There’s a taste of home in Northern Ireland with your mother’s bacon-wrapped dates as an appetizer and Irish Champ as a side dish.
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It stayed local with crispy Vidalia onion rings that come from a 20-county region in southeast Georgia. There’s also a Georgia Peach Ricotta Flatbread.
And no, this is not just any yellowfin carpaccio as a first course. The Augusta National staff flew to his favorite New York restaurant, Le Bernardin, to meet with the chef and prepare the dish just how McIlroy likes it.
There are 12 items on the menu, from appetizers to desserts, and then four labels from the legendary Augusta National winery.
From the looks of it, McIlroy had been planning this for the 17 years he spent trying to win the Masters, culminating in a thriller last year that gave him the Grand Slam of his career.
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“I think it would be pretty presumptuous to have a menu in your head before you win the tournament,” McIlroy said on a conference call Wednesday. “But I always thought that if I ever win the Masters, what would I like it to be like? What would I like to serve?”
The defending champion hosts the Masters Club, also known as the “Champions Dinner,” a tradition that dates back to 1952. The dinner is for Masters champions only. Club president Fred Ridley is an honorary member. It takes place every Tuesday night during Masters week.
The host chooses the menu and pays the bill.
Scottie Scheffler last year had Texas touches with a cowboy ribeye, Texas-style chili, and jalapeño creamed corn. Jon Rahm’s menu had a Spanish flavor. Hideki Matsuyama from Japan ate sashimi. Sandy Lyle from Scotland served haggis and Adam Scott from Australia included Moreton Bay lobster. Players from 13 countries have won the Masters.
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“No, I didn’t put it together out of thin air. I tried to be pretty thoughtful about it,” McIlroy said. “I tried to incorporate some of the things I like and some little personal touches along the way. But at the same time, I tried to put together a good enough menu that everyone could enjoy.”
Appetizers
Dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon. The recipe belongs to her mother, Rosie.
Grilled elk sliders (McIlroy said he ate a lot of elk before the Masters last year).
Rock Shrimp Tempura
Georgian Peach and Ricotta Flatbread with Hot Honey
First course
Light tuna carpaccio
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“It’s a very thin slice of French baguette with a very thin slice of foie gras on top and tuna carpaccio,” he said. “It’s a very simple dish, but every time we go to that restaurant (Le Bernardin), it’s the only thing I have to eat.”
Main course
Wagyu filet mignon or braised salmon
Fittings
Traditional Irish Champagne (creamy mashed potatoes blended with green onions, butter and milk)
Sauteed Brussels Sprouts
Brown Butter Glazed Carrots
Crispy Vidalia Onion Rings
Dessert
Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream over Warm Caramel Sauce
the winery
2015 Salon “S” Brut Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Champagne
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2022 Domaine Leflaive, Batard-Montrachet
1990 Chateau Lafite Rothschild de Pauillac in Bordeaux (“The wine I drank the night I won the Masters,” he said).
1989 Chateau D’Yquem de Sauternes in Bordeaux (“My birth year, and I think every great meal deserves to be topped with Chateau D’Yquem. It’s like liquid gold,” he said.)
“I’m looking forward to hosting the dinner Tuesday night,” McIlroy said. “And then obviously being a part of that dinner for many, many years to come.”
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AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf