I don't often eat out at home before the theater, but last night an
short dinner was in order prior to attending the NSO at the Kennedy
Center. As I don't like to start venturing too far, there are not a
lot of choices within 2-3 blocks, so I decided to return to DISH at
the River Inn (www.theriverinn.com/dish/) where I have not been for
quite some time.
We were rewarded with a friendly greeting from manager Keith,
excellent and efficient service from our server Pascale (as well as
recommendations) and a superb meal.
The salads were superb with a MIXED GREENS having small goat cheese
balls inside a kind of crouton and my amazing BEET SALAD coming like a
cylindrical tower with Feta, Arugula, Grapefruit and a Citrus
Dressing. A glass of TORRONTES, Crios de Susana Balbo 2008 Argentina
is always refreshing and paired wonderfully with the citrus of the
salad while my host had the Shiraz/Grenache from Ken Forrester 2005
Stellenbosch, South Africa with her salad. I moved on to a tasty and
full fruit POPPY Pinot Noir from Napa with my perfectly just past PAN
SEARED AHI TUNA with Mixed Greens Salad, Tomato, Basil & Olive Salad.
My host had the winner of the day in the HERB CRUSTED New Zealand Lamb
chops (six chops!!) with Spiced Tomato Marmalade, a brilliant sauce
and such a change from awful mint! The cylinder of Sweet Potato &
Andouille Sausage packed a bit of spice and was one of the best sides
around! A glass of KUEKA LAKE 2007 Cabernet Franc from the Finger
Lakes in NY was a nice wine, but could not hold up to the spice and
big meat of the dish.
Cappuccinos here are superb and I headed off the symphony knowing that
Dish can do it!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
1409 Playbill Cafe's full portions and fine neighborhood cuisine
The Dupont Circle/Scott Circle/and are neighborhood corridors have
been busier and busier over the years, but a great stalwart for 15
years is the almost funky 1409 PLAYBILL CAFE at 1409 14th St, NW just
across from the Studio Theater.
We attended a show in their small performance space last night and
found ourselves hungry afterwards and decided to grab a small bite.
They were setting up karaoke and we were kindly seated in a rear
booth, but the singing was actually not loud or even bothersome; some
of the performers were actually quite good!
Our server Jonathan, who goes by Shelby (it's a long story) was a gem;
always with a smile and attentive, he really was a gem. The staff help
each other as they rotate and perform, and nothing seems to get lost.
We had a decent bottle of $25 Cabernet/Merlot Blend from Covey Run in
Washington State (2004 was the vintage, so it's been around a while I
guess!) and each ordered up our sandwich choice. Will went for the
RUEBEN which came oozing hot cheese and a side of superb onion rings.
My FALAFEL WRAP was HUUUUGE (well, Shelby did say they were bigger
than the ones at Chipotle) and had a fine thing wrap that went around
only once, not making this dish too much of a wrap with too little
filling. The Falafel balls were tasty moist and peppery and the salad
accouterments were nice filler. I only wished for a tad more sauce,
perhaps TAHINI dressing in the mix.
There were many options on the burgers (turkey, salmon, veggie, etc)
and entrees as well (meat loaf sounded good) and I think that 1409
offers up a lot of simple home cooked dishes for a very reasonable
price (ours were $10.99 each). Head here if you are hungry, as the
portions are indeed huge!
been busier and busier over the years, but a great stalwart for 15
years is the almost funky 1409 PLAYBILL CAFE at 1409 14th St, NW just
across from the Studio Theater.
We attended a show in their small performance space last night and
found ourselves hungry afterwards and decided to grab a small bite.
They were setting up karaoke and we were kindly seated in a rear
booth, but the singing was actually not loud or even bothersome; some
of the performers were actually quite good!
Our server Jonathan, who goes by Shelby (it's a long story) was a gem;
always with a smile and attentive, he really was a gem. The staff help
each other as they rotate and perform, and nothing seems to get lost.
We had a decent bottle of $25 Cabernet/Merlot Blend from Covey Run in
Washington State (2004 was the vintage, so it's been around a while I
guess!) and each ordered up our sandwich choice. Will went for the
RUEBEN which came oozing hot cheese and a side of superb onion rings.
My FALAFEL WRAP was HUUUUGE (well, Shelby did say they were bigger
than the ones at Chipotle) and had a fine thing wrap that went around
only once, not making this dish too much of a wrap with too little
filling. The Falafel balls were tasty moist and peppery and the salad
accouterments were nice filler. I only wished for a tad more sauce,
perhaps TAHINI dressing in the mix.
There were many options on the burgers (turkey, salmon, veggie, etc)
and entrees as well (meat loaf sounded good) and I think that 1409
offers up a lot of simple home cooked dishes for a very reasonable
price (ours were $10.99 each). Head here if you are hungry, as the
portions are indeed huge!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
sampling Charlotte,NC cuisine (ENSO Asian Bistro & Zink-5/8/10)
Over the weekend I hopped down to Charlotte to see a good friend
perform at the opera and was shocked to see how vibrant the downtown
dining and nightlife scene is. Oddly, there is little else to do such
as shop; other than a couple of museums everything is out of downtown.
Before the opera I ran across the street from the Ritz-Carlton where I
was staying (and forwent their BLT-Bistro Laurent Tourondel) to the
new EPICENTER which is a small complex with movie theater and several
dining spots as well as a CVS and some other stuff. ENSO (meaning
circle in Japanese(at 210 East Trade St) is a huge dining complex, bar
and sushi lounge. It was pretty quiet at 6pm, but I gather it was
jammed later on as the place began to fill around 7pm. Sadly, the
thumping music bombarded the place and kind of shook the place with
the huge bass.
My server Ginny was sweet but just kept going on and on about the
quality of the food, etc. There are two menus (sushi and ala carte)
making decisions harder, so I chose the SEAWEED SALAD with cucumber
and baby greens which was nice and a glass of smooth OZEKI house sake.
I decided on two sushi rolls:
TUNA TATAKI (at $13) was EIGHT pieces (WOW for that price) of barely
seared tuna wrapped around rice, spicy tuna, avocado and cucumber. It
was nice, but not a prize winner.
SPIDER ROLL (again EIGHT HUGE PIECES for $16) was deep fried SOFT
SHELL CRAB (I doubt it was fresh!), lettuce, avocado, cucumber and
masago with a sweet glaze and sesame seeds. The crunch from the
tempura was a treat and Ginny did bring two dips which worked superbly
with each of the dishes rather than soy sauce.
For the crab a thick CHILI Japanese MAYO was rich, but great if used
sparingly. For the tuna a light PONZU-SOY sauce was perfect.
The place has some fun huge chairs, red vinyl chairs, lots of
banquets, a HUGE noisy bar with three large screen TV's sporting
sports and a monstrous blown up photo of a sumo wrestler on the wall.
The decor is nice, but I would dread the noise after 8pm!
As we walked down the street after the opera around 1130pm, I was
shocked to see people spilling out of noisy bars and discos
everywhere. The opera has a post-performance party at a super noisy
place where we lasted all of 5 minutes before heading to ZINK
(www.harpersgroup.com/zink.asp at 201 N Tryon St) where the place was
quite deserted. The bar had several occupied tables, but we were seven
people, so the manager opened up the quite nice main dining room for
us, but did warn there was a limited after hours menu from 11pm-1am.
It was super! I salivated over Housemade BLUE CHEESE Potato Chips and
LOBSTER MAC 'n' CHEESE, but we all ultimately chose the various
burgers which are 1/2 price after 11pm. That means HALF of $10...or
$5.00 for my ZINK BURGER of tasty Angus with melted American cheese,
1000 Island Mayo, crispy tasty MAPLE-PEPPER BACON and some slightly
soggy fries. WHAT A DEAL at $5.00. We down a couple of bottles of
WRITER's BLOCK SYRAH from California and went home VERY HAPPY to be
able to chat and be with friends while enjoying a superb burger!
perform at the opera and was shocked to see how vibrant the downtown
dining and nightlife scene is. Oddly, there is little else to do such
as shop; other than a couple of museums everything is out of downtown.
Before the opera I ran across the street from the Ritz-Carlton where I
was staying (and forwent their BLT-Bistro Laurent Tourondel) to the
new EPICENTER which is a small complex with movie theater and several
dining spots as well as a CVS and some other stuff. ENSO (meaning
circle in Japanese(at 210 East Trade St) is a huge dining complex, bar
and sushi lounge. It was pretty quiet at 6pm, but I gather it was
jammed later on as the place began to fill around 7pm. Sadly, the
thumping music bombarded the place and kind of shook the place with
the huge bass.
My server Ginny was sweet but just kept going on and on about the
quality of the food, etc. There are two menus (sushi and ala carte)
making decisions harder, so I chose the SEAWEED SALAD with cucumber
and baby greens which was nice and a glass of smooth OZEKI house sake.
I decided on two sushi rolls:
TUNA TATAKI (at $13) was EIGHT pieces (WOW for that price) of barely
seared tuna wrapped around rice, spicy tuna, avocado and cucumber. It
was nice, but not a prize winner.
SPIDER ROLL (again EIGHT HUGE PIECES for $16) was deep fried SOFT
SHELL CRAB (I doubt it was fresh!), lettuce, avocado, cucumber and
masago with a sweet glaze and sesame seeds. The crunch from the
tempura was a treat and Ginny did bring two dips which worked superbly
with each of the dishes rather than soy sauce.
For the crab a thick CHILI Japanese MAYO was rich, but great if used
sparingly. For the tuna a light PONZU-SOY sauce was perfect.
The place has some fun huge chairs, red vinyl chairs, lots of
banquets, a HUGE noisy bar with three large screen TV's sporting
sports and a monstrous blown up photo of a sumo wrestler on the wall.
The decor is nice, but I would dread the noise after 8pm!
As we walked down the street after the opera around 1130pm, I was
shocked to see people spilling out of noisy bars and discos
everywhere. The opera has a post-performance party at a super noisy
place where we lasted all of 5 minutes before heading to ZINK
(www.harpersgroup.com/zink.asp at 201 N Tryon St) where the place was
quite deserted. The bar had several occupied tables, but we were seven
people, so the manager opened up the quite nice main dining room for
us, but did warn there was a limited after hours menu from 11pm-1am.
It was super! I salivated over Housemade BLUE CHEESE Potato Chips and
LOBSTER MAC 'n' CHEESE, but we all ultimately chose the various
burgers which are 1/2 price after 11pm. That means HALF of $10...or
$5.00 for my ZINK BURGER of tasty Angus with melted American cheese,
1000 Island Mayo, crispy tasty MAPLE-PEPPER BACON and some slightly
soggy fries. WHAT A DEAL at $5.00. We down a couple of bottles of
WRITER's BLOCK SYRAH from California and went home VERY HAPPY to be
able to chat and be with friends while enjoying a superb burger!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
LA's ASANEBO is a sure bet for sushi & more...(4-18-10)
On my last evening in LA, headed just 15 mins (traffic permitting)
from downtown to Studio City's ASANEBO, a small out-of-the-way not
well known Japanese spot that was jammed by the time we left at 9pm!
Asanebo gets consistently high ratings (11941 Ventura Blvd, Studio
City, CA tel 818-760-3348) for its food from Chef Shige Fujimoto, but
the prices are much lower than the Japanese gastronomic temples that
can cost hundreds per person.
Upon arrival, every guest gets a group shout of something like "hello"
from the staff making everyone feel welcome. I was meeting a high
school friend of mine and her son who live nearby; they got the shout
too!
While waiting I ordered a glass of ASANEBO House Sake (from Fukuoka)
that was super smooth and poured to excess not only to overflow the
glass, but the small plate below. I am not sure where this tradition
comes from, but the Bible says it great with, "my cup runneth over..."
Later I switched to the other Dai-Ginjo sake on the menu by the glass-
MATSU no MIDORI (from Kyoto) that was a bit more tart and actually
went better with the spice in some of my dishes.
My friend's son had the SALMON entree served with mashed potatoes
which are NOT easy to eat with chopsticks! She had the Grilled CHILEAN
SEA BASS with Butter Lettuce.
I started with several small plates:
SEARED TORO with Fried GARLIC and a greens with a Garlic Cream to dip
was a superb sashimi dish of the most gorgeous tuna around.
YELLOWTAIL SASHIMI was served up two ways-one with Sesame Miso Serrano
Peppers and the other with Spicy Yuzu Soy Sauce. Neither was very
spicy, both were tasty and again the finest quality fish around.
My entree was the GRILLED BLACK COD with Miso which was also cooked
perfectly; even the crunchy skin was divine.
While my friends munched on a decent Creme Brulee and a rich Chocolate
Cake (almost molten) with Ice Cream, I ordered one last small plate of
WILD AJI Sashimi (Spanish Mackerel) that is a more intense fishy fish,
yet served with a superb Scallion Soy that tempered the fish to
perfection.
I did not want dessert, so I ordered the Fried Japanese Mountain
Potato with Green Tea Salt which was tasty skin-on fries with a super
tasty not too salty salt that we all gobbled up. I enjoyed a glass of
URAI Sake which finished off this superb and excellent meal from a
superb staff in and out of the kitchen, as well as a real wonderful LA
weekend.
from downtown to Studio City's ASANEBO, a small out-of-the-way not
well known Japanese spot that was jammed by the time we left at 9pm!
Asanebo gets consistently high ratings (11941 Ventura Blvd, Studio
City, CA tel 818-760-3348) for its food from Chef Shige Fujimoto, but
the prices are much lower than the Japanese gastronomic temples that
can cost hundreds per person.
