While my birthday isn't until 3 weeks from yesterday, last night a bunch of us headed to THE RIGGSBY in Dupont Circle for a fabulous dinner cooked up by Chef Ed Scarpone who recently moved there from Fiola. The RIGGSBY has been around for a couple of years and is part of the Michael Schlow empire in a wonderful cozy location in the deco-themed Carlyle Hotel.
We were in the semi-secluded not-so-private dining room and while it was cute, I did not like facing the very creepy "multi-face" wallpaper; is that deco anyway? Other than that, it was a dream meal and our servers, especially Jalesa were all excellent.
Our amuse was Wellfleet Oysters and Trout Roe in a superb Cucumber & Serrano Mignonette which was perfect which was paired with a Charles Orban Brut Champagne.
Samuel got a Jalapeno & Goat Cheese Croquette. FB photos abound!
Next came a very light-style Lobster Bisque with cognac & tarragon, each bowl containing a beautiful half lobster tail. I was grateful that the dish was not a thick bisque as there was so much to follow, and the lobster flavor burst was still just as good. Nobody seemed to leave a spoonful. The wine was a superb Grgich Hills Fume Blanc 2014 from napa, which I must admit I haven't had in ages, maybe decades! Samuel had a gorgeous Asparagus Salad with Tico Rashi and a Poached Egg on top. Now Sam doesn't really like poached eggs, but this one disappeared mysteriously.
The second course was Spaghetti with Clams, Uni, Mussels and Peas that was a truly wonderful pasta and obviously chef has learned that to perfection being in one of DC's top Italian restaurants for the last year or so. Samuel had the same pasta with carrots and onions instead of the shellfish and declared himself full for the night(at least until dessert).
The wine was a Ramey Cellars "Sidebar" Syrah Rose 2015 from Russian River Valley which I fell in love with immediately, especially now that the weather is warming up.
Soft Shell Crabs were my personal request and chef came through with flying colors as these had grilled Shishito peppers and were ever so lightly battered with a Romesco sauce on a white bean puree....heaven! A Siduri 2016 Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon was a brave pairing that was ideal with the spice of the Romesco.
The main course was Beef Wellington cooked perfectly to medium rare paired with il Fauno di Arcanum 2014 from Tuscany which is mostly Merlot with Sangiovese and while young, begged to be paired with meat.
Dessert was The Riggsby Pot Brownie Sundae which got a lot of remarks now that pot is legal in DC, but this was obviously not laced with marijuana. It was covered with delicious crunchy walnuts and honeycomb and a thick rich brownie on the bottom under ice cream and chocolate sauce. The non-chocoholics got Creme Brulee and we all drank Dows 10 year Tawney Port.
It was a super fun night and I still have 20 days left to celebrate!
