate in Sauternes is, without a doubt, the 1976 vintage from Chateau d'Yquem. (Coincidentally, 1976 is also his birth year. My favorite wine and my favorite man -- this is fate.)

The closest I have ever come to this legendary wine is finding bottles listed through several different retailers for anywhere from $750 to $800 for a 750 ml. (Which I always considered too expensive, but which I now think is perhaps completely reasonable, especially since I more than willingly shelled out $879 for veterinary costs last weekend when Meep fell out the window.)

But two friends were lucky enough to taste the nectar at Gary Danko about a week ago and concluded it was a life-altering experience. (I believe it was $1,500 a bottle on the wine list; a very rich and extremely wasteful patron had ordered the bottle and failed to finish it, so our friends -- who always manage to befriend the waitstaff -- received the coveted leftovers. They regret only that they forgot to ask for the empty bottle -- the trophy.)

And last night, while we were dining at Isa (fabulous food, especially if it's a dish with truffles, but the clientele is atrocious and I hate the Marina because it makes me feel both homicidal and suicidal at the same time and also frumpy and angry that I feel frumpy because then that means the wannabe yuppie scum have succeeded), we came up with The Plan:

The four of us will buy that $800 bottle of 76 Yquem. And we will drink it with foie gras and a fabulous dessert.

And it will be The Ultimate Experience.

I think this is the best plan ever. I have already begun contacting retailers to find the best deal on the Liquid Treasure. I cannot, cannot wait.

Now ... who can tell me where the best place to obtain foie gras is? And what about the perfect dessert? Hints and suggestions for Sauternes pairing?