Upon arrival, every guest gets a group shout of something like "hello"
from the staff making everyone feel welcome. I was meeting a high
school friend of mine and her son who live nearby; they got the shout
too!
While waiting I ordered a glass of ASANEBO House Sake (from Fukuoka)
that was super smooth and poured to excess not only to overflow the
glass, but the small plate below. I am not sure where this tradition
comes from, but the Bible says it great with, "my cup runneth over..."
Later I switched to the other Dai-Ginjo sake on the menu by the glass-
MATSU no MIDORI (from Kyoto) that was a bit more tart and actually
went better with the spice in some of my dishes.
My friend's son had the SALMON entree served with mashed potatoes
which are NOT easy to eat with chopsticks! She had the Grilled CHILEAN
SEA BASS with Butter Lettuce.
I started with several small plates:
SEARED TORO with Fried GARLIC and a greens with a Garlic Cream to dip
was a superb sashimi dish of the most gorgeous tuna around.
YELLOWTAIL SASHIMI was served up two ways-one with Sesame Miso Serrano
Peppers and the other with Spicy Yuzu Soy Sauce. Neither was very
spicy, both were tasty and again the finest quality fish around.
My entree was the GRILLED BLACK COD with Miso which was also cooked
perfectly; even the crunchy skin was divine.
While my friends munched on a decent Creme Brulee and a rich Chocolate
Cake (almost molten) with Ice Cream, I ordered one last small plate of
WILD AJI Sashimi (Spanish Mackerel) that is a more intense fishy fish,
yet served with a superb Scallion Soy that tempered the fish to
perfection.
I did not want dessert, so I ordered the Fried Japanese Mountain
Potato with Green Tea Salt which was tasty skin-on fries with a super
tasty not too salty salt that we all gobbled up. I enjoyed a glass of
URAI Sake which finished off this superb and excellent meal from a
superb staff in and out of the kitchen, as well as a real wonderful LA
weekend.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
dinner at DRAGO CENTRAL in LA (4-17-10)
DRAGO CENTRO at 525 S. Flower Street in next to the Bonaventure Hotel
is only a year old and is the offshoot of the superstar chef Celstino
Drago's Santa Monica location. It is huge, tall, loud and busy; not
ideal for taking opera singers.
After the 5-1/2 conclusion to the Ring (Gotterdammerung) I took my two
clients who were in the lead roles of Gunther and Guntrune (the
Gibichung siblings that aide to bring about Siegfried's fall and
ultimately the "twilight of the gods".
We settled in and I sipped a TAROCO made from vodka, cointreau,
tangelo, cucumber and lemon juice. YUM!
We ordered up a bottle of ARGIOLAS from Pedera "Isola deii Nuraghi"
made from the Monica grapes in Sardinia, which we sipped while we
chatted.
Amuses arrived and we dug in (quite hungry after so long a show) to
the rich tasty COLD PEA SOUP shooter.
Our starters were simple with salad variations mine being the POLIPO
or Octopus with Blood Orange & Mixed Greens. A Roasted LOBSTER Bisque
was rich but not a prize winner.
We all split two pastas and these were rich sauced heavy meaty dishes
that were just divine (like the gods that had just been destroyed:-)):
Papardelle al FAGIANO with Roasted Pheasant and Morels
and
GARGANELLI with Pork Sausage, Parmesan & Fennel Seeds.
Julie our most pleasant server suggested a LA SPINETTA-PIN 2005 which
was a blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera from Piemonte which was simply
silky and delish. It was the first time I ever recalled this varietal
combo and it works quite well.
The main courses were I POLLO -chicken with Parmesan crust, farro and
mixed veggies which was neatly packed up for take-away for my guests
who could not finish. They then got a coat check to pick up the
package on the way out so as not to have to keep it at or under the
table and then forget it! A brilliant idea.
I had IL MAIALE a rich sauced braised PORK CHEEK with a Turnip cooked
sous-vide that was too hard and boring and yummy spinach and the
hugest blackberries I had ever seen.
We shared I BOMBOLINI, doughnuts with apples, amaretto, caramel and
ricotta in brown butter sauce, but were too full to finish.
DRAGO was pretty good, but only if you really like crowds and noise.
is only a year old and is the offshoot of the superstar chef Celstino
Drago's Santa Monica location. It is huge, tall, loud and busy; not
ideal for taking opera singers.
After the 5-1/2 conclusion to the Ring (Gotterdammerung) I took my two
clients who were in the lead roles of Gunther and Guntrune (the
Gibichung siblings that aide to bring about Siegfried's fall and
ultimately the "twilight of the gods".
We settled in and I sipped a TAROCO made from vodka, cointreau,
tangelo, cucumber and lemon juice. YUM!
We ordered up a bottle of ARGIOLAS from Pedera "Isola deii Nuraghi"
made from the Monica grapes in Sardinia, which we sipped while we
chatted.
Amuses arrived and we dug in (quite hungry after so long a show) to
the rich tasty COLD PEA SOUP shooter.
Our starters were simple with salad variations mine being the POLIPO
or Octopus with Blood Orange & Mixed Greens. A Roasted LOBSTER Bisque
was rich but not a prize winner.
We all split two pastas and these were rich sauced heavy meaty dishes
that were just divine (like the gods that had just been destroyed:-)):
Papardelle al FAGIANO with Roasted Pheasant and Morels
and
GARGANELLI with Pork Sausage, Parmesan & Fennel Seeds.
Julie our most pleasant server suggested a LA SPINETTA-PIN 2005 which
was a blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera from Piemonte which was simply
silky and delish. It was the first time I ever recalled this varietal
combo and it works quite well.
The main courses were I POLLO -chicken with Parmesan crust, farro and
mixed veggies which was neatly packed up for take-away for my guests
who could not finish. They then got a coat check to pick up the
package on the way out so as not to have to keep it at or under the
table and then forget it! A brilliant idea.
I had IL MAIALE a rich sauced braised PORK CHEEK with a Turnip cooked
sous-vide that was too hard and boring and yummy spinach and the
hugest blackberries I had ever seen.
We shared I BOMBOLINI, doughnuts with apples, amaretto, caramel and
ricotta in brown butter sauce, but were too full to finish.
DRAGO was pretty good, but only if you really like crowds and noise.
enjoy LA breakfast/lunch or whatever on THE FARM of Beverly Hills that is (4-17-10)
Yesterday I was treated to a yummy brunch at THE FARM of BEVERLY HILLS
which now has 3 locations in LA:
439 N. Beverly Blvd, Beverly Hills
189 The Grove Drive, The Grove, Los Angeles
and the newly opened 800 W. Olympic Blvd, downtown in the middle of
the new LA Live center adjacent to the Staples Center & Convention
Center.
We were at the latter and LA LIVE offers dozens and dozens of dining
options, but THE FARM was full and I loved my BLTA Sandwich with
Bacon, Lettuce TOmato and Avocado on homemade white farm bread. The
coffee was superb and my hoists both had the Crepe Egg Wrap kind of
thingie which they said was divine. I would easliy go back for
breakfast/lunch or snack!
which now has 3 locations in LA:
439 N. Beverly Blvd, Beverly Hills
189 The Grove Drive, The Grove, Los Angeles
and the newly opened 800 W. Olympic Blvd, downtown in the middle of
the new LA Live center adjacent to the Staples Center & Convention
Center.
We were at the latter and LA LIVE offers dozens and dozens of dining
options, but THE FARM was full and I loved my BLTA Sandwich with
Bacon, Lettuce TOmato and Avocado on homemade white farm bread. The
coffee was superb and my hoists both had the Crepe Egg Wrap kind of
thingie which they said was divine. I would easliy go back for
breakfast/lunch or snack!
Friday, April 16, 2010
LA's ORTOLAN is outstanding (4-16-10)
Upon arrival in LA last night I headed straight to ORTOLAN (8338 W.
3rd St - www.ortolanrestaurant.com) on the line between Beverly Hills
and West Hollywood (just blocks from the Beverly Center) and settled
in to my comfy chair at a spacious well-spaced table in a gorgeous
room with over a dozen drippy cut crystal chandeliers. I may have been
3 hours behind, but I was ready for a dining experience. The beautiful
antique wooden floors add to the ambience and do not make the sound
level high at all! The walls are heavily curtained and there are 6+
foot high secluded booths for those LA folks who don't want to be
seen. On the other hand, there is a large table in the front window
for those who want to be seen and watch the passersby. Each place has
a gray 12" square slate plate for the table setting and Schott Crystal
adorns each place.
I started chatting with Samantha, the sommelieuse, who actually spent
much time working in DC and knew lots of folks we know! She has been
at Ortolan for less than a year, but knows the ropes and the wines.
Her boss chef/owner Christophe EME actually came out shortly into the
meal to greet everyone. It is a great credit to him and his 5-year old
elegant establishment!
I avoided the champagne trolley (over $20 a glass for those) and
headed right to the shorter tasting menu of $85 ($50 extra with
pairings, rather than the 13-course menu for $145; $75 for wine). It
was a perfect choice and almost everything was at a level of superb
quality.
The amuses was a small tray with two large test tubes of soup with
emulsion and a straw in each: one was carrot with thyme, the other
asparagus with truffle. A medium size bowl of Eggplant Caviar Tapenade
with Aioli was superb, and you know I am not an eggplant fan. This is
meant to be shared; I gobbled up the WHOLE BOWL.
A glass of Gerard METZ 2005 Pinot Blanc from Alsace arrived and
Samantha was pouring most generously; I did not worry. The first
course was TOMATO COULIS with CELERY RAVIOLI and Yogurt Sorbet. Fresh
herbs (rosemary/lavender) adorned the plate and were infused to each
mouthful as well. I adore the fact that Chef Eme uses these herbs in
almost every dish. This was basically a tart and glorified gazpacho
that I could have every hot summer night. There was a dash of herb oil
in the deep red soup and the amazing celery-made ravioli was stuffed
with tomato tartare for a slight chunkiness. The yogurt was slightly
sweet and added a wonderful creaminess to several bites. The wine was
a brilliant pairing to this tart treat.
SCALLOP was sliced and seared and laid atop ENGLISH PEA Soup and
LENTIL GNOCCHI in a large brandy snifter-like glass; a frothy herb
emulsion floated on top. I love peas and these were my first fresh
ones of the season, so I was quite happy. The wine was a simple
grapefruit-intense WHITEHAVEN SAUVIGNON BLANC 2008 from Marlborough in
New Zealand.
LOBSTER MOUSSE was in a cylinder surrounded by Spaghetti and served
with magnificent MORELS, White ASPARAGUS and a White Asparagus Cream.
Herbs Caviar on the side looked like black lentils, but were a
gelatinous, tapioca-like chemically induced treat that were herb-
intense. A Guy BOCARD 2004 MERSUALT Vieilles Vignes was a subtle
accompaniment.
My first red was a tasty huge New Zealand PINOT NOIR from WILD ROCK
2008 "Cupid's Arrow" from Central Otago. This is as good as New
Zealand Pinot gets and was superb with my HERBS CRUSTed steamed COD
with Cauliflower Mousse (more like a cream sauce) and Roasted
Hazelnuts. I adored the tasty crust with chunky salt and herbs as
well as the paper-thin layer of Mushroom-Basil (duxelles like)
underneath making for a contrast with the light fish. Celery Tapioca
Pearls were on the side; another fun treat that Chef Eme seems to like
so much.
I asked for a long break and then came the SHORT RIBS with Winter
Vegetables, Pommes Souffle that were little crispy hollow potato
pillows and Herbs Salad. The wine was a Chateau PETIT BOCO 2005 from
Saint Estephe which was fine with the intense meat, but did not work
so well on its own. I also noticed at this point the background music
was all wonderful French cabaret-style that never was too loud or
intrusive.
The pre-dessert and my substitute dessert (I did not want the
Chocolate Ganache) arrived together. The former was a small dab of
Apple Jelly topped with LAVENDER Ice Cream and Lemon Foam and the main
dessert was STRAWBERRY CAVIAR with Vanilla PANNA COTTA and Honey. The
strawberry gelatinous pearls were served in a real caviar tin for
added fun and they covered the superb panna cotta. A ROZES Reserve
Port came with this,which I had only a couple of sips of as it was
quite heavy and intense, and I was tired (the time was not yet 10pm;
but my body said 1am!).
I know that a future trip to LA will have to include ORTOLAN!
3rd St - www.ortolanrestaurant.com) on the line between Beverly Hills
and West Hollywood (just blocks from the Beverly Center) and settled
in to my comfy chair at a spacious well-spaced table in a gorgeous
room with over a dozen drippy cut crystal chandeliers. I may have been
3 hours behind, but I was ready for a dining experience. The beautiful
antique wooden floors add to the ambience and do not make the sound
level high at all! The walls are heavily curtained and there are 6+
foot high secluded booths for those LA folks who don't want to be
seen. On the other hand, there is a large table in the front window
for those who want to be seen and watch the passersby. Each place has
a gray 12" square slate plate for the table setting and Schott Crystal
adorns each place.
I started chatting with Samantha, the sommelieuse, who actually spent
much time working in DC and knew lots of folks we know! She has been
at Ortolan for less than a year, but knows the ropes and the wines.
Her boss chef/owner Christophe EME actually came out shortly into the
meal to greet everyone. It is a great credit to him and his 5-year old
elegant establishment!
I avoided the champagne trolley (over $20 a glass for those) and
headed right to the shorter tasting menu of $85 ($50 extra with
pairings, rather than the 13-course menu for $145; $75 for wine). It
was a perfect choice and almost everything was at a level of superb
quality.
The amuses was a small tray with two large test tubes of soup with
emulsion and a straw in each: one was carrot with thyme, the other
asparagus with truffle. A medium size bowl of Eggplant Caviar Tapenade
with Aioli was superb, and you know I am not an eggplant fan. This is
meant to be shared; I gobbled up the WHOLE BOWL.
A glass of Gerard METZ 2005 Pinot Blanc from Alsace arrived and
Samantha was pouring most generously; I did not worry. The first
course was TOMATO COULIS with CELERY RAVIOLI and Yogurt Sorbet. Fresh
herbs (rosemary/lavender) adorned the plate and were infused to each
mouthful as well. I adore the fact that Chef Eme uses these herbs in
almost every dish. This was basically a tart and glorified gazpacho
that I could have every hot summer night. There was a dash of herb oil
in the deep red soup and the amazing celery-made ravioli was stuffed
with tomato tartare for a slight chunkiness. The yogurt was slightly
sweet and added a wonderful creaminess to several bites. The wine was
a brilliant pairing to this tart treat.
SCALLOP was sliced and seared and laid atop ENGLISH PEA Soup and
LENTIL GNOCCHI in a large brandy snifter-like glass; a frothy herb
emulsion floated on top. I love peas and these were my first fresh
ones of the season, so I was quite happy. The wine was a simple
grapefruit-intense WHITEHAVEN SAUVIGNON BLANC 2008 from Marlborough in
New Zealand.
LOBSTER MOUSSE was in a cylinder surrounded by Spaghetti and served
with magnificent MORELS, White ASPARAGUS and a White Asparagus Cream.
Herbs Caviar on the side looked like black lentils, but were a
gelatinous, tapioca-like chemically induced treat that were herb-
intense. A Guy BOCARD 2004 MERSUALT Vieilles Vignes was a subtle
accompaniment.
My first red was a tasty huge New Zealand PINOT NOIR from WILD ROCK
2008 "Cupid's Arrow" from Central Otago. This is as good as New
Zealand Pinot gets and was superb with my HERBS CRUSTed steamed COD
with Cauliflower Mousse (more like a cream sauce) and Roasted
Hazelnuts. I adored the tasty crust with chunky salt and herbs as
well as the paper-thin layer of Mushroom-Basil (duxelles like)
underneath making for a contrast with the light fish. Celery Tapioca
Pearls were on the side; another fun treat that Chef Eme seems to like
so much.
I asked for a long break and then came the SHORT RIBS with Winter
Vegetables, Pommes Souffle that were little crispy hollow potato
pillows and Herbs Salad. The wine was a Chateau PETIT BOCO 2005 from
Saint Estephe which was fine with the intense meat, but did not work
so well on its own. I also noticed at this point the background music
was all wonderful French cabaret-style that never was too loud or
intrusive.
The pre-dessert and my substitute dessert (I did not want the
Chocolate Ganache) arrived together. The former was a small dab of
Apple Jelly topped with LAVENDER Ice Cream and Lemon Foam and the main
dessert was STRAWBERRY CAVIAR with Vanilla PANNA COTTA and Honey. The
strawberry gelatinous pearls were served in a real caviar tin for
added fun and they covered the superb panna cotta. A ROZES Reserve
Port came with this,which I had only a couple of sips of as it was
quite heavy and intense, and I was tired (the time was not yet 10pm;
but my body said 1am!).
I know that a future trip to LA will have to include ORTOLAN!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
NEST is nice in your neighborhood -Bethesda, MD (4-14-10)
Two families took five children ( we were a total of 10) to NEST
(www.nestcafebethesda.com) at 4921 Bethesda Ave, just behind the Giant
and across from EuroMotorcars. It is a small almost hidden spot with
good food and great for families with an extensive kid's menu (about 7
choices-chicken fingers and fries for Samuel).
Our server Ashley was a gem and always managed to get everything we
needed and on time as well. When I inquired about a wine, she quickly
brought a taste over of a different one made from the same varietal,
which led me to order a bottle of the CATARATTO-INZOLA white blend,
PRINCIPE de CORLEONE 2007 from Sicily (related to The Godfather?)
which was crisp, refreshing and a great pair with the starters we
shared:
EDAMAME come steamed with a Ginger-Chile Dipping Sauce for flavor
which is nice, but not spicy.
CRISPY CALAMARI and ARTICHOKES is a great combo dish and has a
slightly spicy SALSA VERDE for dipping which was also fun.
I felt like a salad and asked if the Caesar had anchovies; Ashley
said, "no problem, on request!" My salad was dressed perfectly with a
creamy but not overdone dressing and there were at least eight
anchovies! The only thing that was not superb were the bland croutons.
Indeed, this was the only unexciting item that we all ordered; so
pretty good rating in my mind.
Our red was a superb LINDSEY's CUVEE "Truth" 2006 from Sonoma which
was a tasty blend of Cabernet Sauvignon/Cab Franc/Syrah & Malbec. It
was smooth, tasty and just perfect with our burgers.
The burgers were on the special menu and listed as the "Nest Healthy
Option" as they were perfectly cooked BISON burgers smothered with
CABERNET Onions, a layer of ARUGULA and melted Sharp Wisconsin
Cheddar. The side was TEMPURA ZUCCHINI "Fries" with Mustard Seed
Aioli. This is hardly low calorie, but was indeed delicious! Another
option for sides are the ITALIAN Fries, regular potato fries seasoned
to a tee (no ketchup here).
The kids loved the Ice Cream BOMBEs for dessert and we all headed home
very happy and full.
(www.nestcafebethesda.com) at 4921 Bethesda Ave, just behind the Giant
and across from EuroMotorcars. It is a small almost hidden spot with
good food and great for families with an extensive kid's menu (about 7
choices-chicken fingers and fries for Samuel).
Our server Ashley was a gem and always managed to get everything we
needed and on time as well. When I inquired about a wine, she quickly
brought a taste over of a different one made from the same varietal,
which led me to order a bottle of the CATARATTO-INZOLA white blend,
PRINCIPE de CORLEONE 2007 from Sicily (related to The Godfather?)
which was crisp, refreshing and a great pair with the starters we
shared:
EDAMAME come steamed with a Ginger-Chile Dipping Sauce for flavor
which is nice, but not spicy.
CRISPY CALAMARI and ARTICHOKES is a great combo dish and has a
slightly spicy SALSA VERDE for dipping which was also fun.
I felt like a salad and asked if the Caesar had anchovies; Ashley
said, "no problem, on request!" My salad was dressed perfectly with a
creamy but not overdone dressing and there were at least eight
anchovies! The only thing that was not superb were the bland croutons.
Indeed, this was the only unexciting item that we all ordered; so
pretty good rating in my mind.
Our red was a superb LINDSEY's CUVEE "Truth" 2006 from Sonoma which
was a tasty blend of Cabernet Sauvignon/Cab Franc/Syrah & Malbec. It
was smooth, tasty and just perfect with our burgers.
The burgers were on the special menu and listed as the "Nest Healthy
Option" as they were perfectly cooked BISON burgers smothered with
CABERNET Onions, a layer of ARUGULA and melted Sharp Wisconsin
Cheddar. The side was TEMPURA ZUCCHINI "Fries" with Mustard Seed
Aioli. This is hardly low calorie, but was indeed delicious! Another
option for sides are the ITALIAN Fries, regular potato fries seasoned
to a tee (no ketchup here).
The kids loved the Ice Cream BOMBEs for dessert and we all headed home
very happy and full.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Passover-style at ROSA MEXICANA misses the mark (4-4-10)
I have been to the wonderful "Passover style" menu meals at ROSA
MEXICANA in NYC, but this was my first time trying it here in DC
(http://rosamexicano.com/Locations/WashingtonDC/tabid/98/Default.aspx)
across from the Verizon Center (or whatever they keep changing the
name to!).
We should have skipped it this year; for all the decent food, the
service was on the verge of awful nearing disaster. Our bill kept
getting reduced by the manager to the point where we paid less than
1/2 and indeed, we did say we would try and return another time to
give them a last chance.
The GUACAMOLE made tableside does work great with matza, but we had to
ask for matza like ten times and they brought 2 pieces with the
HAROSET TROPICAL we ordered which was a decent Haroset but gets no
raves. We asked for more matza and after 20minutes got 2 more pieces.
This was only the start.
Actually, it started as we tried to find parking on Easter Sunday/
Cherry Blossom/Spring Break day...our first mistake. We ordered a
bottle of BARON HERZOG Chardonnay to calm us down, but that took
almost 1/2 an hour to arrive and then we had only two glasses for 4
adults. We asked for more glasses, which took another 15 minutes. they
said they were running short and would comp the wine. When we ordered
our bottle of red (Baron Herzog Coastal Cab), we rinsed our glasses at
the table with water and used those, as we were told they had none
left!
Samuel ordered the Salmon in a half portion, but we asked for it
without the spicy beets and it came covered with beets...so that had
to go back. It did arrive and Samuel loved it. I ordered the same main
course SALMON con SALPICON de REMOLACHAS with sweet potato spicy
pancakes and spicy roasted beets.
It was delish and huge.
We started with the Crema de POLLO con Chile Guajillo, a simple cream
of chicken soup with veggies and small cubes of chicken that were so
dry I was in shock. They were out of the Gefilte Fish made from Red
Snapper, but luckily not the main course of MIXIOTE de BARBACOA Res, a
braised wrapped brisket that was served with dried fruit. Sadly,
Will's had a hair in the Spinach Potato Kugel!The non-Passover PATO en
Salsa was probably the best bet at the table. They were out of Mango
sorbet, so Sam settled for Blueberry which tasted and looked like no
berry at all and the Passover PISTACHIO Meringue cookie was decent
sandwiched with Strawberry Ice Cream in a Red Berry Coulis.
The server Luis just seemed to be having his worst day, and Gillian
the manager tried hard to keep lowering the check and saying how sorry
she was.
We left knowing that ROSA can be good and we will give them another
chance, on a quieter night.
MEXICANA in NYC, but this was my first time trying it here in DC
(http://rosamexicano.com/Locations/WashingtonDC/tabid/98/Default.aspx)
across from the Verizon Center (or whatever they keep changing the
name to!).
We should have skipped it this year; for all the decent food, the
service was on the verge of awful nearing disaster. Our bill kept
getting reduced by the manager to the point where we paid less than
1/2 and indeed, we did say we would try and return another time to
give them a last chance.
The GUACAMOLE made tableside does work great with matza, but we had to
ask for matza like ten times and they brought 2 pieces with the
HAROSET TROPICAL we ordered which was a decent Haroset but gets no
raves. We asked for more matza and after 20minutes got 2 more pieces.
This was only the start.
Actually, it started as we tried to find parking on Easter Sunday/
Cherry Blossom/Spring Break day...our first mistake. We ordered a
bottle of BARON HERZOG Chardonnay to calm us down, but that took
almost 1/2 an hour to arrive and then we had only two glasses for 4
adults. We asked for more glasses, which took another 15 minutes. they
said they were running short and would comp the wine. When we ordered
our bottle of red (Baron Herzog Coastal Cab), we rinsed our glasses at
the table with water and used those, as we were told they had none
left!
Samuel ordered the Salmon in a half portion, but we asked for it
without the spicy beets and it came covered with beets...so that had
to go back. It did arrive and Samuel loved it. I ordered the same main
course SALMON con SALPICON de REMOLACHAS with sweet potato spicy
pancakes and spicy roasted beets.
It was delish and huge.
We started with the Crema de POLLO con Chile Guajillo, a simple cream
of chicken soup with veggies and small cubes of chicken that were so
dry I was in shock. They were out of the Gefilte Fish made from Red
Snapper, but luckily not the main course of MIXIOTE de BARBACOA Res, a
braised wrapped brisket that was served with dried fruit. Sadly,
Will's had a hair in the Spinach Potato Kugel!The non-Passover PATO en
Salsa was probably the best bet at the table. They were out of Mango
sorbet, so Sam settled for Blueberry which tasted and looked like no
berry at all and the Passover PISTACHIO Meringue cookie was decent
sandwiched with Strawberry Ice Cream in a Red Berry Coulis.
The server Luis just seemed to be having his worst day, and Gillian
the manager tried hard to keep lowering the check and saying how sorry
she was.
We left knowing that ROSA can be good and we will give them another
chance, on a quieter night.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
CARLA (HALL) Can cook--or a TOP CHEF comes to town (3-28-10)
Upon our return to DC we had the pleasure of hosting TOP CHEF Carla
HALL at our home for a small dinner party as part of a charity event
purchase. We have known Carla for many years, and indeed she had
cooked at our home several years ago before her television fame.
This time it was even MORE fun, getting all the dirt and hearing all
about TOP CHEF itself! What a treat!
We filled up on champagne with FOIE GRAS MOUSSE with FIG SYRUP on a
crostini, SHRIMP BEIGNETS (fritters of Tiger Shrimp) with corn
kernels, red peppers and a superb Calypso Sauce, Roasted Red Pepper &
Zucchini Tartlettes filled with veggie custard and topped with sauteed
zucchini & pepper brunoise with black flake salt.
She had already won "our" show by this point and we had not even sat
down at the table yet!
We served Miner Viognier with her creamy rich WILD MUSHROOM SOUP with
caraway seeds and parmesan caraway crisps and then enjoyed a Rhone
white blend with SEARED ROCKFISH in CARROT GINGER BROTH with
lemongrass and micro cilantro. The fish was superb and we all could
not stop raving about the intense, but not overpowering flavors of the
broth.
