edub's Profile
Food itinerary - thoughts
ellenost, I read your posts extensively before planning our food itinerary to NYC last year. I wish I had had time to write a trip report. I was the most excited about EMP and the most disappointed. We went for lunch, perhaps that was the problem?
Have you had any other more delicious Italian meals in Vegas?
Food itinerary - thoughts
So the highlight of this trip is almost food, but the number one goal is total R&R without kids. To me that's very closely tied in with food -- so I have a somewhat crazy foodie itinerary with lots of possibility for scaling down when sleeping or lounging by pool -- but still don't want to squander a valuable meal to room service.
We like to mix in a lot of authentic ethnic and "low brow" eats with a few splurges -- usually not more than one out-and-out splurge. For the super-splurge I'm thinking Le Cirque and/or Scarpetta. Le Cirque sounds more all-out divine, but on our NYC trip last year we favored Babbo over Eleven Madison Park, for example.
Arrive very late Wednesday -- if we are hungry, thinking about late late dinner at either China Poblano or tacos el gordo. Normally we'd go for the more authentic possibility, but we are from DC and huge Jose A. fans so I'm dying to see this concept. I understand they also have a take-out menu -- will be miss out by not staying in?
Thursday am may be a Bouchon breakfast. I'm really interested in trying poke, per my previous post, and thinking about Hawaiian Style Poke, which looks like it's about a mile off the strip -- could combine with a jog there if not too hot? I'm down with eating it by the pool for a late breakfast if they open at 10am as promised. Lunch is Milos: $20 menu looks great. Does anyone know if the signature dish -- many-layered eggplant and zucchini -- is worth straying off the set menu for? Dinner that night looks like Scarpetta or Sage.
Lunch Friday has got to be Lotus of Siam. Dinner Le Cirque. Saturday brunch Border Grill. Saturday dinner before an 11:30p plane -- Sage? Enough time?
There's still so much on my list I would love to do -- Chinatown dim sum, Raku, the ramen place people rave about, Hash house for fried chicken eggs benedict, sushi samba which is a usual fave ... thoughts? additions? Also, all I've read about even the better buffets like Wicked Spoon leads me to not include them, but I must say I'm entranced by the pictures of the desserts. I'm an absolute fiend for macarons. Any recs for substitutes?
Thanks! Going off to eat my lean fish, spinach and quinoa lunch -- doing my best to look good in a bikini in Vegas while planning to totally bust any weight loss during the trip!
poke
Hello all,
I'm planning a food itinerary in early June and will be sure to have more questions. One concerning poke: are the places to get poke in Chinatown worth a special trip? Hubs and I are big sushi/tartar fans and have never had poke, and don't have anything like this where we live. If so, where would you recommend?
Thanks!
Zoofari?
I'd love to hear what others think. I'm on the fence this year. I've gone twice, both times pregnant, so while I partook of the "all you can eat" aspect with reckless abandon, I've never gotten to enjoy the adult beverages. This year, trying to lose the baby weight and one day send my kids to college, I'm trying to decide if we can justify the cost ($150 for FONZ members, $200 for non -- hannikins, where have you seen lion lounge tickets at $175? That's the "VIP" version -- did it last year, somewhat worth it.)
Oenophiles, any thoughts on these wines and wine providers?
WINE
Between gourmet fare, enjoy wine from local and international vineyards. Featured vintners include:
•Barefoot Wine & Bubbly
•Barrel Oak Winery
•Constellation Wines US
•Dry Creek Vineyard, Left Coast Cellars, Toad Hollow Winery
•Freixenet USA
•J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
•(Oops) Wines, Santos Sangria, Chocolato
•Pearson's Wine and Liquor
•Pedroncelli Winery, Donati Family Vineyards
•Prestige Wine Group
•Terlato Wines International
•The Seeker
•Treasury Wine Estates
•Veritas Vineyard & Winery
•Willowcraft Farm Vineyards
•WJ Deutsch & Sons
On the restaurants, is it just me or is the quality of participants going down? They have Citronelle, Marcel and Restaurant Eve -- don't have Vidalia, and I'm quite sure they participated last year.
sour cherries at farmers markets?
Have I missed the season entirely? Has anyone seen them at a local farmers market or other store? Usually I go pick my own but I'm a little too pregnant this year. Thanks!
homemade tonic
Has anyone made tonic at home? Any recommendations for where to find cinchona bark locally as well as citric acid? Also a great recipe would be appreciated. I got a carbonation device for my husband for father's day and would love to serve him a great G&T that afternoon. Thanks!
last-minute Saturday night reservations
Hello fellow Hounds,
I'm going to be in Montreal this Saturday night, and unexpectedly will have a babysitter, which is a wonderful change from our plans to eat peanut butter sandwiches with our toddler. Of course, I haven't made reservations so I know my chances with L'express or Garde-Manger are slim. Any recommendations for a low-key, easy-to-get Saturday night reservation somewhere near our hotel -- between Peel and McGill stations? I'd love some bistro-type food but we really aren't picky, especially on short notice.
Thanks!
Outdoor brunch recs
i'm looking for a great outdoor brunch place with outdoor seating options, anything sidewalk, patio, garden, or even street side tables with the accordion window/doors that make you feel like you're outside. I'm not willing to sacrifice food for atmosphere (and in that vein, can I even consider the boathouse in ctrl pk?) but on the other hand, have no problem grabbing doughnut plant and sitting outside if I can't find a worthwhile place for a sit-down brunch. Does Public have such outdoor options?
Thanks!
Marea -- lunch or dinner?
Thanks steak -- was your trip a recent one? It sounds lik the prix fixe for lunch is 2 courses not three. Did you get the three courses or did you share with a dining companion? I'm sure two courses is enough food, I'm just wondering if dinner is the better bargain (although $89 is clearly not cheap!)
Marea -- lunch or dinner?
Help please with a decision for an upcoming trip -- should I seek reservations for Marea for lunch or dinner? My must-haves are the lobster burrata aspice, the octopus fusilli, and the affogato. That ends up being $48 for two courses (supplement for lobster) and doesn't include dessert. Husband will probably get a fish or meat secondi so we can share if we do lunch. If we do dinner, we would probably get the dover sole for the main, which we've never had and sounds like a great deal. But the dover sole for lunch has a huge supplement charge. Price is not really the issue here but value is, so appreciate the insights.
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Marea
240 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
Ethiopian delivery in DC
Does anyone know of any Ethiopian places in DC that deliver? I have a craving but also can't usually get out to U st. or 9th St. Thanks!!
Where to buy Quinces in DC?
Is quince season over? Has anyone seen them recently and if so where?
yosaku v. murasaki
Anyone familiar with these two Tenleytown sushi places, practically next door to each other? I know that I've been to both and remember one to be far superior, but it's been a few years and now I can't for the life of me remember. Would be especially good to know if one is frequented by Japanese embassy staff! (I seem to remember that...)
critique my Portland food itinerary for this weekend
Thanks for the advice so far and please keep it coming! You probably know me as well as most people on this board -- eating is a pretty high priority. But I want a meal to be *really* worth it if I design my itinerary around it. I didn't get the sense from other posters that Pho Van was do-or-die, so we will probably keep it as a "maybe" and if we miss it so be it.
Simpatica's menu looks amazing. But they don't have a brunch menu up. I was already torn on brunch at Screendoor -- I'm a sucker for chicken and waffles and have never had sweet potato waffles. On the other hand, I think we wouldn't really browse and enjoy the farmer's market if we were rushing to get to Screendoor by 9am, so that would be a perfectly acceptable alternative. What's brunch like at Simpatica, do they take reservations, and if not must be we there by 9am to get a table? I'm also thinking about whether to do dinner at Simpatica instead of Olea -- presuming we could even get reservations at this point.
