Vienna's Zum Schwarzen Kameel keels over a bit after many years (3-21-17)

Will insisted on having schnitzel for our first night here in Vienna so we ran literally across the street from the hotel to the famous Zum Schwarzen Kameel.

I remembered it as a quiet intimate place with magnificent décor and great service, but now they seem to have an ante room with tons of people smoking while we waited for our table and it was a bit disturbing.

It was only a couple of minutes and after we sat down I ordered a glass of Riesling Smaragd  Loibenberg Obere Parzelle 2015 which I really enjoyed and Will had a local beer that he thought was a big hit called Schladminger.

Will started with a salmon tartare with caviar which looked good and he liked, but I was thrilled with my tartar of Austrian veal with medallions of Canadian Lobster cook just passed seared and covered with micro Greens in a yuzu avocado cream with artichokes.

We both had the same main course which was the classic Wiener Schnitzel with potato salad which was covered with delicious purslane. The veal scallopine was hammered so thin I couldn't believe it and was extremely tender but it was a large portion and I think now Will has his wiener schnitzel cravings subsided.

The Umathum Zweigelt St. Laurent blend from Neusliedersee 2014 was a nice accompaniment.

The service was mediocre at best, as we asked for a good break of 15 to 20 minutes between the courses and they took over 50 minutes. We really don't know what happened as we finally told them we wanted to eat after half an hour but it still took 20 more minutes. 

We skipped dessert and headed back to the hotel as that was enough for us.

Paris' VIOLON d'INGRES offer volume, voluptousness and value (3-20-17)

Our second and last night in Paris was destined to be a lighter meal especially after the 9 courses the previous night. I specifically look for a French bistro that had something very different going for din that it was Michelin starred as well as not just a classic bistro but having very classy bistro food.

Chef Christian Constant is famous in Paris for many Michelin star destinations but this is truly a wonderful place and much less expensive of course. Le Violon d'Ingres is a fairly small bistro with no more than maybe 20 something tables and it is long and narrow with a bar at the rear as well as a complete walk in kitchen behind it. 

The service is friendly and attentive and as soon as we were seated we received some cheese straws as well olive bread with an olive cream on top. We spoke with the amazing Anthony as he insisted he had some English blood and hence an English name about the wine and immediately settled on one of my favorite wine makers in Yves Cuilleron 2015 San Joseph "Lyseras" which is an amazingly creamy grown blend of Rousanne and Marsanne that we both fell in love with immediately.

We perused the menu for a while and Will decided to start with soft eggs rolled in bread crumbs and truffle toast that was quite a novel dish something like an upscale breakfast dish with truffles. While it was delicious I was blown away by my tartare of oyster, sea bream and scallops with ginger lemon and lime covered with trout eggs and Avruga caviar, which is apparently a French faux version of caviar made from vegetable.

We chose our red wine early on so that Anthony could open it up and he brilliantly suggested a 2014 Gevrey Chambertin Domaine des Tilleuls by P. Livera that was an intensely wonderful Pinot Noir loaded with aromas  and flavors of strawberries but yet hearty in red intensity. 

Will chose the Cassoulet Montauban, from the chefs home village  which had dense sausage, fatty pork and an amazingly rich sauce and he was mad at himself for choosing the super heavy dish. He told me I could say that.

I had the amazing Ris de veau with vin paille or sweetbreads with straw wine from Jura, creamy morels, the first of the season, as well as asparagus wrapped in a parmesan tuille with celeriac5t puree. The caramelization on the meat was truly amazing and made this dish one of the best sweetbread dishes I have ever had in my life.

I haven't mentioned that the tables are of simple Formica but they have nice linen mat which run the length of the table as well as etched and frosted glass and mirrors running along the walls. Be sure to check out my photo of the etched mirror in the men's room on Facebook along with other photos from the meal.

Will chose the tart au chocolat Christian Constant which was a whipped cream atop a rich dense chocolate mousse with macadamia nuts and gold leaf design.

I decided to go for the cheese course and when they brought out a plate with two pieces of the same cheese and one small piece of blue I told him to take it away as it looks so boring.  Our server Guillaume was devastated and said I could switch it for anything but I really didn't feel like anything else and then he said please just enjoy it because they won't charge me for it. I love Saint Nectaire but both of the pieces were not as ripe as they could be and hence a little disappointing although the Fourme D'Ambert  blue was spectacular.

It helped that Anthony poured two glasses of complimentary Banyuls from Galateo 2015 Come del Mas to make us happier. The wine is good with cheese but it's even better with chocolate.

Of Course when you eat in a Michelin starred restaurant  one dessert is never enough and we received not only Madeleine but almond tuilles that were so buttery I actually finished mine and most of Will's. The coup de resistance were these little treats which I can call  rice krispie treats on crack.

Overall it was an amazing experience on our second and sadly last night in Paris. Onto Vienna.

Gorgeous GABRIEL gets us off to a perfect start in Paris (3-19-17)

After an exhausting overnight trip and a full day walking around Paris we did none less than visit one of the most wonderful 2 Michelin star restaurants for a super menu degustation.

On arrival at Gabriel at La Reserve Hotel, one of Paris' most intimate luxury secrets, we were escorted to our beautiful table in the dining room that had dark red leather wallpaper, candle holders of pewter on the table, huge mirrors and no more than a dozen or so diners. As the evening progressed maybe 20 or more diners came in but there were never more than 25 or 30 people total and I don't think the restaurant can hold much more than that as it is extremely intimate but not the least bit noisy.

We actually had some wine in the piano lounge before we went in and I enjoyed a Sauvignon Blanc called Goulee by Cos d'Estournel 2012 from Medoc, Bordeaux which happens to be owned by the same gentleman who owns the hotel. I fell in love with this wine despite it's extremely funky and odd nose and Will had a wonderful glass of Domain Vacheron 2015 Sancerre.

Chef Jerome Banctel was not in house as it was a Sunday night and most Michelin starred restaurants are not even open on Sundays so we were thrilled just to be here. He left his wonderful team in charge and every second of the entire meal we felt that we were in good hands with some of the best service we have had anywhere ever. 

We debated the various menus and finally said we would let the chef cook for us and take our chances which was a ton of fun.

While we were doing this 3 amuses arrived at the table: the first was a superb oie gras tartelette  with beetroot and read fruit gelee on top, the second was a meringue filled with crab, wasabi,  granny smith apple and ginger, the final was a salted puff pastry with tomato and thyme which unfortunately was a bit dry.

As always there's a ton of pictures on facebook.

Bread was simple but delicious in the form of mini bag gets with crispy pointed and and grain rolls and the butter was salted and from Brittany like the chef.

The first course was a Pollock tartar with mild Thai spices and yuzu which was extremely light tasty and refreshing and was paired with Champagne  Jeepers Grande Reserve Blanc de Blanc also owned by the same owner of the hotel. 

The second course was one of the chef's signature dishes a crispy crunchy chewy tasty Coeurs d'Artichauts "Macau" cooked Sakura style with fresh coriander (what we call cilantro) in a Sauce Barigule of artichoke, veggies, wine and butter. It was a heavenly dish and got us off to a great start. This was served with the wonderful Goulee that I had had prior to coming into the dining room and was thrilled to have another glass of. I forgot to mention that the Badoit water was served in beautiful silver chalices and all the wine was in reading crystal however there was one wine we felt needed a much larger glass which would have been for red rather than white.

The third course had to be the most fascinating one we had as when it arrived at the table it look like a gigantic puff pastry stuffed with something and we looked at each other and stared at our servers and told them to please start giving us longer rest between the courses and we prefer to eat slowly. They laughed and said that this dish was very light and explain that it was whipped egg whites into a meringue to make it look like puff pastry served with black truffles and mushroom slices and a yolk on the side all topped with a yummy tuile like cracker that turned out to be not cheese but caramelized corn flower. The joke was on us but we absolutely loved the dish. 

We moved on to our next wine which was a Savigny Les Baunes from Simon Bize 2014, who the Asian sommelier was quick to point out was married to an Asian woman. Indeed I must come in his assistant Natalie who hailed from Hong Kong and was pouring most of our wine all night and often gave us refills without our asking!

I adore Rouget Barbet or red mullet here from Haute Normandie, which was served roasted with an unfortunately very gummy carrot ravioli in a ginger orange carrot sauce that was out of this world. The Vouvray 2009 from Foreau that was served with it was Moilleux or slightly sweet which Will detested but I actually loved once I had some of the sauce combined with the wine that really worked together brilliantly.  As soon as you could look up Natalie had substituted his wine for a glass of the Sancerre.

This restaurant specializes in Brittany cuisine with hints of Asian spices so it was no surprise that we had another fish dish in the form of a gorgeous Turbot fillet with Jerusalem artichokes more black truffles and of course black truffle foam. The wine pairing was one of those rare wines that you just can't stop loving and here was Albert Mann 2012 Alsace Grande Cru Schlossberg Riesling.

We did have one meet course and it was absolutely perfect indeed probably the most tender Pigeon (from Vendee) I have ever had with Cocoa sauce and Manotte, which is a buckwheat crisp as well as served over buckwheat grains in a style of risotto. While we were nearing our limits this was truly one of the best game dishes we have ever had any where on earth. Add to this the fact that they served the Bordeaux red from the owner's vineyards called Les Pagodes de Cos (as in Cos D'Estournel) 2012 which was majority Cabernet with 30%Merlot and drank as smooth and silky as could be. 

We enjoyed more of this delicious wine as our four cheeses arrived:

Ash coated goat

Comte aged 24 months from Haute Comte 

Salerce from Comptal that was slightly soft interestingly grainy and oddly sour, but still so delectable.

There was no question in both of our minds that the runny gooey yummy Camembert from Normandy was the most amazing cheese we had had in sometime.

Desert was a passion fruit souffle with mango passion fruit sorbet which had gold leaf in it as well as black sesame paste and passion fruit crisps with Gavode chips, which we never really did find out what they were. Will souffle came out perfectly but mine was a bit less firm in the center I didn't mind though as I couldn't finish it. Tokaji 2001 Hetszolo 5 puttonyos rounded out the meal and sent us home so thrilled with virtually everything.

Before we left the manager Vincent came over and gave us each bags of chocolate and marshmallows mignardises so we could have them later, just in case.

Luckily tonight we just going to a fancy Bistro.

