lots of eating and gp TV
Oct. 25th, 2011 10:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sarea
So I woke up with a raging sore throat. Sigh. I was really hoping to miss cold and flu season this year. I got my shot and everything! This blows. At least I got to enjoy most of Restaurant Week before it hit. Since my last post, I've gone to... lots of places. Unfortunately, many of my favorites fell rather flat. I don't know if it's the rising food prices or what, but very few of them met my expectations. The big stand out was Staple & Fancy Mercantile, which totally exceeded them. But I'm getting ahead of myself. In chronological order:
Tilth - Good but not as good as my previous experiences there. K and I both got the same starter and entree, which I regretted. The beef rib wasn't nearly as tasty as I wanted it to be, and I wished I'd gotten the clams with sausage instead.
Starter:
St. Jude's Albacore Tuna Nicoise: haricot vert, soft cooked egg, anchovy
Entree:
Braised Beef Rib: soft polenta, piperade, Worcestershire
Dessert:
Pear Sorbet: almond streusel, quince, clover honey
Oxbow Farm Pumpkin Panna Cotta: candied pumpkin seeds, bourbon cream
K got the pear sorbet, which was way better than the pumpkin panna cotta. I don't know if I'm getting over my love of panna cotta, or if it's just the vanilla version that I enjoy. We didn't even finish this one.
Monsoon East - This experience met my previous (high) expectations of the place, so I was very happy with it. Granted though that their menu doesn't really change so I knew what I was going to order and what it should taste like. And in fact it might have exceeded my expectations slightly because I haven't much enjoyed their desserts in the past, but I liked both of the ones we ordered that day. Enjoyed withadelagia!
Starter:
Green papaya salad, caramalized pineapple (both of us)
Entree:
Drunken Chicken Bowl: organic crispy drunken chicken, fried egg and mustard greens (me)
Prawn Vermicelli Bowl: grilled prawns, crispy vegetarian roll, cucumber, bean sprouts, herbs (A.)
Dessert:
Crème Caramel with pineapple (A.)
Chocolate Ganache with peanut butter sauce (me)
Olivar - Huge disappointment. I've been twice before, and both times I thought it was excellent. My coworker P has a rule that she doesn't declare a restaurant good until she's been three times and it's good all three times. If using that rule, Olivar failed. :( I really did not enjoy my entree much and my mom didn't like hers much either. I wished I had ordered off the regular menu (and gotten the duck breast) instead. The best thing was my mom's starter, the arugula and beet salad.
Starter:
Arugula Salad, Spanish Goat Cheese, Roasted Beets & Balsamic Dressing (Mom)
Potato Salad, Soft Cooked Egg (me)
Entree:
Wild Boar Sausage, Braised Savoy Cabbage & Fried Shallot (me)
Cod, Breadcrumbs, Greens (Mom - couldn't find this menu item online so no details)
Dessert:
Profiteroles with Berry Ice Cream (I didn't care for the puff pastry shell and Mom didn't care for the ice cream)
Crush - OK, Crush never disappoints! Enjoyed withslitherhither. The food is always excellent. The portions are small, but filling. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the snooty atmosphere/servers. From the start I was turned off because the server encouraged us to order more than just the RW menu (one of their typical appetizers costs almost as much as the RW meal), which imho is inappropriate because if you don't want people to order the RW meal, which is supposed to be a complete meal, then don't OFFER IT. But I know that the chef, Jason Wilson, is a huge proponent of RW, along with Tilth's Maria Hines, so I don't know if this was just this server trying to up his tip. The other thing that happened along these lines is that we were given the typical bread service -- 4 gougeres (which I love) and 4 small slices of bread with butter. When asked if we wanted more, we said yes, and found out later that it cost $5 for extra bread service. UGH.
Starter:
Chicory and Mushroom Salad with Shaved Pecorino Cheese and Hazelnut Vinaigrette (me - SO good)
Squash Soup (S. - I can't find online/remember other details)
Entree:
Spice Crusted Wild Ling Cod with Fresh Herb Salsa, Creamed Corn, and Kale (S.)
