Finally made it in here and to celebrate a special anniversary I ordered the tasting menu... yep, the whole darn thing... plus a drink and some bread ... I'm broke now, but it was well worth it.
So why not 5 stars? Minor things really... Apparently they wait with clearing dishes until everybody is finished with that particular course and then get rather aggressive when you're trying to hold on to your bread... I had to defend it with my life... once they decide you are done, they (a slew of waitstaff) gang up on you and descend on your table like a pack of vultures and grab everything that is not nailed down. I mean I'm glad they work as a team, but geesh... They also come in droves when the food is being served... then you're trying to figure out which one is your food while every waiter is trying to get rid of the dishes they are holding...I'm all for serving things at the same time, but come on now, this is major confusing when dining with a group of people.
I do prefer if they take the dishes as folks are done... we had some guest done and sitting in front of their used empty plates for quite some time, while others still had a long way to go.
The place gets loud... that takes away from the atmosphere... otherwise it would be a great date spot, but conversation can be difficult once the place gets busy.
Plus some orders were wrong... but it was up for by letting us keep what we had and still giving us the missing items. It happens, so I wouldn't deduct a point for just that.
The decor of course is fabulous, as are the silverware, glasses and plates... we are talking serious quality here.
The food:
Started out with the bread for a mere $5... so I really didn't expect much, but was pleasantly surprised. You get a nice little bread basket with a pretzel stick, some baguette type bread and what looks to be naan. Along with that there is a dip that pack a bit of umpf... and then there is the cultured butter that has some herbs in it... that is to die for... delicious... I would roll in it if I could...
Then we moved on to the farm egg in a basket and grow. It is served on one plate. The toast is very buttery and the egg inside done to perfection... The white is solid, the yolk is nice and a thick liquid. The grow salad consisted of various greens and a delectable vinaigrette dressing that was both flavorful but not overpowering. This is typically served with their blue cheese crumbles, which I cannot eat due to allergies, and they substituted feta for me, which perfectly complimented the salad.
Then came my main dish... OMG, visually, taste wise... just all together WOW...
You get a ginormous wood platter with 3 types of meet and your sides on it, along with garnish and sauces. It left us speechless... here's my list:
Spare ribs, filet and lamb chops: The meat so tender, so flavorful, so juicy, so done to perfection. You just cannot go wrong...
Loaded tater tottler: interesting... over-sized tater tot with ketchup and some other sauce on it. Crunchy on the outside, potato-y on the inside... rates only a 'pretty good' in my book
Potato bacon terrine: Now we are talking... thinly sliced potatoes wrapped in bacon... great combination... loved it.
Country ham asparagus: heavenly... stalks of asparagus wrapped in country ham topped with a bit of Hollandaise (I think that's what it was)... delicious and not a stringy stalk among them... just tenderness all around.
For dessert I enjoyed the sugar cream pie, which was delectable, and what I enjoyed most, was that it was served with a caramelized sugar crust, such as a Creme Brulee generally has. And that coffee ice cream perfectly complimented the sweetness of the pie. Personally I was not a huge fan of that candied orange, but my friends thought it was wonderful.
Also managed to get a little taste of the shrimp appetizer and while it only has 3 shrimp in it, the shrimp are quite large and so nicely seasoned and grilled that it is worth it.
Had a taste of the lemon coconut cream cake, that is a huge slice of heaven... interesting taste... I would not have paired coconut with lemon, but it works here.
In short, the food is amazing... a bit over my budget, but worth it, especially if you are celebrating something. read more