Bethesda's KAPNOS KOUZINA is keeping up with Greek tapas (3-12-16)

On Sunday night we headed to Chef Mike Isabella's Maryland outpost KAPNOS KOUZINA and were rewarded with a superb meal and excellent service from our always smiling and upbeat server, Tony.

Sam remarked about the succulents in the windows as we walked in and said that made him very happy as he loves cacti!

Samuel fell in love with the Sasparilla Ginger Beer and I think had more than two? Afterwards he also tried to Mint Lemonade with Grapefruit & Rosemary and declared it also excellent.

I started with a Chloe & Llamas (odd name and I never did get an explanation) which was Macchu Pisco (awful pun), Campari, Cocoa Nib, Banana Orgeat, Lime & Egg White. It was a gorgeous drink and not sweet at all with that banana. Indeed it tasted like a glorified Pisco Sour with a slight hint of chocolate at the end of each sip; totally refreshing! Will went for a Cosmo as most of the other drinks were indeed sweet and then we moved on to a bottle of superb 2013 Planeta Nero d'Avola/Cab Franc blend called "La Segreta Rosso" which got us very excited about or July Sicily trip as we will be staying at this winery!!

Pikila or a choice of three spreads are a standard at almost all Chef Mike Isabella's spots and here they seemed to be even tastier. We chose an amazingly smoky Melitzanosalata of smoked eggplant, roasted peppers, walnuts and feta; one of the best ever Taramosalatas of carp roe and cauliflower topped with caviar that was loaded with tiny speckles of the red carp roe for superb flavor and Favosalata of lentils, scallions, black garlic & pine nuts. They come with huge warm loaves of pita for dipping that are so steamy as you tear them apart you want to just inhale the smell.

Sam chose the Tomato Flatbread with roasted tomatoes, garlic and kefalograviera cheese which was the one item he didn't care for as it's a bit salty like feta (we loved it) and then went on to the Felafel which came with a small side salad and tahini.

Will and I shared Swordfish Kebabs with Fava, Roasted tomato, caper & Dill that was perfectly cooked and flavorful, ye the Ground Duck Kebab with Red Endive, Fig & Charred Shallot compote was slightly dry, but saved by the awesome compote that deserves a medal. A side of Roasted Cauliflower with roasted green olive relish, whipped feta and za'atar was another winner as Chef Mike always treats this veggie with such grace and love.

We each chose a dessert and while Will opted for the novel Baklava Ice Cream & Salted Caramel Ice Cream, I went for the real thing with Almond/Walnut Baklava and Vanilla Creme Anglaise. Samuel devoured his Portokalopita or Orange Phyllo Cake with Cinnamon, Walnuts and Vanilla Ice Cream.

We were very happy with our wonderful dishes and even happier with the quiet corner table as Sunday night can be quite busy and noisy here. Kapnos is superb fun and the variety of dishes makes it a place that is so easy to return to many times for trying everything!

NAO Latin Gastro Bar at San Antonion Culinary Institute of America was a nao experience for us all! (3-1-17)

On our last night in San Antonio, the CIA invited us all to NAO their Latin Gastro Bar attached to the school and staffed in the kitchen and front of house by CIA students, which is an amazing statement to begin with.

It was a fun experience and we had a pretty decent menu to boot.

The Margarita won't win a prize, but it was darn good and we had four starte plates to begin with that simply overflowed and again we wanted to pack up the extra to go, but alas could not, as we did not live there:

Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese, Fennel, Apple & Toasted Pumpkin Seeds was one of the best arugula salads around just for its simplicity but also for the flavors. Empanadas were superb flaky crusty creations filled with Corn, Mushroom and a light yet creamy Salsa Blanca with a spicy Tomatillo Salsa and these disappeared pronto! Argentine Chorizo was nice with corn, tomato and onion but lacked imagination. the only bad dish all night was Provoleta which was an aged provolone melted in a cast iron pan with crostini and chimichurri that also oozed grease and was difficult to extract from the pan as well.

I ordered a bottle of the superb Emilia Coyan Red blend from Colchaga Valley Chile 2013 made of Carmenere, Syrah, Merlo, Cab, Mourvedre, Malbec and Petite Verdot that was rich, full bodied and organic to boot.

My main course was Duck Carnitas with greens, bulb onions and salsa cruda as well as tortillas to stuff the gorgeous confit leg into. We have eaten so many starters though we could barely finish our mains, even with sharing. the others were Hangar(spelled hanger on the menu) and Fresh Gulf Tilefish.

The desserts were a rich but tasty Almond Panna Cotta with Passion Fruit Curd, Charred Pineapple and Lime Zest, but the huge tube like churros were the winner with their spice chocolate dip and stewed plantains!

Off to the hotel bar with some classmates for a nightcap before we struggled out at 630am for the final day of boot camp!

I've been CURED and can say it's charcuterie and cuisine that is cooking in San Antonio (2-28-17)

CURED (curedatpearl.com) was just a 1/2 block away from my hotel in the beautiful Pearl District and is the genius child of Chef Steven McHugh and Manager Robert Rodriguez who run a tight ship and truly deliver.

While I knew some folks here, and indeed, have known people at many places we dine, it was a thrill to be greeted at the door with a glass of JP Chenet Brut Blanc de Blanc as Robert showed me the amazing place which is an historic destination in itself as this building was the admin space for the Pearl Brewery for decades and even still houses the vault which held the beer recipes! There are so many wonderful things to enjoy not to mention the charcuterie cooler that welcomes you as you walk in the door. 

After meeting Chef Steven, I was taken to a cozy table and while the place is large and has such high ceilings, it's not that noisy, even at full capacity which it always seems to be (even on a Tuesday at 630pm). There was a guy next tmme whose voie boomed so loudly it was almost nerve wracking. I could write a book about his comments, but will only make several quotes such as "Calfornia is a liberal shithole," and the Oscars are all liberal propaganda. I eventually discovered he emigrated to the US in his twenties and asked how he had no accent to which he responded, "Any immigrant coming here should learn proper English and no have an accent, " which was one of his logistics for not allowing folks in today. Enough said!

The amuse was a Arancini with truffle and a slightly pricy Pomodoro Sauce which was yummy and got me in the mood.

My drink of choice was the Starter Kit if Dulce Vida Tequila with Grapefruit, Jalapeno, Lime and Salt. It was meant to be a margarita for the man who rebuilt this entire district and has made it what it is as he loves tequila, grapefruit and jalapeno; it was delish and refreshing. The Charcuterie plate (fotos on FB) arrived and it was huge, but I could not resist. My excellent server Mark explained every little aspect:

Apple Jalapeno Pork Rillettes which were easily the best I have ever had on earth as they were blended just right (not too much) and topped with a yummy apple jalapeno marmalade.

Flatbread or Brewer's Crackers that resembled matza, but tasted better was loaded up as well

Chicken Liver Mousse was rich smooth and creamy.

Smoked Beef Shank Terrine was earthy and full falvored

Lamb Landjager or Hunter's Sausage was spiced perfectly and an ideal miniature salami

Of the cut meats my favorites were easily the Smoked Duck Ham and 90 Day Coppa

Accompanying were Pearl Quince Jam, Orange Mustard, Blueberry Mustard (which I fell in love with), Curried Onion, Apple/Honey Mustard and both Dill & Bread & Butter Pickles.

You can choose THREE ($18), SIX ($26) or NINE ($34) items from the daily list of cured meats (30days-12 months) from the group which today totaled 18.

My Zum Martin Sepp Gruner Veltliner was crisp and refreshing with a hint of white pepper for a needed palate cleanser with the meats as well as with my next course of Chicken Fried Livers, a Cured take on the Chicken Fried Oysters seen everywhere, here with Lemon,Pepper Jelly and Shallots that all delivered a crunchy fried kick. A Pieropan Soavce Classico had acidity and lemon that matched those found in the superb fried offal!

My "main" course was perfect and light as well: Bison Tartare, which would have sent Samuel to heaven, came from local vendor Buffalo Trace and was as lean as tartare can get with Huitlacoche Puree, Bourbon Cured Egg Yolk and Brioche.

The wine was The Crusher Petite Sirah from Clarksburg, California (you know that liberal sh*thole :-).

I have to add that while there 18 reds, 17 whites, 2 roses and 5 sparkling wines on the menu over 80% are served by the glass in Reidel stemware!

I wanted to stay light for dessert and chose the STRAWBERRY which was Lemon Poppyseed Cake, Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream and Green Pea in the description. Indeed it was warm poppyseed cake that was not the least bit dry and divine strawberry ice cream with lemon curd as well as pea meringue and tendrils which was accompanied with a glass of Osborne Pedro Jimenez sweet sherry.

I walked the 2 minutes back to my hotel and hit the sack to be ready for my 6am wake up call to return to culinary boot camp!

If I make it back to San Antonio, I'm headed right back to CURED.

By the way, Cured donates a dollar from every charcuterie plate to charity which rotate every 3 months. So admirable!

BIGA on the BANKS gets big bravos in San Antonio (2-27-17)

After our first day of cooking classes were completed I spent some time working and then headed on a2 hour walk around downtown to do some shopping before I went to Biga on the Banks at the International Center on the Riverwalk here in downtown San Antonio.

It's a beautiful restaurant on the second story above the Riverwalk with a small terrace outside where you can eat and enjoy dinner overlooking the busy Riverwalk. The temperature was about 77 degrees and the humidity even higher so I chose to dine inside.

My server Brittany was a gem and heard every word I said and gave me brilliant ideas about what to choose to eat. I was thinking of starting with a margarita but she suggested the Harajuku Sunrise made from Hou Hou Sho sparkling rose sake, Aperol and Saint Germain which was absolutely refreshing and tasty, not too sweet.

I was looking at the ceviche but Brittany steered me towards the house Applewood Smoked Salmon Nachos and while that sounds like a huge dish it was five simple chips with a slash of Chipotle goat cream cheese made locally here in Texas with some smoked salmon and escabeche veggies on top with a port wine balsamic that ran across the plate and was divine, not to mention the peppery arugula garnish. A glass of Talbot Logan Sleepy Hollow vineyard 2014 Chardonnay brought me back to a wine we used to drink all the time so long ago.

I was very unsure which red wine to choose with my main course so Brittany offered up a couple of beautiful large Riedel glasses and poured tastes of two different wines. First was Il Fauno di Arcanum Tuscany Bordeaux 2012 that nobody seems to know how you made Bordeaux in Tuscany... it was a delicious full body wine but there was no information on what grapes were in it. The other one I wanted to taste was a Nanthia "Termes" Tinta de Toro 2013 which was way too dry and astringent.

As I started to enjoy the wine Brittany surprised me with an extra plate this time it was the house made Bao buns with Berkshire pork belly, pickled cucumber, scallions and two sauces:hoisin and Sriracha. I tried not to eat all the buns as I really didn't need all the carbs but they were so delicious and the sauces were spectacular.

Since I had time for another glass of wine I was thrilled to see they had a 2011 Barolo on the menu from Casa E. Di  Mirafiori and it was truly one of the youngest smoothest Barolos I have had in ages.

There was delicious cornbread and two other plane breads but the whipped butter was superb so I had some of the corn bread and then stopped.

My main course was a revelation with 11 spiced South Texas Nilgai antelope as well as grilled Lockhart aromatic Quail. The latter was in a delicious sage sauce and the former was so tender with berry compote as well as juniper sauce for both. On the side were Brussels leaves as well as a superb soft creamy and rich goat cheese tart with chestnuts as well.

Of course all of these can be seen on Facebook and this was truly a dish to marvel in.

While I was full I couldn't believe that they had a3 tasting dessert for $11 so I figured even if I only ate two bites it was worth it and in the desert was Sticky Toffee Pudding which needed a little bit of custard and Mexican chocolate mousse which was extremely rich so cut by a rum whipped cream on top. The winner was the coconut creme brulee. Everything was quite rich so I enjoyed a wonderful small glass of Antique sherry Jerez from Pal Cortado that was super dry.

Now this was a meal worth coming to San Antonio for.

SILO ELEVATED in San Antonio is not at the height it should be (2-26-17)

For my first night here in San Antonio before I was to start CIA boot camp the next day I decided to  choose Silo Elevated which is the upstairs of the downstairs Silo restaurant which is considered one of the more fun places with lots of varied plates(but is closed Sundays).

I arrived and was escorted through in elevator upstairs to a very elegant subdued room that was very quiet and virtually empty at 7 p.m.

My server explained that this was probably due to the Academy Awards as well as this being the last day of the San Antonio rodeo.

The chairs were hard wood, which seems to be a regular problem here as they are not too comfortable! Guess they want you to eat and run.

I had already had a delicious complimentary margarita at my hotel, the hotel Emma which is a beautifully situated place in the new Pearl District, so I decided to order a bottle of wine and chose a 2012 Clincker Brick 1850 from Lodi, California which was a smooth and delicious blend of 60% Cabernet 30% Petite Syrah and 10% Zinfandel. Credit also goes that they serve the wine in a gorgeous large bowl Riedel crystal glass.

I had to choose the signature Chicken Fried Oysters with sauteed spinach Applewood smoked bacon tart apples and whole grain mustard hollandaise which were indeed delicious although the oyster seemed extremely small to me and Walla portion was plenty large enough I really missed more oyster flesh. 

I had asked for a good break between my courses but alas it seemed only 5 or 10 minutes before they brought out what seemed to me one of the biggest dishes I have ever seen in all of Texas. Now thats a statement because everything in Texas is truly big and my grilled duck breast was made up of 8 slices of duck breast and an entire quarter duck leg and thigh confit, with parsnip puree, roasted baby carrots, bacon wilted  frisee in a blackberry cider sauce that was all truly divine although the breast was a bit on the rare side and a little chewy.

There were two unmemorable three cheese and seeded breads.

I did enjoy one scoop of a salted caramel gelato which did really taste delicious but there was no way I could eat anymore, and I was grateful that my server only brought me one scoop as I requested

Olney MD's SARDI's FUSION falls a bit short this time (2-19-17)

After having such a good time at Sardi's Fusion in Olney we decided to return there last night after Sweeney Todd starring our friend E. Faye Butler as Mrs. Lovett (which you should not miss at Olney Theatre!).

We arrived at 530pm as the show was over early and the place was pretty empty, but filled up within the hour. The menu had not changed, but the service was lacking and while our charming server tried, it seemed that everything we wanted was sold out!

We started with their super Pisco Sours and a Margarita and those were hits as were the yummy plantain chips with three salsa; you can easily fill up on these. Last time we loved the starters and had some issues with the mains. This time they were out of most of the ceviches, (not good for a Peruvian place!) all the avocado and it also seemed truffle oil for the truffle fries which we ordered as well. Often the items came lacking certain and major ingredients and after checking my review from last time, I noticed none of us got salads, but now they offer a choice of two sides....

Empanadas here area  hit, so gorgeously flaky we had to make jokes about the meat pies from the show! After trying three different starters that were all gone I chose the Pulpo Anticudo or Grilled Marble Potatoes with Micro Greens and Grilled Octopus with White Truffle Vinaigrette(missing), Beech Mushrooms (missing) and Black Olive Aioli. It was a tasty dish and there were so many greens it was like a salad side! Will (also after several failing choices) opted for the Shrimp Tacos and Samuel went for the Spicy Lamb Tacos, which he loved, but said they were not spicy at all.

We asked for a bottle of Oyster Bay Chardonnay which took forever to come and it was a good choice as most of us had fish, but the wine list has dwindled to about 10 wines and maybe Sangria is a better choice?

Will had the Lima Burger (also with avocado, bacon, onion, fried egg, provolone and lomo saltido sauce on a brioche bun which he said was quite tasty as they do proffer  1/2pound of angus! Our friend, Faye tried the Grouper a la Chorrillana which I had last time and it was quite good, seared with aji amarillo mashed potatoes, smoked bacon and a tamarind sauce. Samuel chose the Brochetta de Pollo with onions and peppers on the skewers as well as pita and tzatziki sauce which was so huge he can finish the second half tonight! The sides were good, but we did miss the truffle fires, although the spicy jalapeno dip for the plantains works superbly. The grilled veggie side was very nice as well as the string beans.

My Langostinos main course was grilled with Andean Pesto (a mere slash across the plate and more would have been great) with Rocoto Garlic Butter but the Grilled Mussels were nowhere to be seen.

Our server apologized multiple times, but we had plenty to eat and most of it was good; it just seemed the kitchen was really a mess.

Next time we might have to try a different spot when we return to Olney?

Oh-fotos on FB as always!

Toronto's BYBLOS will blow your mind (2-5-17)

Sunday night after a 5-1/2 hour opera marathon of Gotterdammerung, I had the pleasure of taking friends and clients to BYBLOS (byblostoronto.com) just a few blocks from my hotel and the Four Seasons Centre (where the Canadian Opera performs). We arrived around 8pm and all of us looked at the menu and I declared jokingly, one of each. We actually entered through a doorway, wind reflector (they have these inside many places in Canada to keep out the drafts), descended several step to a bar and small room, but were quickly escorted up a flight to an elegant almost casbah-like upper floor where we were able to relax is a very quiet and cozy atmosphere.

We perused the drink menu and I ordered up The Fox: Tequila Tromba Blanco, Fino Sherry, Watermelon, Coriander, Line & Cucumber which was a tart treat that I loved. Our server, Maggie, tried to help us with choices from the very varied and large menu, explaining that everything was for sharing; we were game and kind of shouted out of choices randomly and all agreed!

Duck Kibbeh(confit) was first with Dried Fig(many pictures on FB!!)  and a thick Date Molasses sauce and Tahini drizzle to cut the slight sweetness that we all oohed and aahed (sp?)  over. Steak Tartare was gorgeous with a hint of mint and Middle Eastern spices with chilis as well as a gob of Labneh on top, which was indeed a big signature to many of the dishes. It was so great to have homemade Labneh since we haven't had it since Israel last August where I gobbled it down on bread with za'atar each morning. This was exceptional, but created a small problem for one of the lactose-intolerant guests. Barbari bread comes with many of the dishes and it is like a thick cigar shaped bread cut up and doused with olive oil and seeds and spices that we could not resist.

I was thrilled with the wine list and many options for Canadian wine and chose a Pearl Morisette Cuvee d'Une Nuit Chardonnay from Niagara which everyone declared a revelation with its minerality and lack of oak (it gets a hint of French oak) again resembling the super Chards of France or even Oregon. YUM. The red was even better as I love British Columbia's Burrowing Owl but had never had their Malbec 2012 from the Osoyoos region (I never even heard of it!). This was a huge full bodied red but with just enough tannins to stand up to some of the big meat we ordered.

Roasted Beets arrived with Pistachio, Caraway and a ton of that awesome Labneh, but I think the most mouthful was in the Pide, a flatbread here with intense Black Truffle, Buffalo Mozzarella, Hallumi Cheese, and Tartufata(truffled) Creme Fraiche that disappeared in seconds.

One of our starters, the Crispy Baby Artichokes arrived after even the main courses, but was superb with Preserved Lemon that was almost overwhelming (I needed more Chardonnay), and of course more Labneh!

The main courses were even more amazing with Spanish Octopus with Fingerling Potatoes, Biber Chili Vinaigrette & Preserved Lemon bursting with flavor that we really wanted more!

We chose two vegetable sides both of which were superb and spiced to perfection: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Halloumi, Tahini & Yogurt, but it was the Seared Cauliflower in Duck Fat with Tahini Sauce, Sesame, Coriander that got me so excited.

We chose two meat dishes both of which were superb:

Wagyu Striploin came perfectly rare with five large slices in Cauliflower Hommus,  Amlou Dressing(Moroccan dip made from toasted almonds, argan oil, and honey) & Veal Jus that was as tender and scrumptious as could be.

Slow Braised(12 hours) Ontario Lamb Shoulder with Pickles, multiple sauces (garlic, spicy, and more) and House "Lavash" which was like a wonton wrapper to put the lamb, pickles and sauce in. The portion was huge and could have fed all of us for just one main course, so there was takeaway left for sure! The meat fell off the bone and was so scrumptious it was hard not to have several little wraps, but there was more.

At first, we decided that rice was too much to add, but then I saw the Rice made with Persian Kale, Saffron, Aleppo Pepper and topped with Crispy Lentils, Black Beans, Labneh & Persian Lime. You have never had rice until you eat this memorable dish which comes in a huge cast iron pan with top and is truly a revelation and so aromatic as you pull off the pan cover!

Dessert seemed an indulgence so the four of us settled on two choices based on Maggie's suggestions:

Crispy Qatayef(dumplings) with Ashta Cream, Turkish Delight, Honey Syrup, Sumac & Strawberry was my favorite of the two with small sugary dumpling-like treats filled with Turkish delight (almost in liquid form).