One last thing: any place with good mocktails? My sister is expecting and I would love for her to be able to enjoy a fun drink, since from my recollection that was certainly the suckiest thing about pregnancy. I plan to enjoy many drinks and many hours of sleep away from the little one.
Thanks!
critique my Portland food itinerary for this weekend
Weekend is a bit of a misnomer -- we'll be in town all day Friday and Saturday, arriving late-ish on Thursday and leaving early on Sunday. We're on East Coast time so the Thursday night meal might be scrapped.
Thursday night: Biwa
Friday am: quick breakfast -- voodoo donuts?
Friday lunch: food carts -- looking at Chozas and Asian Station
Friday afternoon -- in Pearl District, visit Sahagun and Ten-01 for happy hour
Friday dinner -- Pok pok (a bit distant from our hotel, is it worth it?)
Saturday am: brunch at Screen Door -- if we get there right at 9am can we avoid a wait? We will probably wake up on East Coast time so shouldn't be a problem
post-brunch, walk around Farmers Market
Saturday afternoon -- Silk Pho Van for happy hour if we're downtown (we might be at the Japanese Garden so good to know if it's worthwhile -- we could go instead of Ten 01 on Friday)
Saturday dinner -- reservations at Olea
Sunday early am -- anything worth grabbing at the airport?
Thanks for your hints and advice, Portlanders!
Restaurant Week 2009
Does anyone know if and when this is taking place -- in January as usual, or later/not at all because of the Inauguration?
The Source?
I ate at the Source last night for a special occasion. The food was excellent overall, but I had some real issues with the ambiance and presentation.
We had an 8pm reservation at a table located very close to the stairs, and the noise from the crowded bar spilled over and really modified the mood for us. The hostess graciously moved us to a table near the window, with a nicer view and more privacy, and we were less accosted by the bar noise, but the music for me was a serious flaw for a restaurant that aspires to be top-tier. It wasn't even lounge-y, background music -- we had a little CCR, a little modern pop -- I think it was playing at full volume in the bar but I think you would hear it loud and clear almost anywhere in the restaurant area, and we certainly did. Just very inappropriate and it really hampered my fine-dining experience. I can't imagine for a second having a soundtrack to your meal at Citronelle or Komi, unless its something quiet and classy and unobtrusive.
My husband had a not-sweet and refreshing ginger mojito, and the green bean amuse bouche was just fine. I was really shocked, though, to be given disposable chopsticks. Again, The Source should make up its mind -- does it aspire to compete with haute cuisine, as its prices imply? Or if it's in the homier school, then the prices need to come down. But to me it's just fully inappropriate that an Asian-themed fine restaurant with average entree prices around $45-50 cannot provide its guests with beautiful porcelain, or even plastic, non-disposable chopsticks. It's akin to being given plastic utensils instead of silverware, in my opinion.
The appetizers were very nice -- husband had the ahi tuna cones, which he enjoyed, but more for the quality of the fish than for the cone. I found the crab tasting very tasty, especially the Maryland crab, and both sauces well-crafted, which was imperative to lend a background flavor to the fresh and meaty but relatively neutrally-flavored crab.
The entrees were both delicious, but this was perhaps the most jarring part of the evening: my husband had the kobe short ribs, and I had the lamb chops. Out comes a platter, rather than a plate, with two ENORMOUS chops, a nice serving of pea tendril salad, and, a few minutes later, a separate side dish of hunan eggplant -- an extremely generous serving. (My eggplant, by the way, was obviously just off the stove and scorchingly hot -- I burned my tongue instantly. It would have been nice to have been warned to wait a minute).