BRAISED SHORT RIBS with extra virgin olive oil, wine. veal stock,
tomatoes, garlic and seasonings were sprinkled with gremolata and
served with buttered Egg Noodles. This dish was another blockbuster
worthy of any TV or anywhere top prize and I was happy to serve it
with a super BAROLO from 1999 from my cellars.
A refreshing Salad of ESCAROLE with Apples, Candied Walnuts & MT. TAM
Cheese came with Shallot & Apple Cider Vinegar and stood out for the
fresh ingredients and the tasty tangy creamy triple-creme style
cheese.
Many LAYER NAPOLEAN with Lime Cream and Sour Cherry-Thyme Compote was
a perfect light, refreshing and innovative dessert, and as if this was
not enough CARLA's famous COOKIE COLLECTION (which can now be
purchased online at Alchemy Caterers (www.alchemycaterers.com) which
is her company. These miniature-sized buttery rich cookies are worth
their weight in gold as is having Carla as a friend, as she is truly
one of the kindest people in the food biz we know!
HALL at our home for a small dinner party as part of a charity event
purchase. We have known Carla for many years, and indeed she had
cooked at our home several years ago before her television fame.
This time it was even MORE fun, getting all the dirt and hearing all
about TOP CHEF itself! What a treat!
We filled up on champagne with FOIE GRAS MOUSSE with FIG SYRUP on a
crostini, SHRIMP BEIGNETS (fritters of Tiger Shrimp) with corn
kernels, red peppers and a superb Calypso Sauce, Roasted Red Pepper &
Zucchini Tartlettes filled with veggie custard and topped with sauteed
zucchini & pepper brunoise with black flake salt.
She had already won "our" show by this point and we had not even sat
down at the table yet!
We served Miner Viognier with her creamy rich WILD MUSHROOM SOUP with
caraway seeds and parmesan caraway crisps and then enjoyed a Rhone
white blend with SEARED ROCKFISH in CARROT GINGER BROTH with
lemongrass and micro cilantro. The fish was superb and we all could
not stop raving about the intense, but not overpowering flavors of the
broth.
BRAISED SHORT RIBS with extra virgin olive oil, wine. veal stock,
tomatoes, garlic and seasonings were sprinkled with gremolata and
served with buttered Egg Noodles. This dish was another blockbuster
worthy of any TV or anywhere top prize and I was happy to serve it
with a super BAROLO from 1999 from my cellars.
A refreshing Salad of ESCAROLE with Apples, Candied Walnuts & MT. TAM
Cheese came with Shallot & Apple Cider Vinegar and stood out for the
fresh ingredients and the tasty tangy creamy triple-creme style
cheese.
Many LAYER NAPOLEAN with Lime Cream and Sour Cherry-Thyme Compote was
a perfect light, refreshing and innovative dessert, and as if this was
not enough CARLA's famous COOKIE COLLECTION (which can now be
purchased online at Alchemy Caterers (www.alchemycaterers.com) which
is her company. These miniature-sized buttery rich cookies are worth
their weight in gold as is having Carla as a friend, as she is truly
one of the kindest people in the food biz we know!
Friday, March 26, 2010
the last mexican Supper-cautious at CASA DEL LAGO at Rosewood Mayakoba (3-26-10)
Our final meal in Mexico was at the elegant Casa del Lago in the main
building of Rosewood Mayakoba with our friends and clients (Frank &
Angela) who I had booked there at the same time. We originally had
intended to treat them (they are very good clients), but the pool
fiascos of the day ended up with us all getting a completely free
dinner!).
We were led in and told our party had already arrived and the hostess
tried to seat us with some strangers! Now that was a first! After lots
of conversation about the day we chose a superb CASA GRANDE CASA
MADERSO Chardonnay from Parra in the state of Coahuila which was so
good, we took a second bottle (well, we weren't paying!). Our red was
a magnificent GABRIEL (named by the owner-a retired US banker- for his
deceased son) from ADOBE GUADALUPE in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja
California. This 2007 wine was indeed the best Mexican red ever, now
giving us two yummy ones we will look for in the future.
The amuse was a goat cheese (mousse) with sundried tomato vinaigrette
which was okay, but no show winner for sure. I loved my MAINE LOBSTER
CARPACCIO with Tomato Bread Sherbet, Olive Oil, Lemon, Watercress &
Olives. It was light after a hot long day and so refreshing. The
SHRIMP were sauteed and served with RICOTTA GNOCCHI in Parmesan Cream
and Madeira Wine reduction. Tasty--but very rich and heavy. Yes, it
might have been late winter/early spring, but the high 80 degree temps
make this food hard to take.
RISOTTO with PORCINI MUSHROOMS and Idiazabal Cheese Fritters, Wild
Mushrooms and Fresh Herbs Essence was also a heavy duty dish. The main
courses were also quite large and rich: SUCKLING PIG (leg & ribs)with
Apple Ravioli had a yummy Onion Compote and Jus with Peanuts. RED
SNAPPER came with Sea Urchin Vermicelli and Light Garlic Cream, but
the recommended SOLE in PAUPIETTE with Soft Pancetta and Low
Temperature Cooked Egg with Morel Sauce (recommended by the server)
was a dud...bland as could be.
Sauteed DUCK BREAST came with Portobello Carpaccio, Roasted Apples and
Mesquite Smoke and worked well...
We enjoyed a bottle of SANTA JULIO TARDIO dessert wine which was nice,
but the desserts were iffy:
CHOCOLATE CAKE with Caramel Cream over Intense Hazelnut Praline with
Macaroon Pistachio Ice Cream was the best, the APPLE CRUMB CINNAMON
Roll Ice Cream was decent and my "TORRIJA" with Rhubarb and Strawberry
Compote and Key Lime Pie Chilled Cream was more like creamy meringue
with very little fruit in evidence.
It was okay-but I am sure glad we didn't have to pay!
building of Rosewood Mayakoba with our friends and clients (Frank &
Angela) who I had booked there at the same time. We originally had
intended to treat them (they are very good clients), but the pool
fiascos of the day ended up with us all getting a completely free
dinner!).
We were led in and told our party had already arrived and the hostess
tried to seat us with some strangers! Now that was a first! After lots
of conversation about the day we chose a superb CASA GRANDE CASA
MADERSO Chardonnay from Parra in the state of Coahuila which was so
good, we took a second bottle (well, we weren't paying!). Our red was
a magnificent GABRIEL (named by the owner-a retired US banker- for his
deceased son) from ADOBE GUADALUPE in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja
California. This 2007 wine was indeed the best Mexican red ever, now
giving us two yummy ones we will look for in the future.
The amuse was a goat cheese (mousse) with sundried tomato vinaigrette
which was okay, but no show winner for sure. I loved my MAINE LOBSTER
CARPACCIO with Tomato Bread Sherbet, Olive Oil, Lemon, Watercress &
Olives. It was light after a hot long day and so refreshing. The
SHRIMP were sauteed and served with RICOTTA GNOCCHI in Parmesan Cream
and Madeira Wine reduction. Tasty--but very rich and heavy. Yes, it
might have been late winter/early spring, but the high 80 degree temps
make this food hard to take.
RISOTTO with PORCINI MUSHROOMS and Idiazabal Cheese Fritters, Wild
Mushrooms and Fresh Herbs Essence was also a heavy duty dish. The main
courses were also quite large and rich: SUCKLING PIG (leg & ribs)with
Apple Ravioli had a yummy Onion Compote and Jus with Peanuts. RED
SNAPPER came with Sea Urchin Vermicelli and Light Garlic Cream, but
the recommended SOLE in PAUPIETTE with Soft Pancetta and Low
Temperature Cooked Egg with Morel Sauce (recommended by the server)
was a dud...bland as could be.
Sauteed DUCK BREAST came with Portobello Carpaccio, Roasted Apples and
Mesquite Smoke and worked well...
We enjoyed a bottle of SANTA JULIO TARDIO dessert wine which was nice,
but the desserts were iffy:
CHOCOLATE CAKE with Caramel Cream over Intense Hazelnut Praline with
Macaroon Pistachio Ice Cream was the best, the APPLE CRUMB CINNAMON
Roll Ice Cream was decent and my "TORRIJA" with Rhubarb and Strawberry
Compote and Key Lime Pie Chilled Cream was more like creamy meringue
with very little fruit in evidence.
It was okay-but I am sure glad we didn't have to pay!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Rosewood Mayakoba's beach place PLAYA BONITA is a deal (3-25-10)
We are stopping here at Rosewood for two nights on the last of our
three stays on the Riviera Maya. After gorging ourselves on the super
food at Grand Velas, getting shocked by the prices as Banyan Tree, we
were thrilled to hit PLAYA BONITA an adorable little indoor/outdoor
beach spot just a block from our suite here.
Samuel started off with Los verduros preferidos de Bugs Bunny, a bowl
of steamed carrots, zucchini and tomato which he adored and went on to
the Penne Pasta Bolognese, followed by Raspberry/Apple/Mango Sorbet
trio. He was in heaven.
We started with a bottle of SAUVIGNON BLANC from Los Vascos in Chile
that was refreshing after a hot, humid day. Chips arrived with salsas:
Tomatillo-Molcajete Mexicano with Jalapeno, Dried Guajillo Chile with
Peanut (which was superb), Red Tomato/Molcajete and Jalapeno and
finally a traditional Pico de Gallo. We devoured all with gusto, but
eventually stayed away from the real spicy ones.
The theme here is tapas style Mexican food and they do it great
charging about $6 per plate, which is super for a luxury hotel and
great fro kids as well.
SAUTEED SHRIMP with Butter, Garlic & Guajillo Pepper on Soft Tortilla
with Farm Cream and Fresh Cheese sounds bit like the traditional
shrimp in garlic, but this was a dreamy dish with all those great
local ingredients Mexican style for sure.
CRISPY DOGFISH QUESADILLAS were also so yummy that Will ordered a
second plate!
CEVICHE YUCATECO de Caracol y Pulpo was another dream ceviche from the
are made from tender octopus and conch.
DUCK TACOS with MOLE--need I say more?
Our wine steward, the handsome Andres was a genius when he suggested
MARIATINTO 2007 a Mexican red from Ensenada in Baja California made
from Cab, Syrah, Petit Syrah & Grenache. The wine had a plum jammy
sense from the Syrah and opened up maginificently. What a treat!
We ordered two of the local GUISADOS or stews, also in small portions
which were good, but not as great as the other tapas.
CHICKEN in PUMPKIN SEED & PISTACIO SAUCE was the best and a side of
Arroz Verde (green rice form the coriander) was great. The TINGO de
RES was shredded beef and tomato sauce which just did not win a prize
as almost everything else did.
TRES LECHES con Chile Habanero confitado was a spice & sugar meringue
that was too hard to even cut with a habanero chile confit style due
to infused sugar cider. While the dish sounded interested, it fell
flat on the plate.
It was so great to eat well for less than a fortune and enjoy the
ambience too. Well, at least after Sam got over the one mosquito he
saw as we sat down and promptly threw a fit.
three stays on the Riviera Maya. After gorging ourselves on the super
food at Grand Velas, getting shocked by the prices as Banyan Tree, we
were thrilled to hit PLAYA BONITA an adorable little indoor/outdoor
beach spot just a block from our suite here.
Samuel started off with Los verduros preferidos de Bugs Bunny, a bowl
of steamed carrots, zucchini and tomato which he adored and went on to
the Penne Pasta Bolognese, followed by Raspberry/Apple/Mango Sorbet
trio. He was in heaven.
We started with a bottle of SAUVIGNON BLANC from Los Vascos in Chile
that was refreshing after a hot, humid day. Chips arrived with salsas:
Tomatillo-Molcajete Mexicano with Jalapeno, Dried Guajillo Chile with
Peanut (which was superb), Red Tomato/Molcajete and Jalapeno and
finally a traditional Pico de Gallo. We devoured all with gusto, but
eventually stayed away from the real spicy ones.
The theme here is tapas style Mexican food and they do it great
charging about $6 per plate, which is super for a luxury hotel and
great fro kids as well.
SAUTEED SHRIMP with Butter, Garlic & Guajillo Pepper on Soft Tortilla
with Farm Cream and Fresh Cheese sounds bit like the traditional
shrimp in garlic, but this was a dreamy dish with all those great
local ingredients Mexican style for sure.
CRISPY DOGFISH QUESADILLAS were also so yummy that Will ordered a
second plate!
CEVICHE YUCATECO de Caracol y Pulpo was another dream ceviche from the
are made from tender octopus and conch.
DUCK TACOS with MOLE--need I say more?
Our wine steward, the handsome Andres was a genius when he suggested
MARIATINTO 2007 a Mexican red from Ensenada in Baja California made
from Cab, Syrah, Petit Syrah & Grenache. The wine had a plum jammy
sense from the Syrah and opened up maginificently. What a treat!
We ordered two of the local GUISADOS or stews, also in small portions
which were good, but not as great as the other tapas.
CHICKEN in PUMPKIN SEED & PISTACIO SAUCE was the best and a side of
Arroz Verde (green rice form the coriander) was great. The TINGO de
RES was shredded beef and tomato sauce which just did not win a prize
as almost everything else did.
TRES LECHES con Chile Habanero confitado was a spice & sugar meringue
that was too hard to even cut with a habanero chile confit style due
to infused sugar cider. While the dish sounded interested, it fell
flat on the plate.
