Amuse Bouche--Curried Carrot Soup with Cumin. This was served to us even before we had ordered. Since it was a hot soup, I didn't want to wait to eat it so I ended up balancing my menu on my lap while eating the soup. It was way too salty and the cumin competed with the curry. Martha Stewart's Curry Carrot Soup is much better!
You could order any 3 courses for $73, 4 courses for $92 or 5 courses for $107. Or, you could get the 5-course tasting menu for $107. Tonight's tasting menu was a special one featuring truffles so it cost more. I didn't want the full truffle menu but you could add 1 gram of shaved truffles to any of the courses for $20 for black truffle and $25 for white truffle. I had learned from our trip to Alba, Italy 3 years ago that the white truffle is so much more fragrant so I went for it. I added it to my 1st course--risotto.
Risotto with Lobster, Gulf Shrimp, Shimeji Mushrooms and Butternut Squash. The truffle looked beautiful but unfortunately, there was no truffle smell or taste. It was disappointing. The risotto was well made and al dente though.
Seared Ahi Tuna with Avocado, Nori, Enoki Mushrooms and Lemon Soy Dressing. The dressing was too tart--too much lemon.
Branzini with Fennel Puree, Nicoise Olives and Saffron-Orange Emulsion. The Branzini was well made. The flesh was soft and the skin was crisp. The fennel puree had no fennel flavor--it was more like green mashed potato. The saffron-orange emulsion was very mild and not memorable.
Roast Maine Lobster with Potato Puree, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Edamame and Tarragon. The lobster was perfectly cooked but there was not much flavor.
Venison with Red Cabbage and Herb Spatzle. The venison was dry but the cabbage did have good flavor.
Veal with Veal Sweetbread. My husband ordered the dish because he loves sweetbread but the sweetbread was a very small piece. The most disappointing thing was the sauce tasted more like gravy rather than a good reduction.
A Selection of Farmhouse and Artisanal Cheeses Presented Tableside. This is still impressive. There were choices I had not seen before. We chose 4 cow cheeses: Brillat Savarin coated with Truffles (a soft white-crusted cheese from France), Brescianella Stagionata (uncooked soft cheese from Italy), Langres (French cheese milder than Epoisse) and Fourme d'Ambert (a blue cheese from France). My favorite was the Fourme--it had a peppery aftertaste.
Mignardise--9 bite-sized desserts. This was plenty for me and I'm glad we didn't order a dessert. If you're celebrating a special occasion, you get a bonus lemon cake.
Complimentary pumpkin muffin for the ladies.
2013 12 29
No comments:
Post a Comment