Turkish Coffee Bombe was a Coffee Cardamom Mousse covered in Chocolate with Cherry Confit, Hazelnut Dacquoise and Borek(phyllo-like crumbles).

I desperately wanted a glass of Icewine, but alas they were out and settled for a yummy glass of Hidden Bench (Ontario) Late Harvest Gewurtztraminer and we all stumbled back down the stairs to head home.

This trip certainly gave me so many new amazing Toronto dining options on top of all the others I have enjoyed!

Toronto's RICHMOND STATION is a rare spot which deserves raves!! (2-4-17)

Last night I was invited to RICHMOND STATION (1 Richmond St. West www.richmondstation.ca) just a couple of blocs from the hotel and was surprised when we arrived that only a sign outside indicating RESTAURANT showed the location! We entered into a small space with a bar and numerous tables opposite which I thought was the whole place, but were then escorted up a short flight of steps to an expansive upper level with one large room facing the open kitchen as well as one smaller private dining space. It was nice to be further away from the door (cold air!) and bar (more noise) in this more intimate space where we were served by Mark as well as the manager Steve, who suggested that the chef just cook for us as we could not decided on what to eat. The menu is not huge, but it is very varied and we enjoyed every single item that came out for what ended up being almost 4 hours!

The wine list offered many wines by the glass and we were immediately drawn to the Ontario options and started with a bottle of Rosehill Run Chardonnay 2012 from Prince Edward County about 2 hours to the east where the wine business has been steadily growing over the last decade! The Cuvee Richmond Station is bottled for the restaurant has a crisp mineral taste and is mostly steel barrel fermented that really hints back to the true French chardonnays and has nothing to do with those oaky, vanilla-intense California ones of the same varietal.

Soon enough we each received a small plate with a pairing (see photos on FB) of a New Brunswick Village Bay Oyster on one side and a Beef Tartare on top of a deep fried triangle of Pommes Kennedy topped with a Bloody Mary clamato gel. The tartare was amazing even if the potato triangle was still just a bit oily from the frying. I can't recall ever having a New Brunswick oyster (and I know I have had many from both coasts of Canada which I love), but this mollusk was indeed a plump morsel.

Next came two house specialties that blew us away (everything from here on was served family style):

Pate en Croute made from Rabbit & Pork with a pork stock gelee and Leek Mostarda which was truly a brilliant construction in beauty and even more amazing in the mouth.

Duck Liver Pate(whipped) with Apple Mostarda on Brioche which was as rich as could be, but truly an explosion of flavors in the mouth

On the side was a small salad of Arugula and Mushrooms with Pickled Shallots.

Steve said that we needed to have the Charcuterie plate as everything is made in house and indeed the restaurant practices whole animal butchery so that nothing is wasted; a truly admirable goal for any establishment. After the Duck Pate and Pate en Croute, how could we disagree! He then brought over a glass of Coat-Albret Brut(hence no sweetness) Hard Cider from Normandie that was an amazing pairing with all the varied meat options on the platter:

Culatello-a prosciutto like creation of inside pork round

Venison Piemontese-easily the best venison charcuterie I have ever had made even richer with red wine!

Bresaola

Pork/Rabbit/Lamb Terrine made with Medjool Dates (need I say more?)

Grilled Lamb Sausage

Grilled Summer Beef & Pork Sausage

and finally House Cured Lardo whipped to perfection with black pepper, Maldon Sea Salt & Rosemary.

Different mustards adorned the platter (the FB photo shows this amazing work of art in the butchery department!)

Now everything was amazing but the venison stood out for it's novelty and the terrine was truly terrific, but it was the unsuspecting Lardo that we all went loco for.

Spread on a piece of bread it came off as an amazingly seasoned tasty whipped "butter" with gusto that we simply could not resist!!

Steve joked that it was the perfect spread for your breakfast toast!

We continued with one of my favorite Canadian winemakers who has almost become a cult up here and indeed Richmond Station does not advertise they have the wines on the menu, but keep them for special guests! The Norman Hardie 2014 Prince Edward County Pinot Noir is a dreamy pinot that equals any from Oregon or France with guts. Next year if we return to Toronto outside of the bleak wintertime, I am surely going to try and plan a trip to Prince Edward County!

Our next course was the Pan Roasted (deliciously crispy skinned) Euro Bass served atop a Brassica Caesar Salad made of greens with Brussels sprouts, white anchovy & Caesar dressing. While the fish itself was delicious, the salad needed a bit more oomph and all I could have asked for would have been some of those amazing anchovies from Italy, we just could not seem to find them!

Three main courses arrived and we decided to tackle them each one by one:

Rabbit Two Ways offered up a Leg & Croquette with Celeriac Puree, House Cured Smoked Bacon and was the specific dish I had asked for and was rewarded with a real winner as each bite had a different flavor and texture and really showed off the kitchen's amazing technique for variety.

Fleishnacko is a rolled pasta stuffed with pork and I can only describe as "pate en pasta"stuffed with pork cooked sous-vide and paired with Grilled Pork Loin in Mushroom Gravy, Pork Stock, Cippolini Onions.

The Venison Tenderloin shined cooked just past rare and served with potatoes, root veggies in a mushroom & red wine jus that was out of this world; the meat melted in our mouths!

J.M. Sohler 2013 Pinot Gris from Alsace was a treat as well!

The though of dessert scared us so we suggested just one to share and the Coconut Tart (very deconstructed-sorry no photo) with London Fog Cheese Cake, Earl Grey Ice Cream and Seabuckthorne puree was loads of fun and a glass of Tawse Niagara Ontarioa Riesling Ice Wine was simply the icing on the cake (or tart if you prefer!)

I am sure I have to come back again next year and revisit Richmond Station for sure as this was indeed one of Toronto's best dining experiences ever!!

Toronto's MOMOFUKU has a Winterlicious wonderland (2-3-17)

Each time I return to Toronto in late January or early February, I forget that their "restaurant week" runs for two whole weeks and is called Winterlicious.

After the Magic Flute last night, the Sarastro and I headed across the street for their $28 ($21US!!) 3 course menu which is a steal for sure. There are 3 or 4 choices for each course and I was upset the Inari (steak tartare) was all gone by our arrival just before 11pm but the food was yummy nonetheless.

I love ramen and should have chosen the Smoked Chicken Ramen with toasted miso, menma, scallion and egg that Matt chose. It was hot and delicious. My Spicy Clam Noodle was more noodles and lots of tasty clams with only a hint of super spicy miso broth with chili and scallion. I loved the dish, but in the 18degree temps, yearned for more hot soup!

Last year I had the superb Toronto made sake called Izumi (Nigori)"Nigorizake" which I love and paired superbly with all the spice.

Since Inari was gone I opted for the Lamb Bun (each dish is locally sourced as well and indicated here:Jim Giggie, Ontario) with spicy mayo, iceberg lettuce and pickled bean sprouts. It was mildly spicy, but the bun, lettuce and super sprouts negated that and I have to say it was a superb and filling dish but not too large. The Prork Bun (Kunan Farm, Ontario) with hoisin cucumber and scallion looked yummy as well, but Matt said it was slightly fatty.

I moved on to a tasty glass of Kew Vineyards 2013 Gamay from Beamsville Bench in Ontario reminding me even more of the delicious variety of wines up here...have to go shopping today!

Dessert for both of us was Spiced Chocolate Mousse with Sichuan spices and honeycomb which came in a small mason jar and was a rich fudgy intense chocolate paste more than mousee, yet quite tasty with the spices and that crunch was just right.

Off to bed after a long day as more is to come all weekend!

--

DC Restaurant Week commences with a crescendo at DEL CAMPO (1-30-17)

Since I'm headed out of town this weekend, we decided to do our one night this week at DEL CAMPO (777 I St, NW) and at the last minute Will had to cancel, so a friend joined Sam & I.

It was a most pleasant and relaxing evening and when we arrived at 630pm the place was rather quiet; by 8pm it was pretty full, but still not noisy--a sign of fine dining for sure in my mind.

I ordered a superb Pisco Sour (fotos as always on FB) which had me reminiscing about Ecuador and Samuel had his requisite Coke. He also decided that the $30 three-course Restaurant Week menu with its 3 choices in each section was not for him. He started with the Wagyu Sirloin Empanadas and Salsa Criolla which were a sure hit as I have enjoyed them here so many times before. We started with the Corvina Ceviche with Rocoto, Leche de Tigre, Sweet Potato & Cancha Corn which had to be one of the best ceviches I have ever had. Corvina was used a lot for our ceviche and main courses in Ecuador and was superb; here it was taken to new heights with kicky slices of fresno chilies, that amazing leche de tigre and a sweet potato puree, but the excitement came in the small crunchy (think somewhere between rice krispies and corn nuts) of the cancha corn.

A magnificent bottle of Santa Carolina VSC 2009 from Colchaga Valley in Chile was recommended by our strikingly handsome server Reyez, who our friend Rick immediately recognized from another restaurant he used to work in!

The red blend of 60% Petit Verdot/15% Cabernet Sauvignon/10% Carmenere/13%Malbec/2% Mourvedre made for an amazing full bodied and intense wine that was a big win with us!

Puffy steaming hot pockets of bread called Chappas (from Argentina) arrived with EVOO(from Chile) and sea salt(from England) that we wolfed down and begged for more :-))......

Of course the wine went superbly with my main course of Grilled Creekstone Farm Short Ribs with Jalapeno Potato Puree & Bone Marrow. Chef Victor Albisu is known for his grilled meats and bone marrow needs to be foremost amongst them! The dish comes with a super chimichurri like salsa. Samuel had the Gnocchi a la Parisienne which were made with fall mushrooms, burnt broccoli pesto, parmesan and black truffles; who wouldn't like that? Rick had the Salt Baked Salmon with white beans, escarole and bagna cauda that may have sounded light for the big red wine, but this fish dish was a filing and delicious dish for such a cold winter evening as it was.

We were wonderfully surprised when Chefs Victor and Faiz Ally sent out two extra dishes which I immediately praised as two of the top dishes in the house and mandatory for any visit: Fried Yucca with rich creamy Aji Amarillo dipping sauce that would sent anyone to seventh heaven 9and I have to admit, I devoured most of them) as well as the gorgeous rare Wagyu Bavette Sirloin..with another Bone Marrow treat so Rick could have his own bone! It also came with a superb Chorizo Sausage! Some of the sirloin went home and even Will got to enjoy that when he got home from his meeting (where they only served him some teeny dessert or such right at dinnertime!).

the Restaurant week menu offers two desserts so Rick & I chose one each:

Tres Leches Twinkies with Passion Fruit Sorbet were an indulgence for me and quite rich, but so delicious.