Peppercorn Roasted Flat Iron Steak with Truffle Potato Puree and Rapini (me - The beef was so tender it practically melted in my mouth)
Dessert:
Artisan Cheese Selection (S. - there was Manchego and something else, I can't remember, with fig sauce and caramelized shallots)
Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich (me - So, so good, with housemade cookies, fig compote, and chocolate sauce)
Mignardises:
- Some sort of spice cake
- Pine nut brittle
- Crispy chocolate and nut bites
Dahlia Lounge - Excellent. They've skimped on the dessert (offering the coconut cream pie bite instead of a whole slice), but I can't really blame them. Everything else was so good. There was a bunch of us who went, so we pretty much got to try a bit of everything.
Starter:
Tom's tasty tomato soup, brown butter croutons, chives (this is probably the best tomato soup I've ever had, but they always have it on their menu so I didn't get it)
Country style wild boar pâté, pistachio, grain mustard, pickles, baguette (I ordered this and enjoyed it, but I would have been happier with the soup)
WSU's Cougar Gold cheddar, bruleed figs, marcona almonds, watercress (good; the cheese was similar to Beecher's Flagship)
Entree:
Grilled cheese sandwich, Beecher's Flagship cheddar, cherry tomatoes, arugula (very good, but still, something I could make at home)
Chicken chop salad, crisphead lettuce, gala apples, basil, cucumbers, dried cherries, salami, white balsamic (I've had this salad before and enjoyed it)
Berkshire pork loin, butternut spoonbread, brussels sprouts with honey, apple mustard, candied pecans (K and I both got this; SO good and such a good deal at lunch)
Dessert:
Coconut cream pie bite, white chocolate, toasted coconut (about 3-4 bites worth of pie; really all one needs to feel satisfied as part of an after-meal treat)
Chocolate devil's food cupcake (the kids loved it, but it wasn't as good as the pie, imho)
Staple & Fancy Mercantile - OK, we'd never been here before and I LOVED it. The starter was "antipasti selected by the house," which was nice because I didn't have to make any decisions. And it was so plentiful and amazing! It really makes me want to return and try their regular $45/pp "fancy" meal, it apparently comes with 8-9 starters, followed by a pasta entree, followed by the main course, followed by dessert. It sounds like a LOT of food, despite the appetizers obviously being very small. But it was all so excellent!
Antipasti:
- Octopus with chickpeas in a lovely flavored tomato sauce
- Roasted whole sardines
- Thinly sliced beef tongue with salad/salsa garnish
- Soft-cooked egg with fresh white anchovy
- Ahi tuna crostini
(We couldn't believe it when they kept bringing them out! Me, K, my mom, and K's mom enjoyed them all very much.)
Entree:
Pork Loin with kale, delicato squash, smoked ham (the portion was HUGE, but really tasty and cooked perfectly)
Tagliatelle Bolognese with mint and basil (delightful but I'm glad I got the pork)
Dessert:
Ricotta cheesecake with figs and saba (I was so stuffed from dinner that I ate this for breakfast this morning! I loved it. The ricotta gives a more delicate flavor and texture to the cheesecake that I really enjoyed. I'll have to try making this myself!)
Apple crisp with cinnamon ice cream (meh, honestly - but it didn't appeal to me on the menu either)
And in between all that RW fun, we went to Lola, Ka Won, and Spring Hill, all of which are always awesome. So yeah, there has been EATING, EATING, EATING. And today there will be Mistral Kitchen and Capital Grille (which is probably the best deal ever for RW).
I have read and enjoyed very much Sorcery & Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot, by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. Thanks for the rec,laria_gwyn! It's a really quick and easy read, though it did end a bit abruptly, I thought. So imagine my joy to discover that it actually has not one, but two sequels! Set in regency England, the entire novel is told in letters between two cousins, Kate and Cecelia. There's a fully connected plot that includes magic, intrigue, pretty dresses, evil stepmothers, and even a bit of romance.
Because I've been spending so much time eating out (and cleaning/tidying the house for when my mom comes to stay with me), I haven't been watching anything. I haven't seen the latest Merlin ep, and I have yet to start You're Beautiful (recced byadelagia) or Goong (recced by akscully). For the latter, I had A. rank the hotness of the male lead (because the YB male lead is kind of hideous) in comparison to other male leads from dramas we've enjoyed in the past. FWIW, this was her order of hotness (the most important detail, obviously, when starting any drama):
Zhi Shu (It Started with a Kiss)
Yi Jeong (Boys Over Flowers)
Goong male lead (Goong)
Jun Pyo (Boys Over Flowers)
.
.
.