It was so great to eat well for less than a fortune and enjoy the
ambience too. Well, at least after Sam got over the one mosquito he
saw as we sat down and promptly threw a fit.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
say yes to YAXCHE for a Mayan meal in Playa del Carmen, MX (3-24-10)
While shopping in town today we stopped in at YXCHE
(www.mayacuisine.com) in downtown Playa del Carmen, just off the main
shopping street (5th Ave.) and we were glad we did. While Sam was less
excited about the food, he chose chicken fingers and fries and loved
the smoothie made from Strawberry, Orange and Mango Juice called
"Tulum" for the ruin south of here. Will tried the Chayamade which was
a lemonade made with the green chaya that we have come to love in the
veggie juices served at breakfast (jugo verde). My margarita was one
of the best and biggest so fare made with Tequila Reposado and costing
65 pesos on the menu (just over $5) which is about 75% less than at
the hotel! Indeed, halfway thru the meal, our friendly server came
over with another saying that at this lunch it was 2-4-1. WOW-$2.60
for a super drink!
The chips that came to the table were the best so far on this trip and
came with a deadly habanera salsa, a creamy garlic salsa, that Samuel
adored and a yummy pumpkin seed paste that was also quite tasty and oh
so local.
Will opted for the Ka'naab Hana, Fish stuffed Tortillas in a yummy
green salsa and I went for the Chixchulub which was described as
fettuccine pasta with chaya (that local green veggie), shrimp, squid
and scallop (bay) flambeed (not at table) with Xtabentun Mayan Liquor
in a special chef's sauce, which turned out to be very alfredo-like
and quite rich, but delicious. I would have preferred a lighter sauce
at lunch, but everything here was superb and the whole meal rang in at
about $43 with a tip.
The decor is very traditional with a ceiling murals of blue and golden
orange of Mayan figures and lots of faux Mayan engravings on the
columns that are most convincing. The place is spotless, as are the
restrooms...so give this one a try next time you are in the
neighborhood.
(www.mayacuisine.com) in downtown Playa del Carmen, just off the main
shopping street (5th Ave.) and we were glad we did. While Sam was less
excited about the food, he chose chicken fingers and fries and loved
the smoothie made from Strawberry, Orange and Mango Juice called
"Tulum" for the ruin south of here. Will tried the Chayamade which was
a lemonade made with the green chaya that we have come to love in the
veggie juices served at breakfast (jugo verde). My margarita was one
of the best and biggest so fare made with Tequila Reposado and costing
65 pesos on the menu (just over $5) which is about 75% less than at
the hotel! Indeed, halfway thru the meal, our friendly server came
over with another saying that at this lunch it was 2-4-1. WOW-$2.60
for a super drink!
The chips that came to the table were the best so far on this trip and
came with a deadly habanera salsa, a creamy garlic salsa, that Samuel
adored and a yummy pumpkin seed paste that was also quite tasty and oh
so local.
Will opted for the Ka'naab Hana, Fish stuffed Tortillas in a yummy
green salsa and I went for the Chixchulub which was described as
fettuccine pasta with chaya (that local green veggie), shrimp, squid
and scallop (bay) flambeed (not at table) with Xtabentun Mayan Liquor
in a special chef's sauce, which turned out to be very alfredo-like
and quite rich, but delicious. I would have preferred a lighter sauce
at lunch, but everything here was superb and the whole meal rang in at
about $43 with a tip.
The decor is very traditional with a ceiling murals of blue and golden
orange of Mayan figures and lots of faux Mayan engravings on the
columns that are most convincing. The place is spotless, as are the
restrooms...so give this one a try next time you are in the
neighborhood.
Playa del Carmen's JOHN GRAY's PLACE is not so pretty (3-24-10)
After being shocked by the prices at Banyan Tree we headed out on our
second night to town to a place well known for it's chef. JOHN GREY's
PLACE now has four locations in the Yucatan and the ex-Ritz Carlton
chef has created a mini-Mexican empire. This Playa del Carmen spot is
nothing to mention visually, and it was very crowded and very noisy,
making for a less enjoyable evening overall.
The wine list is small, but we found some for under $50 that were
quite good starting with a Lagar de Cervera ALBARINO from Spain that
was sour apples and gooseberries all over, but needed a bit more
chilling. We felt rushed as the food came fast and with no breaks; we
knew they just wanted to turn around the table so more diners could be
fed.
While Will's STEAK TARTARE starter was yummy, it was the slightly
mustardy traditional French fare with zero points for presentation as
it looked like a pile of dog food in the bowl! My ESCARGOTS in
PORTOBELLO & RED WINE SAUCE were divine and tasty as well.
The main courses were varied and Will had the GRILLED SWORDFISH with
HERB BUTTER that was only okay; just nothing novel really. The sides
of GRILLED ASPARAGUS with Coarse Salt & Balsamic and the CRISPY
POTATOES were excellent. My Fresh Local CORONADO (known at homeas
Amberjack Fish) was cooked in a yummy Black Olive Butter and served
with mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. Again, about a 2 (out of 10)
for presentation, but the fish was firm and tasty and overall. I loved
it.
Will ordered the MOCHA CREME BRULEE which I tasted and it was nice,
but we left feeling that John Gray is no longer a food destination.
second night to town to a place well known for it's chef. JOHN GREY's
PLACE now has four locations in the Yucatan and the ex-Ritz Carlton
chef has created a mini-Mexican empire. This Playa del Carmen spot is
nothing to mention visually, and it was very crowded and very noisy,
making for a less enjoyable evening overall.
The wine list is small, but we found some for under $50 that were
quite good starting with a Lagar de Cervera ALBARINO from Spain that
was sour apples and gooseberries all over, but needed a bit more
chilling. We felt rushed as the food came fast and with no breaks; we
knew they just wanted to turn around the table so more diners could be
fed.
While Will's STEAK TARTARE starter was yummy, it was the slightly
mustardy traditional French fare with zero points for presentation as
it looked like a pile of dog food in the bowl! My ESCARGOTS in
PORTOBELLO & RED WINE SAUCE were divine and tasty as well.
The main courses were varied and Will had the GRILLED SWORDFISH with
HERB BUTTER that was only okay; just nothing novel really. The sides
of GRILLED ASPARAGUS with Coarse Salt & Balsamic and the CRISPY
POTATOES were excellent. My Fresh Local CORONADO (known at homeas
Amberjack Fish) was cooked in a yummy Black Olive Butter and served
with mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. Again, about a 2 (out of 10)
for presentation, but the fish was firm and tasty and overall. I loved
it.
Will ordered the MOCHA CREME BRULEE which I tasted and it was nice,
but we left feeling that John Gray is no longer a food destination.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
SEN LIN & more in Mexico, the modern Mexican ORIENTE at Banyan Tree Mayakoba (Riviera Maya-3/23/10)
Hi folks,
I must apologize profusely for losing all my notes on the SUPERB meal
the three of us had on our last night at GRAND VELAS' SEN LIN Asian-
inspired restaurant. The decor was elegant and very Zen-inspired
relaxing, the service superb as it had been in all the Grand Velas
venues, and the food again truly excellent. The local and Asian
infused ingredients made all the dishes tasty, novel and exciting. The
presentation was also on the level of any top notch luxury restaurant.
Our three dinner, lunch and breakfast buffets and just everything made
me confident that an all-inclusive resort can conjure up great dining
experiences.
Yesterday we moved right next door to the MAYAKOBA complex where we
will spend the rest of our stay here. Our first stop is the one-year
old Asian inspired and truly beautiful BANYAN TREE MAYAKOBA. The just
over 100 suites/villas here have the choice of three dining
experiences and we chose ORIENTE, the modern Mexican spot. It is a
silly name as they have a Thai spot, which would be more "oriente,"
and our server actually could not explain why the Mexican restaurant
was named as such!
It is a large place with slate and mosaic floors, huge woven rattan-
like chairs with big pillows and lots of wrought iron, especially in
the chandeliers. We ordered a bottle of CHATEAU d'AUGLES Rousanne-
Marsanne from Coteaux de Languedoc 2006 which was quite yummy,
although the price list has no more than several wines ringing in
below $50. The glasses here are Schott (modern style) as opposed to
the restaurant Riedel next door at Grand Velas, and we had to
constantly asked to have thee glasses filled. Failure #1, even though
we kept telling them that we drink fast!
A small cylinder of BEEF TENDERLOIN TAQUITO arrived as an amuse with
CHILMOLE (a mole made with local chiles) and cheese that was a yummy
one bite pop in the mouth. Samuel's beef tacos arrived and the meat
was top quality fajita style lean beef. The rolls looked basic, but
when we opened the small buns they were filled with a mushroom
duxelles-like paste made from the local HUITLACOCHE that was divine.
Samuel thought it was pesto and gobbled it up until the words local
mushroom were mentioned. So much for his continuing to eat something
he likes when he thinks the ingredient is something he DISlikes.
Both starters were huge and of top quality ingredients as well. CONFIT
PRAWNS, Vegetables & Avocado Ice Cream was oh so much more with a
poached-egg looking yogurt, asparagus, cucumber, carrots, beet and
onion all arranged in an Asian-like salad around the huge prawns with
the yummy ice cream as a "sauce" scoop on the side. Will's Shredded
BEEF CEVICHE was again tender meat on crispy CORN TORTILLA with Ranch
Aged Cheese. There was not much cheese and a squeeze of lime might
have made the salsa with sour cream a bit more exciting, but the dish
was delish.
We ordered a second bottle and it took about 10 minutes for them to
tell us it was all gone, so we settled for a very buttery ESCUDO ROJO
CHARDONNAY from Maipo in Chile. Will had the VERACRUZ Style Grouper
with Creamy Zucchini and Blossom Rice which was a delish fish as it
should be for $33 (the prices here ranged from $14-21 on starters, and
$28-36 on mains). My choice was indeed the $36 Seared CARIBBEAN
LOBSTER TAIL with the CHILMOLE & Tomatillo Sauce, Sauteed Veggies,
Portobello, Oyster & White Mushrooms. The sauce was excellent, the
vegetables superb and the tails HUGE but sadly cooked a bit too much
to a slightly dry stage! DAMN! The attention to this mos important and
quality ingredient in the kitchen had totally failed.
We decided to share a dessert of CHURROS with Mexican Chocolate dip
and Mexican Coffee Ice Cream. At $16 this was about 7-8 churros with a
thick and gloppy chocolate sauce that just didn't do much and the ice
cream was nice but won no awards. At this point we really were glad we
decided not to dine at the adult only Tamarind (where cold starters
run $13-21, $31 for foie gras terrine;warm starters $19-25, and mains
$31-47) in the resort tonight, but instead head into town.
I must apologize profusely for losing all my notes on the SUPERB meal
the three of us had on our last night at GRAND VELAS' SEN LIN Asian-
inspired restaurant. The decor was elegant and very Zen-inspired
relaxing, the service superb as it had been in all the Grand Velas
venues, and the food again truly excellent. The local and Asian
infused ingredients made all the dishes tasty, novel and exciting. The
presentation was also on the level of any top notch luxury restaurant.
Our three dinner, lunch and breakfast buffets and just everything made
me confident that an all-inclusive resort can conjure up great dining
experiences.
Yesterday we moved right next door to the MAYAKOBA complex where we
will spend the rest of our stay here. Our first stop is the one-year
old Asian inspired and truly beautiful BANYAN TREE MAYAKOBA. The just
over 100 suites/villas here have the choice of three dining
experiences and we chose ORIENTE, the modern Mexican spot. It is a
silly name as they have a Thai spot, which would be more "oriente,"
and our server actually could not explain why the Mexican restaurant
was named as such!
It is a large place with slate and mosaic floors, huge woven rattan-
like chairs with big pillows and lots of wrought iron, especially in
the chandeliers. We ordered a bottle of CHATEAU d'AUGLES Rousanne-
Marsanne from Coteaux de Languedoc 2006 which was quite yummy,
although the price list has no more than several wines ringing in
below $50. The glasses here are Schott (modern style) as opposed to
the restaurant Riedel next door at Grand Velas, and we had to
constantly asked to have thee glasses filled. Failure #1, even though
we kept telling them that we drink fast!
A small cylinder of BEEF TENDERLOIN TAQUITO arrived as an amuse with
CHILMOLE (a mole made with local chiles) and cheese that was a yummy
one bite pop in the mouth. Samuel's beef tacos arrived and the meat
was top quality fajita style lean beef. The rolls looked basic, but
when we opened the small buns they were filled with a mushroom
duxelles-like paste made from the local HUITLACOCHE that was divine.
Samuel thought it was pesto and gobbled it up until the words local
mushroom were mentioned. So much for his continuing to eat something
he likes when he thinks the ingredient is something he DISlikes.
Both starters were huge and of top quality ingredients as well. CONFIT
PRAWNS, Vegetables & Avocado Ice Cream was oh so much more with a
poached-egg looking yogurt, asparagus, cucumber, carrots, beet and
onion all arranged in an Asian-like salad around the huge prawns with
the yummy ice cream as a "sauce" scoop on the side. Will's Shredded
BEEF CEVICHE was again tender meat on crispy CORN TORTILLA with Ranch
Aged Cheese. There was not much cheese and a squeeze of lime might
have made the salsa with sour cream a bit more exciting, but the dish
was delish.