The Grilled Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Ice Cream & Dulce de Leche was perhaps a tad lighter, but just as decadent and superb.

Del Campo sure delivers on restaurant week and they even have a $60 menu with upgraded choices such as that Wagyu Bavette Sirloin & Lobster & Crab Fried Rice amongst others if you wish to splurge.

No matter what week it is Del Campo offers you a huge varied menu and is sure to deliver!

a delicious dinner at DINO's GROTTO for a special birthday (1-28-17)

Our dear friends invited us to DINO's GROTTO in Shaw Saturday night and boy what a treat it was for the dozen or so of us all.

Tavernello Prosecco was poured on arrival and we settled in to a variety of starters that everyone gobbled up:

Vadouvin Deviled Eggs which I have written about so many times and are indeed the best around.

Frito Misto di Mare of rock shrimp, bay scallops, calamari and hake

Sweet Potato Croquettes were a special made with pear, ginger, parmigiano, chive, panko and egg and served with a drizzle of Tuscan sweet and sour sauce--we couldn't help feel this was an homage to the Lunar New Year.

Of course Sam had his Meatballs of Veal/Pork/Ricotta/Panko/Egg in a spicy tomato sauce.

Our first wine was a superb Etna Bianca DOC by Vulka 2015 which was followed by an amazing second wine from Sicily: Calabretta "Vigne Vecchie" 2006 from Nerello Mascalese.

Pasta is a requirement and we all adored the Canneloni di Vittelone or rich cannelloni stuffed with Randall Lineback Veal, Leeks, Shallots, Onion, Chive & white wine in a Fonduta with 24 month aged Parmigiano Reggiano.

The Duck Bolognese Lasagne was also masterful with its amazing Silk Road Spices also lending another Asian flair.

Sam decided more pasta was needed and his main course of Pappardelle with Wild Boar was gone fast while many of us decided to share or keep ight with sides:

Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onion, Walnuts & Aged Balsamico are a winner for us anytime, but raves were going on for the Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana.

Wild Boar Chops were superb which were grilled and served with a Tuscan Mole(red wine/much garlic/dried fruit) and some more of those Sweet Potato Croquettes.

At this point our host opened up a couple of bottles of Jefferson 1998 Meritage which we had purchased on a trip almost 15 years ago together to wine country in Charlottesville! It was smooth, silky and delicious and most importantly

brought back wonderful memories.

It was a crazy and fun night full of good food and friends and Andrew, the uber mixologist/bartender even showed up much later with "Pussy Power"s for us all which it needs to be explained is a blackberry, lime and gin drink that goes down like lemonade...oh well, really limeade. YUMMY and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Happy Lunar New Year too!

DC's FIOLA MARE amasses a mean feast for brunch in Georgetown (1-15-17)

I am not a big brunch person as a large midday meal often tires me out, but yesterday was an exception with the holiday and weekend and we had won the certificate at Samuel's school auction, so off we headed to Georgetown and FIOLA MARE on the Potomac River in Georgetown Harbor. On arrival we were warmly greeting and taken to one of the much quieter rear dining rooms, so while we had no river view the place was full and we had a very relaxes and quiet experience. Within a couple of minutes our server returned with apologies of taking too long (3 minutes?) and would be back shortly with complimentary prosecco; off to an excellent start and it just kept getting better.

The dining room was clean with crisp white linens in a most elegant setting with fabric ceiling and we could easily see through to the open kitchen in the next larger dining area.

Fiola Mare has an a la carte menu, but that seems silly when the $45 brunch includes a cocktail, three courses and a basket of awesome warm pastries such as croissants, pain au chocolat, apple turnovers, cinnamon rolls and cheese Danish!

We ordered and spent the next several minutes trying to guess the origins of our super server. We were all wrong! Milad was from Lebanon, and we subsequently promised to ask for him on every return visit. he even offered to replace our drinks (if only barely touched) should they become too warm, as brunch cocktails (you have 3 choices between Mimosas, Bellinis and Sangria) are meant to be served and drunk cold!

Our friend started with the Monkfish Tripe "alla Romana" with San Marzano Tomatoes, Calabrese Chile and grilled bread which was beautiful (all dishes can be seen on FB) while Will chose the Burrata of Buffalo Mozzarella with Smoked Beet Tartare, Celery Root, Capers & Green Apple Garlic Emulsion. I really wanted the signature Insalata of Frutti di mare (prawns, scallops, calamari, pomegranate, persimmons and marcona almonds) but we were told up front they were plum out of this, so I switched to the Butternut Squash Vellutata which was a rich bowl of creamy indulgent sup with "Carbonara" Espuma and Winter Black Truffles. The carbonara foam was graced with bacon bits making it a tasty crunchy addition. The Bellinis are superb and not too sweet and then I tried the Bellagio of vodka, cocchi rosa, Elderflower shrub & prosecco which comes with pomegranate seeds filling the bottom of the flute. The drink was superb and again not too sweet and the acidity was nice with my rich main course. I also loved the seeds at the bottom afterwards which by then had soaked up the alcohol nicely.

My main course was even more indulgent than the starter with "carbonara" as I chose the Rigatoni alla Carbonara with Guanciale as its crunchy protein (instead of regular bacon), black pepper, Pecorino Romano and a sunny side up Duck egg covering the rich dish like a little yellow and white cap. I can't remember a better Carbonara since I was in Rome 8+ years ago. Will had the Tortelli of Butternut Squash with Sage Brown Butter, Parmegiano Reggiano and tons of shaved Black Truffles! Since Fiola Mare does specialize in seafood, our guest chose the superb Spaghetti Gragnano alla Granseola which came with Alaskan King Crab, San Marzano tomatoes, parsley and Controne Chiles. We were all very happy pasta campers. If you lean towards breakfast options (we went at 130pm) for brunch there are also Lemon Ricotta pancakes, poached eggs with rosemary hollandaise & prosciutto and so much more.

Dessert is included in the deal but again we were warned the Warm pear tart was sold out, so I had the yummy warm Bombolini (Sardinian Ricotta Doughnuts) with Chocolate Sauce which came 6 to the order and I insisted on sharing while the others had a super Marchesi or Creamy rich terrine of Tuscan Amedei Chocolate with basil and Sicilian Salted Pistachios. Once again Milad excelled and offered us each a glass of complimentary Bracchetto d'Acqui, a sweet red sparkling dessert wine which cut the rich chocolate perfectly. Excellent Cappuccinos followed and we left knowing that Fiole Mare will see us back again soon! BRAVI TUTTI!

back in DC LUPO VERDI is vivacious (1-7-17)

After our amazing trip to Ecuador, we joined a bevy of friends on Staurday night prior to the theater at LUPO VERDE (lupoverdedc.com) at 14th & T Sts, NW. The small restaurant has a bar and some seating downstairs and we headed upstairs where the dining scene is a bit quieter and relaxed. While waiting for everyone to gather I tried a Persephone or Mezcal, Prickly Pear Juice, Cinque Apertivo, Apple and Lemon Juice  with Honey & Rosemarymixture that was not sweet and most refreshing. The Peppino was Gin, Limoncello & Lemon Juice with Prosecco & Bitters that got raves as well.

It was bitter cold so we stuck with red wine and started with a Tenuta Fessina Mascalese 2014 ERSE Cappuccio that was medium bodied and a great start. Our server, Mohi, recommended the second red, a 2014 Hauner "Hiera" Acitana a blend of Alicante, Nocero and Nero d'Avola from Sta Marina Salina in Sicily that was such a big hit, we had another bottle.

Food was superb across the board with excellent salads, Fried Artichokes, an awesome Chestnut Soup to start with Fennel Sausage, Mushrooms and Rapini for starters.

The main courses here vary from fish to pasta to pizza to meat and we had some of all (see FB page for fotos):

The whole Dorado special was filleted and brought tableside in the simplest of presentations. The Sandra Zappa Pizza (it that Frank's sister?) came with tomato, mozzarella, spicy sausage and chilis. The Tortellini Speical offered up filled pasta with swiss chard, ricotta and meat in a truffle sauce which was decadent and indeed all the pastas were a success: Fettuccine al ragu di coniglio was a rabbit ragu with roasted baby carrots, thyme and white wine, while the Fusilli Campani was a Neapolitan Ragu (Chef Matteo Venini explained that Neopolitans do a different mix of beef and pork) with Pinenuts and Pecorino.

Desserts were very good as well with Tiramisu '13 (not sure what the 13 is), Crostata alla pere-a roasted Pear tart with vinall sauce, cranberry puree and meringue.

I went my usual cheese course way and was thrilled with the selections here:

LA TUR a soft runny cow/goat/sheep from Piemonte

CACIOCAVALLO SILANO a sheep/goat from Calabria and the

intense MUFFATO ALLE ERBE a superb blue cow from Veneto.

The plate was very nice with apples, grapes, onions and fruity/nutty bread.

We all left full and were happy the show we were attending was short and light-hearted, knowing that we will come back to Lupo Verde!

Guayaquil, Ecaudor's Caracol Azul is more about seafood than snails (1-4-17)

Our last night in Ecuador brought us to a different city as we were connecting back to the United States the next day thru the city of Guayaquil. Sam was a bit exhausted and asked if he could stay in the hotel and order a pizza, so just Will and I headed downtown to Caracol Azul.  A 15 minute taxi ride cost only $4 but was hair raising through the insane traffic and maniacal drivers which we had not experienced anywhere else during our two weeks in Ecuador.

Once again on our arrival 7 p.m. the restaurant was empty, although by 8 p.m. some other tables have been occupied, but not more than a dozen or so folks total. Luckily they had a menu in English and Will and I both decided to order different  octopus starters only to find out they were clean out of pulpo. I settled on what turned out to be an amazing the Peruvian mixed ceviche which had sea bass (corvino), shrimp and a bit of octopus as well. On the side were the traditional lupin corn, sweet potato and the fried corn kernels. We had already been brought fried plantains and bread with a mild tomato salsa as well as the amazing aji salsa I have come to love (I have 4 bottles in my luggage), so a little of that on the ceviche made it a true winner. Will ordered a crab and avocado salad which was gorgeous and came with a small crab claw perched atop, and while it was good it needed a little kick from salsa or something. 

A superb bottle of Trapiche Roble Chardonnay 2016 from Argentina was ideal with everything. 

