Chapter 254: The Proud Vanguard
When Tony saw Ren pushing the dining cart over, he had to admit something to himself: he was embarrassingly hungry. He felt like a child on Christmas morning, waiting with breathless anticipation for the feast to begin.
"Ren, sometimes I seriously suspect you do this on purpose."
"Do what on purpose, sir?"
A grin spread across Tony's face. "You deliberately make the food smell so unbelievably good, and then you take your sweet time walking over just to drive your guests mad with anticipation."
Ren simply offered a serene smile. "Anticipation is an essential emotion before a great meal, wouldn't you agree? Without it, the feelings that follow would lose their impact."
As he spoke, Ren began placing the silver-cloched dishes one by one onto the table. Tony eyed the covered plates, his smile widening. "Let me guess, the feeling you're aiming for is called… surprise?"
Ren didn't answer directly, only murmuring softly, "Well, the dishes are all served. Please, enjoy. Oh, and by the way, Mr. Stark, a small reminder."
Tony, whose hand was already hovering over a lid, paused. "What is it?"
"Just a word of caution. Be careful not to get burned when opening some of the dishes."
"Then why not just uncover them before bringing them over?"
"To lessen the anticipation and heighten the surprise," Ren replied, his eyes twinkling. "How is that for an answer?"
Tony nodded, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. "You really should have been a psychologist. But then, the world would be deprived of a magical restaurant and its incredible food."
Together, he and Pepper reached for the domed lids. The process felt exactly like unwrapping Christmas presents—that thrilling moment when you can vaguely guess what's inside, making the desire to finally see it all the more intense.
"Mmm, that smells divine! Tony, I am now a complete believer!"
As Pepper lifted the two lids in front of her, the rich aromas that wafted out were intoxicating. Before her sat a vibrant steak salad and a magnificent pan of paella. The presentation alone was a work of art, and the scent instantly made her feel all the tension of the day melt away.
Their dinner consisted of only four dishes, but the portions were generous. The paella was substantial, and the steak salad was a meal in itself. Meat, after all, was far more filling than simple starches, packed with fat and protein.
The two dishes Pepper had unveiled only made Tony more eager to see his own. He eyed a platter covered not with a silver dome, but with a sheet of taut tin foil. "This one," he declared with a dramatic flair, "has to be that cheese dish. Let's see what we've got…"
He knew this was the one Ren had warned him about, so instead of using his hands, Tony carefully used a knife and fork to peel back the foil. The moment the contents were revealed, both he and Pepper let out an audible gasp.
If this were a game, Tony had just drawn an SSR-rank prize. The entire dish was a glorious, bubbling golden-brown. From the melted cheese rose an aroma so rich it was almost dizzying. Nestled within were two enormous lobsters, split open to reveal their succulent white meat. This was Cheese-Baked Boston Lobster.
For a moment, Tony completely forgot about the final, unopened dish. "Wow… Pepper, you were right. It really is Boston lobster," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "With a scent like this… I think I'm going to have to give you tomorrow off just so you can hit the gym."
Pepper nodded with a helpless sigh. While seafood was a staple for anyone watching their diet, this was on another level entirely, especially with the sheer amount of cheese. She was already mentally scheduling a long morning at the gym, probably followed by an evening run.
"What's the last dish?" she asked, her curiosity piqued again.
"Let me see…" Tony mused, tapping the final cloche. "Honestly, I feel like this one is either not seafood, or it's beef. Any more shellfish and it would just be… strange."
Pepper watched, thoroughly amused, as Tony prepared to lift the lid. A light laugh escaped her. "Tony, you know, you're acting particularly like a child today."
Instead of revealing it all at once, Tony had lifted the lid just a crack on his side, peeking underneath. His eyes went wide with genuine surprise. He shot Pepper a conspiratorial grin. "Pepper, you will absolutely never guess what this is. I was completely off…"
"What is it?"
Tony lifted the lid with a flourish. Pepper stared, stunned into silence for a long moment before a chuckle broke the spell. "Tony," she said, her eyes sparkling, "I bet you have absolutely no idea how to eat this."
"Hey! It's just garlic oysters, I know how to eat them," he retorted defensively, before adding, "But it seems like you eat these often?"
"Of course," Pepper said with a knowing smile. "That's because you never go grocery shopping."
Tony Stark shrugged. She had a point. It seemed that every restaurant with a seafood menu, whether in Chinatown or a mainstream neighborhood, had somehow learned the secret to making perfect garlic oysters. He'd never actually eaten them, but he'd certainly seen them on menus.
Steak Salad, Cheese-Baked Boston Lobster, Paella, and Garlic Oysters. The spread before them was, without a doubt, a paradise for any seafood lover.
And yet, amidst the bounty of the sea, the steak salad stood out. It was the only beef dish on the table, a stark and beautiful contrast. Whether as an appetizer or simply out of a desire to address the outlier first, it was the dish they turned to first.
To be honest, whether a "steak salad" could truly be considered a salad was a highly debatable topic. In most people's minds, a salad was a pile of vegetables and fruits tossed in dressing, perhaps with a squeeze of lemon.
This was not that. To call it a salad felt like a misnomer; it was more like perfectly roasted beef laid reverently upon a bed of crisp lettuce.
The steak, seared to a perfect medium-rare, was sliced into thick strips and arranged with artistic precision over the greens. It was proof that no matter how high the grade of beef, lettuce remained one of its finest companions. Even if left uneaten, its vibrant color served to enhance the visual appeal of the meat.
Normally, a steak salad might be served with croutons, but with a hearty paella already on the table, Ren would never commit such a culinary absurdity. This salad was pure and simple, unadorned by anything unnecessary.
Fragrant strips of steak rested on emerald-green lettuce, sprinkled with freshly ground sea salt and black peppercorns. A light drizzle of lemon juice provided a bright acidity, and a sprig of rosemary crowned the dish. By rights, a few halved cherry tomatoes might have been included, but as Tony had requested a seafood-centric meal, fruits and fruit-like vegetables had been deliberately excluded.
One bite of the steak, and any thought of it being out of place vanished. So what if it was different from everything else on the table? Even if the world saw it as an outsider, from its own perspective, everything else was just as different. The way the rich meat juices and the sharp spices blended on the tongue was a thing of envy.
Facts proved that this dish was a more than competent vanguard. Even when surrounded by existences entirely unlike itself, it could still proudly lead the way, its special character shining through.
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