We ordered a second bottle and it took about 10 minutes for them to
tell us it was all gone, so we settled for a very buttery ESCUDO ROJO
CHARDONNAY from Maipo in Chile. Will had the VERACRUZ Style Grouper
with Creamy Zucchini and Blossom Rice which was a delish fish as it
should be for $33 (the prices here ranged from $14-21 on starters, and
$28-36 on mains). My choice was indeed the $36 Seared CARIBBEAN
LOBSTER TAIL with the CHILMOLE & Tomatillo Sauce, Sauteed Veggies,
Portobello, Oyster & White Mushrooms. The sauce was excellent, the
vegetables superb and the tails HUGE but sadly cooked a bit too much
to a slightly dry stage! DAMN! The attention to this mos important and
quality ingredient in the kitchen had totally failed.
We decided to share a dessert of CHURROS with Mexican Chocolate dip
and Mexican Coffee Ice Cream. At $16 this was about 7-8 churros with a
thick and gloppy chocolate sauce that just didn't do much and the ice
cream was nice but won no awards. At this point we really were glad we
decided not to dine at the adult only Tamarind (where cold starters
run $13-21, $31 for foie gras terrine;warm starters $19-25, and mains
$31-47) in the resort tonight, but instead head into town.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Found notes re SEN LIN at Grand Velas Riviera Maya is SUPERB!(3-22-10)
FOUND THE NOTES !!
Yes folks, I am way behind and I just found my notes on the superb
ASIAN dining spot at Grand Velas in Mexico from our recent vacation.
The service was elegant and superb as it was at every Grand Velas
dining option, and we were graciously offered a FRENCH 75 (Grand
Marnier, Cognac, Champagne & 7UP) to start. The glasses were Riedel
and the plates were gorgeous. Samuel asked for a plain non-lettuce
salad and got a magnificent Asian construction with a soy dressing
that he fell in love with. We got an amuse of SALMON TARTARE with
Oyster Sauce, Wonton Crisp & Black Sesame and then another of CHIRASSA
PEPPER with a Cream of Dill, Paprika & Yello Curry. This was an
ingenious use of the local ingredients fused Asian-style.
TORI TEPANYAKI was Sam's main course and was a Chicken with
Vegetables, more Soy and Udon Noodles...he loved it so much that he
said he wanted soy sauce all the time. when we suggested he try sushi
with soy sauce the next day he said he would; alas, he did not!
Will had the okay TOM YAM SOUP a spicy seafood with coconut, lemon
grass and Krachai essence which was similar to our Thai version at
home; nothing spectacular. My PAK CHOI TAKO was hearts of bok choy,
carrot sprouts, lily flower salad over vacuum packed baby octopus with
Eucalyptus Tears (dressing) with air of black tea with rice honey. It
was too salad-y and needed more seafood.
UNAGI KABAYAKI TIBIO was a magnificent warm LOBSTER dipped in creamy
Masago(urchin roe) Sauce with Picasso Eel reduction, blue fire garam
masala smoke and a small spoon filled with crab and crunchy slaw. I
was in heaven. MAGURO GOMA for will was a rare tuna with Black Sesame
Crust over Shitake Sauce, Edamame, Jasmine Rice and Citrus Infusion.
The ingredients were all of the highest quality here making for an
even better experience. PEKING DUCK was pretty top notch too!
The Ichiban Sake served was quite nice (you could have this cold or a
cheaper hot version) and Will stuck to beer. Desserts were nice too
with SAIGON SALVAJE being roasted strawberries with Vietnamese black
pepper and Cardamom Ice cream and PRIMAVERA being a spring roll with
banana, Mango, Soybean Honey Glaze & Ginger Ice Cream.
Lychee flavored Sake finished us off for sure and we left our final
dinner at Grand Velas knowing that we will come back for more!
Yes folks, I am way behind and I just found my notes on the superb
ASIAN dining spot at Grand Velas in Mexico from our recent vacation.
The service was elegant and superb as it was at every Grand Velas
dining option, and we were graciously offered a FRENCH 75 (Grand
Marnier, Cognac, Champagne & 7UP) to start. The glasses were Riedel
and the plates were gorgeous. Samuel asked for a plain non-lettuce
salad and got a magnificent Asian construction with a soy dressing
that he fell in love with. We got an amuse of SALMON TARTARE with
Oyster Sauce, Wonton Crisp & Black Sesame and then another of CHIRASSA
PEPPER with a Cream of Dill, Paprika & Yello Curry. This was an
ingenious use of the local ingredients fused Asian-style.
TORI TEPANYAKI was Sam's main course and was a Chicken with
Vegetables, more Soy and Udon Noodles...he loved it so much that he
said he wanted soy sauce all the time. when we suggested he try sushi
with soy sauce the next day he said he would; alas, he did not!
Will had the okay TOM YAM SOUP a spicy seafood with coconut, lemon
grass and Krachai essence which was similar to our Thai version at
home; nothing spectacular. My PAK CHOI TAKO was hearts of bok choy,
carrot sprouts, lily flower salad over vacuum packed baby octopus with
Eucalyptus Tears (dressing) with air of black tea with rice honey. It
was too salad-y and needed more seafood.
UNAGI KABAYAKI TIBIO was a magnificent warm LOBSTER dipped in creamy
Masago(urchin roe) Sauce with Picasso Eel reduction, blue fire garam
masala smoke and a small spoon filled with crab and crunchy slaw. I
was in heaven. MAGURO GOMA for will was a rare tuna with Black Sesame
Crust over Shitake Sauce, Edamame, Jasmine Rice and Citrus Infusion.
The ingredients were all of the highest quality here making for an
even better experience. PEKING DUCK was pretty top notch too!
The Ichiban Sake served was quite nice (you could have this cold or a
cheaper hot version) and Will stuck to beer. Desserts were nice too
with SAIGON SALVAJE being roasted strawberries with Vietnamese black
pepper and Cardamom Ice cream and PRIMAVERA being a spring roll with
banana, Mango, Soybean Honey Glaze & Ginger Ice Cream.
Lychee flavored Sake finished us off for sure and we left our final
dinner at Grand Velas knowing that we will come back for more!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
more great vittles at Grand Velas (Mexico)- PIAF (French adult dining with a flair -3/21/10)
Our second dinner at Grand Velas here on the Riviera Maya was just
next door at the Grande Classe Suites section which is adults over 12
only. We gave Samuel a room service dinner of Tomatoes (beautiful ripe
and plenty) with a Pesto Vinaigrette followed by Beef Tacos. He wolfed
all the tomatoes and 4 tacos down as well. Off to kid's club for the
evening with his friend Maia (who arrived that day) and we headed two
steps away to PIAF, which was as quiet as could be, elegant and classy
as well. All black lacquer, black marble floors and hints of red
flocked velvet walls and chairs gave a slight bordello feel with huge
Venetian-like crystal (probably Mexican) chandeliers as well.
While the wines were a slight improvement as three "champagnes" were
offered up with the same standard cheap stuff. We tried the IVAN
LESCOMPTE Brut from Baja Mexico which had a odd beer yeasty taste and
reminded me of the DT Beer I had a week before at Sur La Place in DC!
I moved on to the LOUIS PERDRIER Brut Rose which had a big strawberry
taste, Will stuck with the Woodbridge Sauvignon Blanc.
A tasty amuse of baked OYSTER in SABAYON cream with Salmon Caviar,
Fennel and Fresh dill was an exciting bite for sure. There was live
music again in the form of a solo violinist, which just sounded a bit
sad as he played alone and the violin alone is a bit high for my
tastes. The breads were DIVINE with a Roquefort filled POPOVER
starring and wonderful butters, one made with shallots and white wine
and the other a punchy one with garlic and parsley. Fine LOBSTER SALT
was also served, but was indeed VERY salty.
I started with the PETIT SALADE de Lentilles aux Poires which was made
with Lentils (I guess they are called pear lentils, as there was no
pear in the salad!), medallions of langoustine "a l'Etouve" translated
as "neutro stew" which our super charming server Alejandro explained
was a basic cooking style., Caramelized Hazelnut Vinaigrette and
"Harmonie de Feuilles du Jardin aux Huiles Parfumees." I giggled at
the translations feeling they were like a Chinese restaurant back
home; this turned into "leafs from the garden and perfumed oils
harmony."
Will opted for the PACIFIC Ocean TUNA in Black Pepper Crust
"Unilateral" Style over Perfiollo Sauce Mirror, "Keta" Caviar and
Light Smoked Eel Caramel, which was superb and top notch quality tuna
to boot.
Alejandro said we must try the soups, so Will went for the French
Onion with Gruyere which got raves and my Veloute of Lobster with
Cognac was served over a chunk of lobster and was not as thick as
bisque making it less filling and truly excellent as well.
We moved on to the better quality Chianti House red and the main
courses were again perfect productions, as virtually every dish in
this resort is. Again, outsiders are welcome with reservations in
advance, but beware the prices (our meal for Piaf rang in at over
$400). Will had the Black Angus Fillet, Rosemary Sauce, Potatoes au
Gratin Dauphinois with Glazed Baby Onions and Mushrooms and my French
DUCK BREAST over Lombardia Style Red Cabbage (which was slightly
sweet) came with Lacquered Orange Sauce. On the side was Roasted
Garlic Cloves over Guerade thick salt (think bigger and saltier than
kosher!).
The dessert menu translated Creme Brulee as burned cream, but we opted
for the Tartelette Normandie Chaude flambe a votre table avec cognac
et calvados. Will said the warm apple tart was good, but still did not
compare to Kinkead's at home. It came with a Sorbet a l'Estragon et
Julienne de Jingembre Cristalise, which translated as "saffron sorbet
with crystallized ginger. Funny, I always thought "estragon" was
tarragon in English?
My Croquant aux Noix d'Acajou, Creme Legere de Citron Jaune and Fruits
de Bois was a yummy (if a bit rich) Lemon Chiffon in a bird's nest of
macadamia nut pastry with red berries. On the side was a tiny spoon of
Tomato & Grey Goose Vodka Granite that was a bit odd and the whole
thing sat on a yummy bed of Mexican Vanilla Creme Angalise.
We enjoyed every bite and again the superb service, ingredients and
use of them made for a novel and local version of superb French-style
cooking.
next door at the Grande Classe Suites section which is adults over 12
only. We gave Samuel a room service dinner of Tomatoes (beautiful ripe
and plenty) with a Pesto Vinaigrette followed by Beef Tacos. He wolfed
all the tomatoes and 4 tacos down as well. Off to kid's club for the
evening with his friend Maia (who arrived that day) and we headed two
steps away to PIAF, which was as quiet as could be, elegant and classy
as well. All black lacquer, black marble floors and hints of red
flocked velvet walls and chairs gave a slight bordello feel with huge
Venetian-like crystal (probably Mexican) chandeliers as well.
While the wines were a slight improvement as three "champagnes" were
offered up with the same standard cheap stuff. We tried the IVAN
LESCOMPTE Brut from Baja Mexico which had a odd beer yeasty taste and
reminded me of the DT Beer I had a week before at Sur La Place in DC!
I moved on to the LOUIS PERDRIER Brut Rose which had a big strawberry
taste, Will stuck with the Woodbridge Sauvignon Blanc.
A tasty amuse of baked OYSTER in SABAYON cream with Salmon Caviar,
Fennel and Fresh dill was an exciting bite for sure. There was live
music again in the form of a solo violinist, which just sounded a bit
sad as he played alone and the violin alone is a bit high for my
tastes. The breads were DIVINE with a Roquefort filled POPOVER
starring and wonderful butters, one made with shallots and white wine
and the other a punchy one with garlic and parsley. Fine LOBSTER SALT
was also served, but was indeed VERY salty.
I started with the PETIT SALADE de Lentilles aux Poires which was made
with Lentils (I guess they are called pear lentils, as there was no
pear in the salad!), medallions of langoustine "a l'Etouve" translated
as "neutro stew" which our super charming server Alejandro explained
was a basic cooking style., Caramelized Hazelnut Vinaigrette and
"Harmonie de Feuilles du Jardin aux Huiles Parfumees." I giggled at
the translations feeling they were like a Chinese restaurant back
home; this turned into "leafs from the garden and perfumed oils
harmony."
Will opted for the PACIFIC Ocean TUNA in Black Pepper Crust
"Unilateral" Style over Perfiollo Sauce Mirror, "Keta" Caviar and
Light Smoked Eel Caramel, which was superb and top notch quality tuna
to boot.
Alejandro said we must try the soups, so Will went for the French
Onion with Gruyere which got raves and my Veloute of Lobster with
Cognac was served over a chunk of lobster and was not as thick as
bisque making it less filling and truly excellent as well.
We moved on to the better quality Chianti House red and the main
courses were again perfect productions, as virtually every dish in
this resort is. Again, outsiders are welcome with reservations in
advance, but beware the prices (our meal for Piaf rang in at over
$400). Will had the Black Angus Fillet, Rosemary Sauce, Potatoes au
Gratin Dauphinois with Glazed Baby Onions and Mushrooms and my French
DUCK BREAST over Lombardia Style Red Cabbage (which was slightly
sweet) came with Lacquered Orange Sauce. On the side was Roasted
Garlic Cloves over Guerade thick salt (think bigger and saltier than
kosher!).
The dessert menu translated Creme Brulee as burned cream, but we opted
for the Tartelette Normandie Chaude flambe a votre table avec cognac
et calvados. Will said the warm apple tart was good, but still did not
compare to Kinkead's at home. It came with a Sorbet a l'Estragon et
Julienne de Jingembre Cristalise, which translated as "saffron sorbet
with crystallized ginger. Funny, I always thought "estragon" was
tarragon in English?