For main courses we both shows sea bass but with different presentations.  Will's with smothered with a rich Gorgonzola cheese sauce and scattered with a couple of artichokes, well mine had a just is rich three cheese sauce with several shrimp on top; they were both excellent.

Will decided to order the coconut flan which was truly amazing and we split that for dessert headed back to hotel and went right to bed as we had a 510 a.m. wake up call for our flight home.

Quito's OCTAVA de CORPUS offers up culilnary delights (12-30-16)

Our last night in Quito before leaving for the Galapagos status booked at the esoteric and interesting Octava de Corpus.

 Will was not feeling too well so Samuel and I ventured to Old Town Quito alone and discovered a huge home hidden behind a beautiful doorway on a colonial street.

The owner greeted us and escorted us upstairs through Christmas knick knacks and many beautiful keepsakes and tchochkies.

The dining room had about 8 tables of varying size ball with gilded plates and beautiful crystal. There was a huge Christmas tree in the center of the room and everywhere you knew it was a holiday here. The menu was huge and daunting, but Sam and  I looked through it and finally he decided to start with a tomato stuffed with chicken and then continue with a superb steak. I started with three amazingly huge and delicious langoustines cooked in a rich brandy sauce, and then had a simple chicken dish stuffed with cheese and ham.

We asked the gentleman if there was a wine list and he chuckled and took us 3 flights downstairs to several huge rooms laid out with thousands of bottles some well over 30 or 40 years old and costing thousands of dollars were from France Spain and South America. We settles on a Bonarda from Argentina and even Sam had a glass and a half with his meal. 

Nobody else ever arrived the entire evening and we almost felt horrible that the place was not doing much business, but perhaps it was due to the fact that it was the night before new years eve and people just don't go out for dinner.

We were too full for dessert and rolled ourselves into the taxi outside as a bevy of drag queens descended on us asking for money which is a tradition here on New Years Eve, but I guess they were starting early.

How awesome it was to have this experience dining in someone's magnificent private home in the colonial city of Quito.

La Purisima in Quito cooks up Ecuadorian cuisine that dates back centuries (12-28-16)

First of all, best wishes to all for a Feliz Ano Nuevo, a most healthy & Happy New year!

Another night in Quito brought us to the old town restaurant La Purisima in the colonial Teatro Bolivar. It has less than a dozen tables and is very simple and the tables are wood. but what's worse is the chairs are very hard wood. Glass walls look out onto the pedestrian mall and give you a chance to see everything that's going on outside.

My stomach was in bad shape but I'm still going to report on what everybody else had.

Will ordered a Paico Sour, which is a Ecuadorian version of the Pisco Sour with a different type of liquor but sweeter,  so I'll avoid those. The one appetizer of goat stew empanadas which both Sam and  Will wanted to order was unfortunately not available.

There were not a lot of other items that seemed exciting and many of them were seafood so Sam wouldn't have those, so the guys just decided to order mean courses when we saw how large they were as well. 

Adorable warm black and white corn tortillas arrived with spicy tomate de arbol salsa (that awesome tree tomato I have come to adore) sauce and I managed to eat one of them and they were delicious, of course without the hot sauce.

Will chose the oven roasted Pork Brisket  which was cook for 6 hours in Ecuadorian spices and beer and came with garlic and ginger fried rice which he declared to be an absolute winner.

Samuel chose what was called a sirloin tenderloin in Creole sauce which was a scallion and tomato sauce which he loved,  but unfortunately it arrived extremely rare and had to be sent back for a recook. It returned cooked to a perfect temperature and everybody was happy except for me because I couldn't eat anything. Each main course said that it came with a "salad to share," which in reality was a vegetable and that night it was a sauteed squash with spices, which will like very much but Samuel would not try even though he adores squash especially with spices. Will also declared the Club beer local to Ecuador an excellent choice.

Since they were no appetizers it seems logical to choose dessert and are very sweet waiter offered up his suggestion and both of my co dinner guests chose the Good Thursday Black Tart which apparently is an Ecuadorian delicacy with a recipe going back 400 years and made from some 25 ingredients. Will described it as a combination of fruit cake, Rum Baba and dulce di leche.

I'm glad I got out and got some fresh air as we walked to the restaurant, a mere 8 or 9 minutes from our hotel, but I was sorry not to be enjoying all these wonderful new tastes with my family.

La Gloria in Quito, Ecuador offers up Peruvian-Ecuadorian cuisine in a calm setting (12-27-16)

Our second night was also in the new city and took us to an empty La Gloria when we arrived at 7pm. They had two menus in English, but we soon discovered they had to be printed ages before as most the items were not on the Spanish menu, but between Sam's Spanish and my food knowledge we got thru it. The excellent Pisco sours helped. I headed to the small wine room as they let you choose your bottle from small cabinets marked with the prices, like a store, rather than from a menu. I chose a Santa Carolina Sauvignon Blanc Riserva 2016 from Argentina that was excellent with all our seafood.

Will started with a Peruvian Ceviche of fish with sweet potato and those yummy huge corn kernels. I had an amazing Shredded Hearts of Palm, Smoked Salmon & Goat Cheese salad dotted with awesome local tomate de arbol or tree tomatos with a passion-fruit vinaigrette which was huge(check it out on FB) as were all the salads. Samuel had a Caprese salad with two monster mounds of fior de latte mozzarella that looked like two giant white boobies(we head to the Galapagos soon).

Sam's main course was a nice penne with prosciutto and parmesan, while Will had a gorgeous Corvina (sea bass) over a lentil cake (called tacu-tacu), caramelized onions and basil.

My Loin of Tuna was covered with black and white sesame and in a Thai reduction with mandarin and lime.

There was no way we could eat dessert, so we headed back to the old city and our gorgeous hotel and bed.

Quito's ZAZU zooms to the top in modern Ecuadorian cuisine (12-26-16)

Our first dinner in Quito was at the famous Relais & Chateaux restaurant called Zazu located in the new part of the city so it was about a 20-minute taxi right away which is a steal at $6. We entered into the huge restaurant with many different rooms and we were taken immediately to our table which was located next to a huge group of Americans from New York that we had just met at the hotel 30 minutes earlier. Unfortunately they generated way too much noise for the next several hours and the restaurant was generally noisy the entire time and the music behind all the noise didn't help.  We were given some menus in Spanish and one in English and some bread was put down with some butter and the plates that were very beautiful were whisked away but then nobody came to the table for quite some time and we had no clue what was going on.

They seem to be severely overtaxed and very limited with staff and everyone was running around like crazy as huge groups entered into the restaurant to be seated.

Ultimately our server arrived and things quieted down at least as far as the service was concerned.  We ordered our food and wine and settled down for what turned out to be a truly memorable meal.

I was kind of surprised that no amuse arrived as this is considered the most elegant restaurant in the entire country but that was not a problem is everything that followed was truly delicious. Our first wine was a Catena Zapata Chardonnay 2015 from Mendoza that arrived at the table virtually frozen and we had to warm it up and then we tasted the wonderful acidity and gooseberries. We also ordered a red: the Montes Alpha M 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot and petit verdot blend from Santa Cruz Chile which had nice tannins, intense plum flavor and really a huge body and amazing legs.

 Samuel chose to order a la carte and started with the Wagyu beef tartar fillet with capers and blue cheese foam (really a softish medium local blue cheese). He loved the beef but he's not a fan of blue cheese and tried to get it as far away from the meet as possible. He opened up one of the small brioche rolls and a raw quail egg came out onto his meat exploding with flavor which he eventually decided was ok.

His main course was a shiitake crusted filet mignon with Parmesan quinoa cakes which he loved except he shoved aside each and every one of the mushrooms.

Will chose the five course tasting menu which started with a wonderful dish called Andean grains and vegetables consisting of those large lupin beans which are more like large corn kernels with hearts of palm, tiny crispy quinoa and a slightly spicy yellow pepper sauce with cilantro. As a reminder most of these dishes can be seen on my Facebook page. 

His next course was  octopus with corn puree, chimichurri and native potatoes which was a 4 out of 5 star dish and the only downside on his 5 course menu.

His third course we're suckling pig taquitos which she said were okay but a bit lukewarm; they were pork confit  with guacamole and gruyere cheese and were topped with a Chipotle aioli.

His main course with a seafood tamale made from prawn, squid, mussels, clams and a spicy seafood sauce with maize.

His dessert with simply called chocolate and had three different kinds of chocolates in different forms: ganache cuite 78%, babarois 40% and mousse 62%.

I have to say I think I fared much better with the seven course menu and should mention that it only costs $50 for the five-course menu and $70 for the seven-course menu.

 My first course was a Ceviche of black clam with lemon and a craft beer foam on top with a little teeny plantain fried on the side to clear your palate afterwards.  AWESOME.

Next came the same Andean grains and vegetable course which I was in heaven over and gave more than 5 stars.

My down course was the stone crab without a cutter green apple pesto and a crab salad with 6 pieces of caviar.

Cazuela was a huge single prawn with banana and peanut "salprieta" with maize and shrimp-plantain pot-au-feu, which was a homerun.

This was followed by a dish that most people probably would think is really disgusting, but I was very excited to try as it is considered a delicacy in the north of the Andes in Ecuador. The empanada was filled with guinea pig confit, maize and aji chicha reduction of corn.

Be sure to take a look at this amazingly presented dish on FB with a gorgeous crispy tortilla with the confit and the reduction on top that was simply fabulous and everyone at the table tasted it and agreed.

 My main course was a pork cheek with barley, potato llapingacho and jus with organic salad.

 The meat was gorgeous and crispy skinned, perfectly cooked and a 5star dish well-deserved.

 Dessert for both Samuel and me was an amazing presentation of Helado de Paila,  a traditional local ice cream made a table side here with blackberries and strawberries and of course liquid nitrogen to create the ice cream with hazelnut crumble and meringue.

There is a video of this on Facebook which you can't miss.

Chef Oscar Camacho came out to greet us and we were thrilled to tell him that almost everything was amazing and he welcomed our commentson the dishes that were not such big hits. Kudos to.our server Elvis even though we had some language difficulties it was a truly memorable experience.

Arlington's BUSBOYS & POETS might be better if you get to know it (12-9-16)

For years we have been unable to get a table at the Shirlington BUSBOYS & POETS as they do not take reservations and are always jammed when we head over to the thetare. Last night, we had not planned to be there for dinner, but arrived at 630pm and the place was virtually full with one empty table which we grabbed (I say we as I had Samuel and a school friend of his in tow).

