Surprise, surprise, I had a Groupon! lol So off to Embers I went. They have some killer specials like Wednesday 1/2 price sushi and Thursday 1/2 all the WHOLE bar menu. I wanted to try a bunch of small plates so I went on a Thursday. I really like Embers but it is a higher price point so I usually save it for special occasions. I went in when they opened at 5 and it was already pretty crowded so I opted for a seat at the bar. The bartender was a little stand offish to me for the first 30 minutes I was there.The fact that I was wearing scrubs and using a Groupon made her act very uppity. But once I ordered quite a bit a food and mentioned the blog and suddenly she was a lot nicer. Even though she gave me a bad taste the management was just great. Two men in suits were making their way to all the patrons asking if everything was good and chatting. I like that! It shows they are really invested in a good experience for their customers.
Since the bar menu was 1/2 off I loaded up with some things to sample and save, then a meal to eat. I started off with the Seared Diver Scallop. You only get one scallop for $10 but its worth it, especially when its 1/2 off. I could order three of these and make it my dinner. It was a perfectly pan seared scallop with a beet puree. The texture of the puree was spot on- smooth and velvety. Then they topped it with apple dices, goat cheese, fried prosciutto and hazelnuts. It was very balanced and super yummy. Seriously get this, you will not be disappointed.
My second small plate was the steak tartar. I hate to knock it, because I think its me. I've had tartar of different meats about 5 times now, and I've yet to enjoy it. Which is odd because I love carpaccio. But I tasted it sans the bread, didn't like it, and didn't save the rest. Its just sooo bland.
But the stuffed avocados!!!! Holy mother of jesus these things were awesome. Its a peeled avocado stuffed with crap, shrimp, masago, scallion, drizzled with a spicy cream sauce and teriyaki. Due to my low carb diet, I just ate the stuffing and a small amount of the avocado. It packed a little heat that balanced out the creaminess of everything else. And just when you thought i was to mushy, you'd get a bite of scallion or shrimp to pull the textures through.
For dinner I got the Colorado filet and a side of caramelized Brussels sprouts. These were both excellent. Exactly what I would expect for the price. A great cut of meat cooked perfectly and some crunchy sweeter sprouts. imageimage
I already had a huge doggy bag, but still had some money on my groupon left to spend so I got the Tempura Sea Bass sushi. Dummy me didn't look at the price and it ended up being an extra $17 for the roll. It was awesome, but I would probably only order it again on 1/2 price sushi night due to the price. Inside the roll was avocado, crab, and salmon. Then it was topped with Sea bass and teriyaki sauce. It was good! A lot of the same components of the stuffed avocados but completely different flavors.
I love Embers, I've never been disappointed there. Its a wonderful, quality restaurant with good food for special occasions. read more