My Croquant aux Noix d'Acajou, Creme Legere de Citron Jaune and Fruits
de Bois was a yummy (if a bit rich) Lemon Chiffon in a bird's nest of
macadamia nut pastry with red berries. On the side was a tiny spoon of
Tomato & Grey Goose Vodka Granite that was a bit odd and the whole
thing sat on a yummy bed of Mexican Vanilla Creme Angalise.
We enjoyed every bite and again the superb service, ingredients and
use of them made for a novel and local version of superb French-style
cooking.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Bethesda's BLACK'S BAR & KITCHEN (3-7-10)
While we have been to Jeffrey Black's local spot BlackSalt here in the
Palisades, this was our first visit to BLACK's Bar & Kitchen
(www.blacksbarandkitchen.com) in Bethesda, and it is surely one of the
stalwart finer places in the area.
We settled in (again, if it's chilly, which it was not) you might want
to sit further towards the back. Black's has a warm feel and the staff
is sure friendly enough.
We did notice at the Black's website that Sunday was 1/2 price wine
and perused the menu with glee only to find out that the 1/2 price
deal extends to only ONE page on the back of the wine list. We opted
for the GODELLO 2008 from Vina Godeval in Valdeorras, Spain which even
without oak was a creamy tasty wine that anyone would enjoy alone or
with food. A yummy slice of complimentary Clothbound Cheddar with
toasted raisin bread and honey arrived to our surprise.
We then went on to some oysters. Will and I each had one of the five
offerings:
Chesapeake Bay
Daybob Bay (Washington State)
Stellar Bay (Wash State)
Kuchi
and Quilcene
(I think the last two are from BC?)
They were all superb and while Will loved the Daybob best, I preferred
the Stellar, Kuchi & Quilcene.
Our friends had the side of ASAPRAGUS with Local MUSHROOMS that was
yummy but lacked salt (easy to fix that!).
We moved on to a MANU Sauvignon Blanc 2009 from Marlborough, New
Zealand that had one of the most intense grapefruit noses and tastes
that we loved with the oysters as well.
Our starters were WoodGrilled BRUSCHETTA with White Beans, Roasted
Garlic & Prosciutto which suffered only from way too much oil making
it soggy. The Organic BABY BEET SALAD with Baby Spinach, macerated Red
Onion, Toasted Pecans, Bruleed Goat Cheese, Pickled Pumpkin Bacon
Vinaigrette was a delightful salad, and did not suffer from being too
small or chintzy as beet salads can do. I went toward the heavier side
with the Oven Roasted Long Island DUCK BREAST with Quinoa Risotto,
Golden Raisins, Macerated Shalltos and Port Demi-Glace which is indeed
a huge starter and was really a treat as well. It filled me enough,
that I could enjoy the lighter mussels for my main!
We moved on to a delightful red from DW Hinman in Washington
State(Columbia Valley) called FIVE HERITAGE H 2006 made from 85%
Merlot and 15% Primitivo, a grape I have never seen in Washington
before (only Italy & Calif). It was just slightly spicy and was great
with two of the slightly spicy PEI MUSSEL dishes, which can be either
a starter or main. At first my CAJUN MUSSELS with Amber Ale, Tomato,
Tasso Ham, Crawfish, Oregano and yummy FRIED OKRA on top did not seem
to spicy, until I actually sipped the tasty broth. ADDIE's Mussels are
more traditional with Tomato, Garlic, Shallots, Lemon & Parsley, but
also had a slight spiciness.
FRIED CHICKEN looked superb, but was slightly dry and came with Sweet
Potato Waffle, Bacon Braised Collard Greens and a Molasses-Pecan Jus
that was not quite enough to moisten the meat. SEARED SEA SCALLOPS we
were told after ordered would be switched to the smaller BAY Scallops
(they ran out) with CRAWFISH-THYME Butter, Sauteed Swiss Chard and
Garlic Whipped Potatoes which was another success.
We wanted desserts but were filling up and decided to split two:
BANANA BREAD PUDDING with Caramel Sauce, Bruleed Banana and Peanut
Butter Ice Cream (we substituted Vanilla) was okay, but the star was
the CHOCOLATE SALTED CARAMEL TRIO made up of Warm Brownie, Salted
Caramel Tart and Salted Caramel Ice Cream (which had an odd taste, but
did please). Aim for this and you will go home happy.
Our delightful server Eric Boxton (who goes by Boxton, not Eric!)
brought out some plain and chocolate fudgy Madeleine like spongy
cookies and we went home quite happy.
I do have to say that a number of the items on Black's menu are carbon
copies of those at BlackSalt, but we did not mind as we love them as
well!
Palisades, this was our first visit to BLACK's Bar & Kitchen
(www.blacksbarandkitchen.com) in Bethesda, and it is surely one of the
stalwart finer places in the area.
We settled in (again, if it's chilly, which it was not) you might want
to sit further towards the back. Black's has a warm feel and the staff
is sure friendly enough.
We did notice at the Black's website that Sunday was 1/2 price wine
and perused the menu with glee only to find out that the 1/2 price
deal extends to only ONE page on the back of the wine list. We opted
for the GODELLO 2008 from Vina Godeval in Valdeorras, Spain which even
without oak was a creamy tasty wine that anyone would enjoy alone or
with food. A yummy slice of complimentary Clothbound Cheddar with
toasted raisin bread and honey arrived to our surprise.
We then went on to some oysters. Will and I each had one of the five
offerings:
Chesapeake Bay
Daybob Bay (Washington State)
Stellar Bay (Wash State)
Kuchi
and Quilcene
(I think the last two are from BC?)
They were all superb and while Will loved the Daybob best, I preferred
the Stellar, Kuchi & Quilcene.
Our friends had the side of ASAPRAGUS with Local MUSHROOMS that was
yummy but lacked salt (easy to fix that!).
We moved on to a MANU Sauvignon Blanc 2009 from Marlborough, New
Zealand that had one of the most intense grapefruit noses and tastes
that we loved with the oysters as well.
Our starters were WoodGrilled BRUSCHETTA with White Beans, Roasted
Garlic & Prosciutto which suffered only from way too much oil making
it soggy. The Organic BABY BEET SALAD with Baby Spinach, macerated Red
Onion, Toasted Pecans, Bruleed Goat Cheese, Pickled Pumpkin Bacon
Vinaigrette was a delightful salad, and did not suffer from being too
small or chintzy as beet salads can do. I went toward the heavier side
with the Oven Roasted Long Island DUCK BREAST with Quinoa Risotto,
Golden Raisins, Macerated Shalltos and Port Demi-Glace which is indeed
a huge starter and was really a treat as well. It filled me enough,
that I could enjoy the lighter mussels for my main!
We moved on to a delightful red from DW Hinman in Washington
State(Columbia Valley) called FIVE HERITAGE H 2006 made from 85%
Merlot and 15% Primitivo, a grape I have never seen in Washington
before (only Italy & Calif). It was just slightly spicy and was great
with two of the slightly spicy PEI MUSSEL dishes, which can be either
a starter or main. At first my CAJUN MUSSELS with Amber Ale, Tomato,
Tasso Ham, Crawfish, Oregano and yummy FRIED OKRA on top did not seem
to spicy, until I actually sipped the tasty broth. ADDIE's Mussels are
more traditional with Tomato, Garlic, Shallots, Lemon & Parsley, but
also had a slight spiciness.
FRIED CHICKEN looked superb, but was slightly dry and came with Sweet
Potato Waffle, Bacon Braised Collard Greens and a Molasses-Pecan Jus
that was not quite enough to moisten the meat. SEARED SEA SCALLOPS we
were told after ordered would be switched to the smaller BAY Scallops
(they ran out) with CRAWFISH-THYME Butter, Sauteed Swiss Chard and
Garlic Whipped Potatoes which was another success.
We wanted desserts but were filling up and decided to split two:
BANANA BREAD PUDDING with Caramel Sauce, Bruleed Banana and Peanut
Butter Ice Cream (we substituted Vanilla) was okay, but the star was
the CHOCOLATE SALTED CARAMEL TRIO made up of Warm Brownie, Salted
Caramel Tart and Salted Caramel Ice Cream (which had an odd taste, but
did please). Aim for this and you will go home happy.
Our delightful server Eric Boxton (who goes by Boxton, not Eric!)
brought out some plain and chocolate fudgy Madeleine like spongy
cookies and we went home quite happy.
I do have to say that a number of the items on Black's menu are carbon
copies of those at BlackSalt, but we did not mind as we love them as
well!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
PS 7's serves up superb 7 course special (2-23-10)
We always enjoy going to PS 7's (www.ps7restaurant.com) and last night
was no exception with Chef Peter Smith and Uber mixologist/Sommelieuse
Gina at the helm. We had heard about the 7 course tasting special for
$77 INCLUDING DRINKS per person that is offered and this has to be one
of the best dining deals around.
Be forewarned this menu is not available unless you pre-arrange
directly with the restaurant. Usually, the guests are seated at the
bar, although, we opted for a table since the bar can be a bit noisy.
The menu comes folded over with a wax seal embossed "PS7" setting the
scene for a special evening. Upon opening the menu it is not easy to
decipher, so we simply let Gina and Peter do this for each course.
CAST IRON -celery root, mushroom, sweet potato
was the first course which came after we had already munched on the
always miraculous bread (cottage cheese-dill rolls, bacon biscuits and
focaccia). It was a "Canneloni styled" poached and roasted celery root
with divine mushroom duxelles a duchesse style sweet potato puree all
topped with frizzled leeks in a mini cast iron pan. Rich and filling
the dish had hints of Italian pasta with vegetarian overtones that
would start to fill anyone on a cold winter's eve. Gina's TEA PUNCH is
her version of a drink from Sint Maarten made with fresh sugar cane,
bitters, rum, lime juice and packed a puckery bite that worked well to
balance the creamy rich dish.
As you can see this "special" is not a wine pairing, but a
mixmistress' genius at work. Her next "work" was CYTRAS SAKE made from
a new Polish vodka on our market called Cytras mixed with sake, lemon,
rosewater, lime and Cava sparkling wine. This drink had a subtle
flowery flavor (from the rosewater) and was perfect with
RED BULLET-kombu,guajillo, dashi,
a seared bonito flake encrusted sushi-top quality tuna that had a red
bullet rare center. A small salad on the side was made from kombu or
seaweed kelp which was like fried noodles with Hen of the Woods
mushrooms. A dashi lime broth was underneath with guajillo or little
rounds of chili gel on the side for flavor. This was one of my
favorite dishes of the evening, but also, one of the best tuna
presentations in town!
(hold your breath) was listed next on the menu alone and I asked, "for
how long?" It turned out to be a home made beef jerky that was spicy,
chewy and tasty and reminded me of the biltong I so adored in South
Africa (we asked to take some home as well, it was so yummy!)
PhO - noodle, thai basil, sprout
was indeed the traditional Asian noodle dish with rice noodles in a
duck broth with slices of tasty rare duck encrusted with coriander,
caraway, fennel and star anise. On top was a small slice of Foie Gras
Torchon with sherry. The dish was finished with soy sprouts and was
another wonderful modern take on a very traditional dish.
SOOOO...SAKE was the accompanying drink and I had stepped away from
the table to return to a tablefull of "can you guess what this is"
faces. Well, I knew there was sake, but had lots of trouble
deciphering the other flavors. I thought there was a yeasty champagne,
which turned out to be MILLER HIGH LIFE BEER! The other ingredients
were Cognac, Ginger, Lemon and of course, Sake.
It was actually a very refreshing drink, but I must admit pairing
anything with a broth soup is not easy.
TATONKA -rutabaga, mushroom, apple
was the BISON itself (from Gunpowder Farms, MD) seared to perfection
with a mushroom powder crust and apple gastrique. The dish was
accompanied by more of those divine frizzled leeks and wild mushrooms.
If you like bison, this was a dish to be reckoned with!
TOASTED SPICE PUNCH was the drink made from apple (picking up the
apple flavor from the dish) and bourbon as well as Navan (a vanilla
cognac), Madagascar vanilla, orange peel, toasted star anise and green
cardamom. As always, Gina manages to combine flavors to perfection
even to the point where I can not taste the anise as it all blends so
well.
AWWWW NUTS!
our first dessert was not at all what we expected....a chocolate
enrobed Hazelnut Mousse and lacquered swatch of crunchy chocolate
adorned the plate in a gorgeous presentation with caramelized sugar,
and a little dollop of whipped cream. The dish was rich, but not too
intense and we all devoured every bite.
As Gina is wont to make fun of many things, last night she chose
Starbucks (and the coffee bar biz in general) and her accompanying
warm drink was entitled
EFFIN STARBUCKS.
Steamed Frangelico milk was seasoned with Kojete Mexican cinnamon and
laced with Benedictine B&B. Give me this after dinner instead of
coffee and I might just give up lattes forever!
ONE MORE BITE...!
was one of Chef Peter's signature tasty DOMAINE de CANTON CHEESECAKE
Lollipops here decorated with Gold Leaf petals.
Gina paired it with SCORCHED MILK which was a chilled milk having been
scorched with Cardamom, Vanilla and powdered ginger laced with
Sauternes & Bourbon and touched off with Cinneamon & Fleur de Sel. It
was a nice farewell "glass of milk and lollipop" before we headed home
to bed.
By the way, it was celebrity night at PS7's and I would have had no
clue had someone told us (I'm not into sports) that New Orleans'
Saints' footballer REGGIE BUSH was just a couple of tables away.
Someone brought up this photo on their I-phone (click below)http://
concreteloop.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/rbush4.jpg and I still
didn't recognize him, but wished that he would take his shirt off!