Our super friendly and helpful server Jakobe arrived and announced that lots of the drinks were on happy hour specials, but all of them sounded so sweet, and since I am not a beer lover, I chose a glass of the Sycamore Lane Chardonnay (also on discount) which was quite nice, especially for $5!

We ordered the Mezze plate and Lamb Sliders to share as a starter and these were also on happy hour discount; what a deal! Three huge lamb sliders were tasty, although I left half my bun (sliders always have too much bread). The Mezze (see FB) was beautifully presented with pita triangle on each option:Baba Ghanoush, Tabbouleh & Hummus. They were all tasty and while Sam would have none of it his friend discovered Tabbouleh and fell in love.

Both of the teens ordered a plain Tomato & Mozzarella Pizza which was okay, but I don't think pizza is their forte here. I chose the Turkey Burger in my effort to shed some pounds and it was a huge one, but super tasty made with shallots and mushrooms and a yummy chipotle mayo. I could have lived without the adorable sweet pickle pinned to the top of the bun with a toothpick, and indeed I disposed of the bottom half of the bun to allow only 1/2 the carbs and more of the flavor of the mayo. I had several sides to choose from and ordered the yummy tabbouleh, but had not realized it also came with the mezze; well, it was healthy and tasty. Another glass of $5 Sycamore Lane wine was Cabernet and not as good as it sister Chard.

I would love to go back and try more things, but who knows if we shall ever be able to manage that again as you simply can't PLAN to go there without a reservation; Catch 22!

Just a small note that this is my final review of our area this month before we head to Ecuador in 12 days for winter vacation!

DC's TABERNA del ALABARDERO offers awesome and awful in one meal (12-5-16)

I searched through my over 1000 postings on my blog (www.phyllistines.blogspot) where there is (by the way) a great search engine for those of you looking for dining spots (just type in the city or country name!), and found I had not posted on Taberna Del Alabardero (www.alabardero.com) in a decade. I know for a fact that Will & I visited there some 3 or 4 years ago and had an unmemorable paella, so we hesitated to return for some time. We had purchased two tasting dinners for two people at various auctions, so it was time to redeem them last night with some friends. When making the reservations last month, I realized that the manager, PR person, chef and virtually the entire team there had been replaced in the last year, which gave me some worry as we knew not a soul on arrival.

I had to explain that we had two certificates for two each but ultimately they figured it out and we ordered a superb bottle of Vina Otano Barrel Fermented 2014 white blend of Viura & Tempranillo Blanco that was a bit too cold on arrival and needed some caressing in the glass to bring up to a non-super-chilled temp. The flavors came out when our first course of Gazpacho Andaluz arrived in a martini glass. It was creamy and rich and full of flavors, but perhaps I would have preferred something warmer on what was easily one of the coldest nights so far this season. Next came an superb (FB foto) Shrimp Carpaccio with Avocado & Black Pepper Dressing, which was superb, but needed a lot more fresh black pepper on it which did arrive to satisfy our taste buds. The shrimp was cut thin in a large square and the a scoop of avocado crema was at the center; excellent once the pepper came.

We switched to red quickly and chose an amazing bottle of 2005 La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva, a blend of Tempranillo & Graciano, with the aid of super-sommelier Jorge, who declared it one of his favorites on the list. It drank beautifully on its own, smooth and silky and full of flavors, but not overpowering, and paired deliciously with the Grilled Red Snapper with grapefruit Veloute and Pickled Vegetables. Some thought the pickled string beans an odd accompaniment, but I loved the flavor burst and crunch.

Our final wine was an even bigger red suggested by Jorge and he hit the jackpot with a 2002 Paixar made of the Mencia varietal from the Bierzo region to the northwest of the country's center. The table had various taste notes including prunes, treacle and raisins, and its hugeness required some food. Alas the main course of Cochinillo or Roast Suckling Pig cooked for 12 hours and served confit with Sweet Potato Puree was a huge disappointment in that it was not only fatty, but some parts were truly inedible. It tasted like a crunchy pork wrapped in a fatty lardon, so it had some good parts, but overall we skipped the fatty parts. The staff noticed we were unhappy and offered to bring something else, but we had eaten enough and settled for dessert. Originally they said we would all get Rice Pudding, but I suggested we each be allowed to choose, due to the previous course; no problem. Will stayed with the rice pudding and it was unexciting. Crema Catalana was a rich creme brulee with intense rich custard and the crunchiest of brulees. Cheesecake was a revelation made with a blue intense goat cheese and manchego that brought cheesecake to a new level.

Delicious cookies arrived(FB foto) of a crunchy chocolate rice crispy on shortbread and were thoroughly enjoyed along with glasses of complimentary NOE Vinum Optimum Rare Signature Pedro Ximenez 30 years aged sweet sherry that was very welcome after the cochinilla incident.

We left full, but hoping that the one bad course had not happened. It was an enjoyable evening for sure and save for the one bad course, totally delicious as well.

DC Food & Beverage Collective does delicious dinner at MANDU with Chef Danny Lee (11-30-16)

Earlier this year the local chapter of AIWF broke off and created our own local charity to support various food and educational projects in DC. This was my first event with the DC Food & Beverage Collective (http://www.dcfbc.org) and it was swimmingly wonderful. Membership is inexpensive and the benefits are great, so consider that. I also asked Samuel if he would like to join me for his first "event tasting dinner" in DC and as soon as he saw the menu laden with dumplings he was in!

Mandu now has two locations in DC (www.mandudc.com) at Dupont Circle and now at K St, NW in the NoMa Disctrict. You may recall that Tuesday was the day of horrid rain around rush hour at 615pm, so it took us almost an hour to get there, because (rant) DC drivers suck in anything other than perfect conditions. Once there, the rain let loose and we were forced to find a lot and due to a basketball game at Verizon, the lots all charged $20! I felt jipped, a bit damp and was getting sore on arrival, so I ordered an Aloe Sojoutini made from Korean rice wine (akin to sake) and aloe. It was refreshing, relaxing, delicious and not sweet, and during Happy Hour they are $4.00!!!

The group was seated in the upstairs private dining room at two long wooden tables and it was a bit noisy from the crowds down below filtering up to us, but we all had a super time.

Chef Danny Lee came out to describe each dish and take questions and we were all transported for several hours to Korea! As always, many of the photos of the meal are on FB.

First Course:
Mandu (shrimp, veggie, and beef & pork dumplings)--Samuel adores these, but I still couldn't get him to try the shrimp!! The veggie was superb indeed.
Hobak Jeon (egg battered and pan fried zucchini)-a simple dish dipped in a soy-sesame sauce like the dumplings
Pa Jeon (mini seafood & green onion pancakes)-Think treyfe latkes that are delicious...getting ready for Hannuka!
Korean Fried Chicken-Double-freid wings in a spicy soy glaze that was totally irresistible, which is awesome from me since I am not a wing man, but the spicy sauce was indeed magnificent.

These were paired with Mandu Soju - soju infused in house with cloves and pomegranate, the Korean rice wine used for the Sojutinis as well, and while the clove essence and flavor was prominent, the wine was excellent and with some of the spice, a brilliant pairing.

Second Course:
Chap Chae (stir-fried clear sweet potato noodles with mixed veggies)--these were clear noodles like the Asian rice version, but made with sweet potatoes instead for a truly novel taste
Yujacha Korean Salad w/Citron Vinaigrette, Orange Segments, Toasted Pine Nuts and crunchy Toasted Rice(think mini krispies)
La Crele Sancerre 2014, France was our Sauvignon Blanc that was probably the most citrus intense SB I have ever had from France and worked awesomely with the citrus vinaigrette.

Third Course:
Bulgogi (sweet soy marinated slices of grilled ribeye)
Dak Gui (spice marinated slices of grilled chicken breast)
Yache Gui (seasoned and grilled mixed veggies and tofu) including black beans, broccoli and sweet potatoes with sides of pickled cucumbers and superb kimchi for dipping.
Dduk Bok Gi (long rice cakes simmered in Gochujang broth made from Korean chili paste)-These were the most fascinating dish made from pressed rice into long cylindrical cakes which were served in the most excellent of spicy sauces. I am in love with gochujang and could eat it on everything!!
Steamed rice was prominent for all the dishes to be served with as well as lettuce wraps generally for the Bulgogi to be wrapped in, but the leaf size was a bit too small to really fill up with much!
Les Vignobles Gueissard Bandol 2012 from France was a beautiful intense red that went well with all the various intense spices.

Dessert:
Assortment of Mochi Ice Cream(chocolate chip) with Sweetened Red Beans
Makkoli - Korean unfiltered rice wine was the funkiest wine I have had in years and honestly not to my liking.

We all had a ball and loved the novelty of the food, even though many of us had been to Mandu before and enjoyed many of these varied flavors and dishes.

If I had to change one thing, it would be the very hard uncomfortable wooden chairs that my sorry tuchus was truly ready to leave after 3 hours! Oh and maybe the funky Makkoli!

Kudos also to our team of servers, but especially Jun, who had every drink served in minutes and every need filled from extra kimchi to more wine before we could even ask!

Cosme comes out top on with creative Mexican cuisine in NYC(11-25-16)

Cosme opened in NYC (cosmenyc.com) at  35 E. 21st St. about 2 years ago under the name of the  great Mexican chef Enrique Olvera. It's been virtually impossible to get a reservation there for quite some time but when we decided to spend our Thanksgiving Friday night at the nearby Edition Hotel on Madison Square I made it my business to get a reservation for the three of us on Friday night.

When we arrived at 6:30 the place was already leaving and we were not too fond of the sustained droning bass noise for what they seem to call  music. Over the evening the music did improve and I didn't feel like I needed to leave faster due to the unbearable drone.

While  the place is noisy the decor is simple and they have wooden tables with exposed floors making for even more noise. There  is some modern Mexican art on the wall that wouldn't be worth taking home but what they did have surrounding the entire room were  small humidifiers really making a very nice difference on an extremely dry cold New York night.

Server Victor could not have been more courteous giving us as much time to peruse the trysting drink menu as well as the fairly small food menu which consisted of no more than 20 items. Will ordered a plain Margarita while I ordered a Striptease which was Vida Mezcal with Dolan vermouth Blanc guanabana and lime as well as the most awesome absinthe salt surrounding half of the glass. It was quite strong but really delicious.

I chose the Huarache which was a large tortilla fairly thick filled with surf clams and marcona almonds as well as a lime kosho salsa verde on the side..superb.