(somewhere way far down)
Tsukasa Domyouji (Hana Yori Dango)
YB male lead (You're Beautiful)
Hotter than Jun Pyo (who is pretty dang hot)?! I'm there! But I do have to wait for the torrent to finish downloading, which according to uTorrent is going to take just under a week. >< I suppose that's better than the 3 weeks it started out as.
Tilth - Good but not as good as my previous experiences there. K and I both got the same starter and entree, which I regretted. The beef rib wasn't nearly as tasty as I wanted it to be, and I wished I'd gotten the clams with sausage instead.
Starter:
St. Jude's Albacore Tuna Nicoise: haricot vert, soft cooked egg, anchovy
Entree:
Braised Beef Rib: soft polenta, piperade, Worcestershire
Dessert:
Pear Sorbet: almond streusel, quince, clover honey
Oxbow Farm Pumpkin Panna Cotta: candied pumpkin seeds, bourbon cream
K got the pear sorbet, which was way better than the pumpkin panna cotta. I don't know if I'm getting over my love of panna cotta, or if it's just the vanilla version that I enjoy. We didn't even finish this one.
Monsoon East - This experience met my previous (high) expectations of the place, so I was very happy with it. Granted though that their menu doesn't really change so I knew what I was going to order and what it should taste like. And in fact it might have exceeded my expectations slightly because I haven't much enjoyed their desserts in the past, but I liked both of the ones we ordered that day. Enjoyed with
adelagia!Starter:
Green papaya salad, caramalized pineapple (both of us)
Entree:
Drunken Chicken Bowl: organic crispy drunken chicken, fried egg and mustard greens (me)
Prawn Vermicelli Bowl: grilled prawns, crispy vegetarian roll, cucumber, bean sprouts, herbs (A.)
Dessert:
Crème Caramel with pineapple (A.)
Chocolate Ganache with peanut butter sauce (me)
Olivar - Huge disappointment. I've been twice before, and both times I thought it was excellent. My coworker P has a rule that she doesn't declare a restaurant good until she's been three times and it's good all three times. If using that rule, Olivar failed. :( I really did not enjoy my entree much and my mom didn't like hers much either. I wished I had ordered off the regular menu (and gotten the duck breast) instead. The best thing was my mom's starter, the arugula and beet salad.
Starter:
Arugula Salad, Spanish Goat Cheese, Roasted Beets & Balsamic Dressing (Mom)
Potato Salad, Soft Cooked Egg (me)
Entree:
Wild Boar Sausage, Braised Savoy Cabbage & Fried Shallot (me)
Cod, Breadcrumbs, Greens (Mom - couldn't find this menu item online so no details)
Dessert:
Profiteroles with Berry Ice Cream (I didn't care for the puff pastry shell and Mom didn't care for the ice cream)
Crush - OK, Crush never disappoints! Enjoyed with
slitherhither. The food is always excellent. The portions are small, but filling. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the snooty atmosphere/servers. From the start I was turned off because the server encouraged us to order more than just the RW menu (one of their typical appetizers costs almost as much as the RW meal), which imho is inappropriate because if you don't want people to order the RW meal, which is supposed to be a complete meal, then don't OFFER IT. But I know that the chef, Jason Wilson, is a huge proponent of RW, along with Tilth's Maria Hines, so I don't know if this was just this server trying to up his tip. The other thing that happened along these lines is that we were given the typical bread service -- 4 gougeres (which I love) and 4 small slices of bread with butter. When asked if we wanted more, we said yes, and found out later that it cost $5 for extra bread service. UGH.Starter:
Chicory and Mushroom Salad with Shaved Pecorino Cheese and Hazelnut Vinaigrette (me - SO good)
Squash Soup (S. - I can't find online/remember other details)
Entree:
Spice Crusted Wild Ling Cod with Fresh Herb Salsa, Creamed Corn, and Kale (S.)
Peppercorn Roasted Flat Iron Steak with Truffle Potato Puree and Rapini (me - The beef was so tender it practically melted in my mouth)
Dessert:
Artisan Cheese Selection (S. - there was Manchego and something else, I can't remember, with fig sauce and caramelized shallots)
Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich (me - So, so good, with housemade cookies, fig compote, and chocolate sauce)
Mignardises:
- Some sort of spice cake
- Pine nut brittle
- Crispy chocolate and nut bites
Dahlia Lounge - Excellent. They've skimped on the dessert (offering the coconut cream pie bite instead of a whole slice), but I can't really blame them. Everything else was so good. There was a bunch of us who went, so we pretty much got to try a bit of everything.