Anyway, despite the lack of abs at our table, we had one of the
funnest and most delicious meals available in town!
ALAN
was no exception with Chef Peter Smith and Uber mixologist/Sommelieuse
Gina at the helm. We had heard about the 7 course tasting special for
$77 INCLUDING DRINKS per person that is offered and this has to be one
of the best dining deals around.
Be forewarned this menu is not available unless you pre-arrange
directly with the restaurant. Usually, the guests are seated at the
bar, although, we opted for a table since the bar can be a bit noisy.
The menu comes folded over with a wax seal embossed "PS7" setting the
scene for a special evening. Upon opening the menu it is not easy to
decipher, so we simply let Gina and Peter do this for each course.
CAST IRON -celery root, mushroom, sweet potato
was the first course which came after we had already munched on the
always miraculous bread (cottage cheese-dill rolls, bacon biscuits and
focaccia). It was a "Canneloni styled" poached and roasted celery root
with divine mushroom duxelles a duchesse style sweet potato puree all
topped with frizzled leeks in a mini cast iron pan. Rich and filling
the dish had hints of Italian pasta with vegetarian overtones that
would start to fill anyone on a cold winter's eve. Gina's TEA PUNCH is
her version of a drink from Sint Maarten made with fresh sugar cane,
bitters, rum, lime juice and packed a puckery bite that worked well to
balance the creamy rich dish.
As you can see this "special" is not a wine pairing, but a
mixmistress' genius at work. Her next "work" was CYTRAS SAKE made from
a new Polish vodka on our market called Cytras mixed with sake, lemon,
rosewater, lime and Cava sparkling wine. This drink had a subtle
flowery flavor (from the rosewater) and was perfect with
RED BULLET-kombu,guajillo, dashi,
a seared bonito flake encrusted sushi-top quality tuna that had a red
bullet rare center. A small salad on the side was made from kombu or
seaweed kelp which was like fried noodles with Hen of the Woods
mushrooms. A dashi lime broth was underneath with guajillo or little
rounds of chili gel on the side for flavor. This was one of my
favorite dishes of the evening, but also, one of the best tuna
presentations in town!
(hold your breath) was listed next on the menu alone and I asked, "for
how long?" It turned out to be a home made beef jerky that was spicy,
chewy and tasty and reminded me of the biltong I so adored in South
Africa (we asked to take some home as well, it was so yummy!)
PhO - noodle, thai basil, sprout
was indeed the traditional Asian noodle dish with rice noodles in a
duck broth with slices of tasty rare duck encrusted with coriander,
caraway, fennel and star anise. On top was a small slice of Foie Gras
Torchon with sherry. The dish was finished with soy sprouts and was
another wonderful modern take on a very traditional dish.
SOOOO...SAKE was the accompanying drink and I had stepped away from
the table to return to a tablefull of "can you guess what this is"
faces. Well, I knew there was sake, but had lots of trouble
deciphering the other flavors. I thought there was a yeasty champagne,
which turned out to be MILLER HIGH LIFE BEER! The other ingredients
were Cognac, Ginger, Lemon and of course, Sake.
It was actually a very refreshing drink, but I must admit pairing
anything with a broth soup is not easy.
TATONKA -rutabaga, mushroom, apple
was the BISON itself (from Gunpowder Farms, MD) seared to perfection
with a mushroom powder crust and apple gastrique. The dish was
accompanied by more of those divine frizzled leeks and wild mushrooms.
If you like bison, this was a dish to be reckoned with!
TOASTED SPICE PUNCH was the drink made from apple (picking up the
apple flavor from the dish) and bourbon as well as Navan (a vanilla
cognac), Madagascar vanilla, orange peel, toasted star anise and green
cardamom. As always, Gina manages to combine flavors to perfection
even to the point where I can not taste the anise as it all blends so
well.
AWWWW NUTS!
our first dessert was not at all what we expected....a chocolate
enrobed Hazelnut Mousse and lacquered swatch of crunchy chocolate
adorned the plate in a gorgeous presentation with caramelized sugar,
and a little dollop of whipped cream. The dish was rich, but not too
intense and we all devoured every bite.
As Gina is wont to make fun of many things, last night she chose
Starbucks (and the coffee bar biz in general) and her accompanying
warm drink was entitled
EFFIN STARBUCKS.
Steamed Frangelico milk was seasoned with Kojete Mexican cinnamon and
laced with Benedictine B&B. Give me this after dinner instead of
coffee and I might just give up lattes forever!
ONE MORE BITE...!
was one of Chef Peter's signature tasty DOMAINE de CANTON CHEESECAKE
Lollipops here decorated with Gold Leaf petals.
Gina paired it with SCORCHED MILK which was a chilled milk having been
scorched with Cardamom, Vanilla and powdered ginger laced with
Sauternes & Bourbon and touched off with Cinneamon & Fleur de Sel. It
was a nice farewell "glass of milk and lollipop" before we headed home
to bed.
By the way, it was celebrity night at PS7's and I would have had no
clue had someone told us (I'm not into sports) that New Orleans'
Saints' footballer REGGIE BUSH was just a couple of tables away.
Someone brought up this photo on their I-phone (click below)http://
concreteloop.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/rbush4.jpg and I still
didn't recognize him, but wished that he would take his shirt off!
Anyway, despite the lack of abs at our table, we had one of the
funnest and most delicious meals available in town!
ALAN
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tom Sietsema's rave review (dated Jan 31) of MASALA ART in Tenleytown
(www.masalaartdc.com) got me all spiced up to head to this new little
gem. The four of us settled in (ask for a rear table on a chilly night
as the door draft can be inconvenient) to this simple spot with blond
wood floors, medium noise levels and not much decoration at all
indeed. The place seemed to be a bit understaffed as we stood at the
door for a while and then when we asked for some wine, it took three
more requests to get our first bottle. Once the staff knew we were
serious eaters and wine-o's we had no problem.
We started with a bottle of NAUTILUS Sauvignon Blanc 2008 from New
Zealand and I must say that at $17 this was a steal. All the wines are
1/2 PRICE on Sunday-Thursdays and with a maximum bottle price of $36,
you can't go wrong. I just wish they had a big red Zinfandel to match
the spice of the food. Our second wine was a PAVILION 2008 Chardonnay
from Napa, our third a very light bodied (it was no deeper than the
hue of cranberry juice) PETER HOWLAND Pinot Noir 2008 from New
Zealand, which would never have stood up to the food, but worked well
between courses. We chose well with the final wine being an ERNESTO
CATENA "Padrillos" MALBEC from Argentina which did indeed stand up to
some of the huge intense spice in the food.
MASALA Art's food is not the kind with lingering, break into a sweat
spice. It is the kind that heats up in the aftertaste and dies fast,
making it easier to handle and to move on to another dish with
different flavors. There is also a huge vegetarian menu.
We took some of Mr. Sietsema's suggestions and started with the Aloo
Aur Pyaz Bhaji. At $3.95 these Potato & Onion fritters are deliciously
fried in a ChickPea Batter and all the starters come with two dipping
sauces: Yogurt & Mint or Tamarind. They are both superb with all the
various dishes. SHIKAPURI KEBABS are crumbly lamb and lentil cakes
stuffed with hung curd (our server desperately tried to explain this
to us) and onion; another great option for the dipping sauces.
NUKTI KABAB on Khastha Roti is a boneless baby lamb served on crispy
pita-like bread. Speaking of breads the ROCK SALT & CILANTRO NAAN is
not to be missed.
Our spiciest starter was the CHICKEN 65 which is fried and tossed in a
Southern Indian quite spicy Masala sauce. It was irresistible.
The main courses (we chose way too many and ended up with PILES of
leftovers!) included LASSONI CORN PALAK a superb creamy spinach with
corn & garlic, one of the vegetarian standouts. The TANDOORI MALAI
PANEER with Tamater Cut was a tangy tomato sauce with cubes of cottage
cheese that was nice but did not win the same awards as all the other
dishes. TAWA BHINDI is a novel style of cooking (griddle cooking) and
here the okra is not slimy at all and beautifully seasoned with sesame
seed and cumin; another veggie winner for sure. I just finished this
off for my lunch as was taken right back to all the great flavors of
MASALA ART in seconds! (Indeed, the leftovers seem to intensify in
spice after a day or two!)
If you seek seafood choose the AJWAINI JUMBO PRAWNS a beautifully
presented dish of four huge prawns foil wrapped in a saffron marinade
with carom seeds. Mr. Sietsema apparently did not like the other
shrimp dish (Pilli Mirch ka Jhinga) but he may have missed this tasty
one.
The lamb dishes were supreme from the BHUNA GHOST being a stir fried
curry with intense spice. If you seek more meat and less sauce and
spice go for the ADRAKI LAMB CHOPS which are ginger flavored and cumin
marinated rack of lamb quality chops that melt in your mouth.
If you crave for chicken try the SOUFIYANI MURG a superb fennel-hinted
sauce with chunks of tender chicken and be sure to order bread to mop
up the sauce (on the curry too!!) The MISSI ROTI is a chickpea bread
and the ALOO PARANTHA a potato based bread. There are many choices and
we can't wait to go back and try more...breads, dishes, and just plain
everything.
The only bad thing about Masala Art was the freezing cold bathroom
which was unisex and oddly had TWO toilets in one bathroom; would you
share?
We could not even think of dessert, so packed up our goodies and
planned to return soon! Even better news is that Masala Art will
deliver for free to our home as we are within their 2 mile free
delivery distance!
(www.masalaartdc.com) got me all spiced up to head to this new little
gem. The four of us settled in (ask for a rear table on a chilly night
as the door draft can be inconvenient) to this simple spot with blond
wood floors, medium noise levels and not much decoration at all
indeed. The place seemed to be a bit understaffed as we stood at the
door for a while and then when we asked for some wine, it took three
more requests to get our first bottle. Once the staff knew we were
serious eaters and wine-o's we had no problem.
We started with a bottle of NAUTILUS Sauvignon Blanc 2008 from New
Zealand and I must say that at $17 this was a steal. All the wines are
1/2 PRICE on Sunday-Thursdays and with a maximum bottle price of $36,
you can't go wrong. I just wish they had a big red Zinfandel to match
the spice of the food. Our second wine was a PAVILION 2008 Chardonnay
from Napa, our third a very light bodied (it was no deeper than the
hue of cranberry juice) PETER HOWLAND Pinot Noir 2008 from New
Zealand, which would never have stood up to the food, but worked well
between courses. We chose well with the final wine being an ERNESTO
CATENA "Padrillos" MALBEC from Argentina which did indeed stand up to
some of the huge intense spice in the food.
MASALA Art's food is not the kind with lingering, break into a sweat
spice. It is the kind that heats up in the aftertaste and dies fast,
making it easier to handle and to move on to another dish with
different flavors. There is also a huge vegetarian menu.
We took some of Mr. Sietsema's suggestions and started with the Aloo
Aur Pyaz Bhaji. At $3.95 these Potato & Onion fritters are deliciously
fried in a ChickPea Batter and all the starters come with two dipping
sauces: Yogurt & Mint or Tamarind. They are both superb with all the
various dishes. SHIKAPURI KEBABS are crumbly lamb and lentil cakes
stuffed with hung curd (our server desperately tried to explain this
to us) and onion; another great option for the dipping sauces.
NUKTI KABAB on Khastha Roti is a boneless baby lamb served on crispy
pita-like bread. Speaking of breads the ROCK SALT & CILANTRO NAAN is
not to be missed.
Our spiciest starter was the CHICKEN 65 which is fried and tossed in a
Southern Indian quite spicy Masala sauce. It was irresistible.
The main courses (we chose way too many and ended up with PILES of
leftovers!) included LASSONI CORN PALAK a superb creamy spinach with
corn & garlic, one of the vegetarian standouts. The TANDOORI MALAI
PANEER with Tamater Cut was a tangy tomato sauce with cubes of cottage
cheese that was nice but did not win the same awards as all the other
dishes. TAWA BHINDI is a novel style of cooking (griddle cooking) and
here the okra is not slimy at all and beautifully seasoned with sesame
seed and cumin; another veggie winner for sure. I just finished this
off for my lunch as was taken right back to all the great flavors of
MASALA ART in seconds! (Indeed, the leftovers seem to intensify in
spice after a day or two!)
If you seek seafood choose the AJWAINI JUMBO PRAWNS a beautifully
presented dish of four huge prawns foil wrapped in a saffron marinade
with carom seeds. Mr. Sietsema apparently did not like the other
shrimp dish (Pilli Mirch ka Jhinga) but he may have missed this tasty
one.
The lamb dishes were supreme from the BHUNA GHOST being a stir fried
curry with intense spice. If you seek more meat and less sauce and
spice go for the ADRAKI LAMB CHOPS which are ginger flavored and cumin
marinated rack of lamb quality chops that melt in your mouth.
If you crave for chicken try the SOUFIYANI MURG a superb fennel-hinted
sauce with chunks of tender chicken and be sure to order bread to mop
up the sauce (on the curry too!!) The MISSI ROTI is a chickpea bread
and the ALOO PARANTHA a potato based bread. There are many choices and
we can't wait to go back and try more...breads, dishes, and just plain
everything.
The only bad thing about Masala Art was the freezing cold bathroom
which was unisex and oddly had TWO toilets in one bathroom; would you
share?
We could not even think of dessert, so packed up our goodies and
planned to return soon! Even better news is that Masala Art will
deliver for free to our home as we are within their 2 mile free
delivery distance!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)