Will started with the Burrata which was made with epazote garlic mojo and Market greens.

Samuel chose to go right to the main course of short ribs scallions Cipollini onions and avocado and of course all of the main courses that were meant to be wrapped in tortillas had the most delicious freshly baked tortillas brought right to the table from the kitchen.

Will and I decided to split the main course of their signature dish called duck carnitas with onions radishes and cilantro. The dish is cooked for over 8 hours and the duck is deconstructed and then reassembled to bring to the table so that it looks like a duck but has no bones in it with all the crispy skin layered on the top. You must see my Facebook page to totally understand this. These came with fresh limes which made the dish so much better as well of course as the tortillas and two sauces one was a tomatillo chili and a spicier Serrano and Chile de Arbol. 

At $72 it is a huge dish and Samuel help us finish it off luckily because it really is meant for 3 or 4 people at minimum, but we were truly glad we decided to order it.

We have always enjoyed our Mexican wines each time we go South of the border and sadly there are virtually none imported into the United States. The  chef has chosen here to import his own wine called Tinto de la Casa which comes from Vina Cava in Guadalupe of the Baja Peninsula and  it is a chocolate intense 2012 blend of Tempranillo, Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache that makes you proud of any Mexican wine with a huge burst of flavor in every sip. 

Will ordered a delicious warm apple crumble tart with ginger cacti and mezcal vanilla ice cream that was out of this world and then some delicious fruit gelees arrived at the table which were made from Tamarind and dusted with a Chile de Arbol sugar.

So maybe it's a bit noisy and maybe it took us a while to get used to the music but the food experience here was definitely worth it.

NYC's Ai Fiori comes out in front forever (11-23-16)

 It has become somewhat of a tradition for us to head to New York early Wednesday morning the day before Thanksgiving catch a matinee on Broadway and then head to the quiet and serene Ain

 Fiori in the Langham Hotel where Chef Michael White, one of the great chefs in New York has one of his wonderful Italian dining palaces.

 We always arrive early and the place was deserted as we sat down, but the place with filled up to about half capacity by the time we left 3 hours later. It tends to be a very quiet night for dining in New York and we really love the quiet relaxed and very high end feeling of refinement with beautiful linens and crystal and excellent service from top to bottom.

In our attempts to buy Sicilian and taste as much as we can before we go next summer we ordered a bottle of 2014 Tenuta di Fessina Etna Bianco "Erse" which had an apple and earthiness flavor that we loved.

Slim crisp grissini arrived in a glass filled with extra virgin olive oil and basil leaves and we spent some time perusing the menu.

The four course 99 dollar menu which is in a la carte choice from each category really gives you a lot of leeway and we each chose our dishes and sat back for a ride as an amuse of parsnip puree with pistachio crumble and oranges gelee arrived. The puree was excellent but  the crumble was a bit soggy and perhaps should have been put on only at the last minute before the amuse was served.

The first courses were as varied as they come with Sam ordering a Zuppa di Porri or leek and Yukon Gold potatoes soup with creme fraiche  and crispy prosciutto.   Will  opted for the Polipo alla Piastra which was octopus with sweet potato caponata, brown butter and pine nuts. My Riccio de Mare was a decadent sea urchin  panna cotta with lemon gel, creme fraiche  and caviar that absolutely was gorgeous with its tiny radishes and cucumbers curled up on top and decorating the beautiful plate. Be sure to look on Facebook for a lot of photos.

I do have to add that when I put the photo on Facebook and tried to read in the name of the dish on my phone it understood me as "search in Punta Cana" instead of sea urchin panna cotta!!

The pasta courses are probably the highlights of the meal here, and this meal was no less than any other normal one.  Samuel chose the Risotto Acquarello with brown squash, cranberry beans and Tallegio cheese. Will managed to hit the richest dish in this course with Marubin or Duck  Ravioli with foie gras butter and cherry gastrique. 

I find the pastas that have a little spice here to be the best and the Trofie Nero was amazing squid ink pasta with Ligurean crustacean ragu with seppia, scallops and spiced  Mollica or bread crumbs on top. 

We moved on to a different bottle of white wine which was very different in an earthy oaky way as it came from the Liguria it was called  Riviera Ligurie di Ponente Pigato 2013 by Laura Aschero.

 I forgot to mention that everything comes with olive oil and salted butter and I'm talking about the amazing breads such as olive baguette, rye,  pecan raisin roll, and whole wheat.  We tried  to refrain but it is virtually impossible.

Needless to say Sam had the Tagliata or prime dry aged strip loin which came with endive, potato terrine style "cacio e pepe" and bordelaise sauce.

Will  chose the Spada or extra virgin olive oil poached swordfish which came with artichokes, basil pesto and prosciutto. He declared the the dish tasty but that the fish itself was a bit on the soft side.

 I was thrilled with my Astice or butter poached Nova Scotia Lobster with delicata squash some petite onions and black trumpet mushrooms.

Sam went light for desert with Pear, Berry and Mango Passion sorbets.  Will had  the toTorta di nociole or milk chocolate mousse with hazelnut sponge, caramel and hazelnut gelato which disappeared fast, well I chose a plate of three cheeses and they were all top notch excellent:

Valencay, a soft ash rind French goat

Pleasant Ridge Reserve,  superb from raw cow from  Dodgeville Wisconsin

And Rouquefort d'Argental a raw sheep blue from Midi-Pytenees that was stinky and heavenly.

Speaking of heavenly we rolled out the door and headed home after an amazing first day of our Thanksgiving trip to New York.

Celebrating at CENTROLINA is always amazing! (11-13-16)

Last night, ten of us headed to the private dining room at CENTROLINA (www.centrolinadc.com) at DC's CityPlace for a celebration of our recent anniversary as well as our dear friends' Mel & Juan (they have been together an amazing 41 years!).

Chef Amy Brandwien and her team headed by server, Vidal and sommelieuse Kristen, made every bite a memorable experience for the close to four hours we enjoyed there.

Many of the dishes can be viewed on my FB page as always, although I must apologize that we all gobbled up the dessert before I thought to take a photo!

Our evening began with a toast using Ca' del Bosco Sparkling Rose and our "line" for the evening became, "Every one deserves a break this week...." not even considering a hint towards the fast food chain!

We became truly amused and intrigued by our Amuse of a Grilled Virginia Oyster with Nduja Sausage ragu that tickled our palates and make us beg for more. This was followed by Tonnino or cubes of top sushi grade yellowfin tuna, with lemon crema, roasted beets, fried sunchoke crisps and micro greens. We never did discover if the small soft onion-like ingredient was pickled shallot or ?? The larger tuna pieces mimicked the smaller beet pieces and you had to guess which was which.

We moved on to a Soave-Bertani 2012 and I can't recall when I last had this wine I was weaned on in my teenage years. It's a fascinating wine where 1/2 of the grapes are left on the vine to dry and then belended for a wonderful dry white loaded with so many flavors. Gorgeous sea scallops arrived on top of a disc of lentils and beet greens surrounded by carrot puree, lemon jus and micro greens. The scallops were seared to perfection and not salty at all, the lentil mix was a superb foil and made me want to try this at home as we saute beet greens a lot, but I never though of the lentil mix!

Our next wine was yet another revelation from Giulia Negri, 2013 Langhe Chardonnay "La Tartufaia" and even moreso I was intrigued as one never hears about women winemakers in Italy! She grows the grapes near truffle fields, hence the name, but this chardonnay is loaded with not only truffle essence but tons of minerality and earthiness. It was paired with what may be the most imaginative vegetarian dish I have ever had: Corn polenta topped with miniature Shitake Faux "Meatballs" laced with basil oil, micro greens and parmesan. Vidal explained that the "meatballs" are created from oven-roasted veggies and shitakes and then lightly fried. What a treat!

Giovanni Rosso 2008 La Serra is still a young Barolo, but was indeed smooth and beautiful to drink, but while the wine shone, the 5th course was perhaps everyone's top choice for the night: Potato Gnocchi with Truffle Butter Sauce & Parmesan that was so rich we were all squirming with delight in our seats, even from just the amazing white truffle aroma as the dish was placed before us! It made me want to make a reservation for a white truffle dinner soon; if I only had the time!

G.D. Vajra 2012 'Bricco delle Viole" Barolo is even younger, but an interestingly light Barolo but was superb with out Spinach Pappardelle with Veal Ragu, Peas, Genovese White Sauce and parmesan, another divine dish for vegetarians of which there are indeed so many at Centrolina.

Gorgeous pieces are seared very rare tuna arrived with an Eggplant Involtini stuffed with Fennel Sausage and served over a dash of Greek yogurt with intense Calabrese chilis that I can't recall ever being so spicy. Chef Amy has indeed used spice over the years and to great benefit as many of reminisced about her SPAGHETTI alla CHITARA from her previous home Casa Nonna which was superbly loaded with cauliflower and chilis! Franchetti 2011 from the slopes of Mt Etna in Sicily was an amazing treat and I would never have believed it was a majority of Petit Verdot  which was huge in the mouth with an herby berry taste that had us raving. This is a winery we shall surely visit next July when in Sicily!

Next came a superb Shenandoah Dry Age Ribeye with Broccoli-Rabe and Cannelini Beans, simply grilled and full of flavor. When Kristen dared me to guess the wine (hinting it was American), I said right of the bat, "I hope its not RdV," and of course, it was the 2011 Lost Mountain from RdV in Virginia, which she had decanted for three hours and was drinking magnificently; so now I know the secret to enjoying this wine I have poo-pooed a lot because of its huge price tag and need for long aging. Lesson learned.

When attending the James Bared dinner in DC last month Centrolina's brilliant Pastry Chef Amanda Cook-Pilkerton I had her brilliant Baba Cake and begged her then and again a week prior at March of Dimes to do a riff on this brilliant pastry, The Baba was poached with Hard Cider and served with Raspberry Puree, Apples & Whipped Cream. We all gobbled it up so fast, despite being so full! The piece de resistance was the accompanying Foggy Ridge Virginia Fortified Cider made from Pippin Black Apples that won me at the first sip. I have never been a hard cider fan, but this was truly delicious, sweet and full of flavor and an insane pairing that made so much sense!

Needless to say, we were all satisfied, full and thrilled at what many declared the best meal ever. Bravi to the entire Centrolina team, and especially Chef Amy Brandwien who generously donated this awesome dinner to March of Dimes Signature Chefs last year!