Starter:
Tom's tasty tomato soup, brown butter croutons, chives (this is probably the best tomato soup I've ever had, but they always have it on their menu so I didn't get it)
Country style wild boar pâté, pistachio, grain mustard, pickles, baguette (I ordered this and enjoyed it, but I would have been happier with the soup)
WSU's Cougar Gold cheddar, bruleed figs, marcona almonds, watercress (good; the cheese was similar to Beecher's Flagship)
Entree:
Grilled cheese sandwich, Beecher's Flagship cheddar, cherry tomatoes, arugula (very good, but still, something I could make at home)
Chicken chop salad, crisphead lettuce, gala apples, basil, cucumbers, dried cherries, salami, white balsamic (I've had this salad before and enjoyed it)
Berkshire pork loin, butternut spoonbread, brussels sprouts with honey, apple mustard, candied pecans (K and I both got this; SO good and such a good deal at lunch)
Dessert:
Coconut cream pie bite, white chocolate, toasted coconut (about 3-4 bites worth of pie; really all one needs to feel satisfied as part of an after-meal treat)
Chocolate devil's food cupcake (the kids loved it, but it wasn't as good as the pie, imho)
Staple & Fancy Mercantile - OK, we'd never been here before and I LOVED it. The starter was "antipasti selected by the house," which was nice because I didn't have to make any decisions. And it was so plentiful and amazing! It really makes me want to return and try their regular $45/pp "fancy" meal, it apparently comes with 8-9 starters, followed by a pasta entree, followed by the main course, followed by dessert. It sounds like a LOT of food, despite the appetizers obviously being very small. But it was all so excellent!
Antipasti:
- Octopus with chickpeas in a lovely flavored tomato sauce
- Roasted whole sardines
- Thinly sliced beef tongue with salad/salsa garnish
- Soft-cooked egg with fresh white anchovy
- Ahi tuna crostini
(We couldn't believe it when they kept bringing them out! Me, K, my mom, and K's mom enjoyed them all very much.)
Entree:
Pork Loin with kale, delicato squash, smoked ham (the portion was HUGE, but really tasty and cooked perfectly)
Tagliatelle Bolognese with mint and basil (delightful but I'm glad I got the pork)
Dessert:
Ricotta cheesecake with figs and saba (I was so stuffed from dinner that I ate this for breakfast this morning! I loved it. The ricotta gives a more delicate flavor and texture to the cheesecake that I really enjoyed. I'll have to try making this myself!)
Apple crisp with cinnamon ice cream (meh, honestly - but it didn't appeal to me on the menu either)
And in between all that RW fun, we went to Lola, Ka Won, and Spring Hill, all of which are always awesome. So yeah, there has been EATING, EATING, EATING. And today there will be Mistral Kitchen and Capital Grille (which is probably the best deal ever for RW).
I have read and enjoyed very much Sorcery & Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot, by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. Thanks for the rec,
laria_gwyn! It's a really quick and easy read, though it did end a bit abruptly, I thought. So imagine my joy to discover that it actually has not one, but two sequels! Set in regency England, the entire novel is told in letters between two cousins, Kate and Cecelia. There's a fully connected plot that includes magic, intrigue, pretty dresses, evil stepmothers, and even a bit of romance.Because I've been spending so much time eating out (and cleaning/tidying the house for when my mom comes to stay with me), I haven't been watching anything. I haven't seen the latest Merlin ep, and I have yet to start You're Beautiful (recced by
adelagia) or Goong (recced by akscully). For the latter, I had A. rank the hotness of the male lead (because the YB male lead is kind of hideous) in comparison to other male leads from dramas we've enjoyed in the past. FWIW, this was her order of hotness (the most important detail, obviously, when starting any drama):Zhi Shu (It Started with a Kiss)
Yi Jeong (Boys Over Flowers)
Goong male lead (Goong)
Jun Pyo (Boys Over Flowers)
.
.
.
(somewhere way far down)
Tsukasa Domyouji (Hana Yori Dango)
YB male lead (You're Beautiful)
Hotter than Jun Pyo (who is pretty dang hot)?! I'm there! But I do have to wait for the torrent to finish downloading, which according to uTorrent is going to take just under a week. >< I suppose that's better than the 3 weeks it started out as.