My husband, on the other hand, is handed a plate with two concentric circles of sauce, and the server starts dishing out spoonfuls of the short ribs onto the plate. It didn't take that long for her to finish. I'd say he had approximately 6-7oz of food on his plate -- to give perspective, his entire main dish was served in the same sized dish in which my eggplant, one of my two side dishes, was served. Meanwhile, I could club someone in the head with one of my chops. The lamb was tender and perfect, the salad crisp and well dressed, the eggplant meltingly creamy. His ribs were exquisitely spiced. But the inequity of portion size was really problematic, and would be embarrasing in other scenarios -- I basically gave him a full chop to fill him up, and was still full myself, but business associates or first daters or any number of other people dining together who aren't in a position to share portions would find the situation really awkward. Not only would most recipients of the ribs be hungry, but it's really acutely embarrasing to eat a monstrous portion of food when someone else is given such a scanty meal.
We kept talking about it trying to figure out how we could have known -- my husband said that in retrospect, maybe he should have known that a kobe beef dish priced at $37 couldn't be large. But I disagree -- first, short ribs are not an expensive cut of any cow, and so would of course be cheaper than the other kobe offering on the menu, a $62 steak. Second, the kitchen should serve portions that are all in a similar range, that are all sufficient to satisfy a customer with an average appetite, and should then price those portions according to ingredient cost.
Of our two desserts, one was outstanding -- a blueberry cake with blueberry ice cream. I can't claim it was my pick, since the description didn't do it justice, but it was anything but boring. The cake had a unique crispy crust both on top and bottom, and a very tender middle. The depth of blueberry flavor in the ice cream was superb. The contrast of texture and temperature gave a lot of distinctness to the two elements of the dish, in spite of the consistency of flavor. It was really a special dessert.
The banana profiteroles, however, were disappointing. The chocolate sauce was very good (and one of my favorite dessert presentations: warmed chocolate sauce poured over the dessert from a small pitcher to preserve the warmth), and the ice cream good as well. But the profiteroles were dry and stale and tasteless, clearly either store-bought or defrosted or both. I can honestly say that my own homemade profiteroles with ice cream are heads and shoulders above this effort, and I don't charge my guests $10 for 3 extremely petite profiteroles.
Overall, the food was quite outstanding, but I think expense combined with the lack of attention to some basic details -- appropriate music, tableware, and portion size -- will keep us from returning. The atmosphere is modern-spartan and nice -- but the bathroom to which I was directed was semi-appaling -- a single stall bathroom, which I found odd, out of toilet seat covers, toilet seat crooked, and trash cans overflowing. That's a big turnoff if your restaurant serves anything other than burgers and beers. I hope The Source will literally and figuratively clean up its act, so all the accoutrements match the cuisine and the prices.
Next weekend in NO (and Slidell?)
Hi there -- seeking advice on a food and entertainment itinerary for next weekend. We are not super-gourmet types, so will give board favorites like Brigtsen's, Stella, August et al a miss.
Arriving late Friday (11p or later) to our Warehouse district hotel -- if we are peckish, MiLa's bar for a bite? How far is the Delachaise?
Next day, thinking about Cafe du Monde for breakfast or skipping breakfast altogether for an early lunch at Central Market. No real plans that day except bouncing around the Quarter. Would like to do Irene's for dinner -- should we plan on getting there early to avoid the wait? That evening we are thinking about going to the Rock n Bowl to see Kermit Ruffins (would love feedback on whether the trip is worth it) -- are there other dinner choices on the way to or near by the Rock n Bowl?
Sunday we have a brunch reservation at Commander's but we're not wedded to the plan. We might prefer po boys for a more lunch-type place, so please suggest. Alternatively, we were hoping to see a parade, but apparently the only parade next weekend is Krewe of Slidellians in Slidell. Is it worth the trip?? Any good eats in Slidell if we do go there? At a parade, can you buy food on the route, especially King Cake and other "typical" Mardi Gras food? Can we take public transport from NO to Slidell or would we need a car?
Sunday night we'd like to go to Preservation Hall, so thinking about dinner nearby. Thoughts include Cafe Adelaide, Meauxbar Bistro, even Acme, but would appreciate suggestions!
Thanks all!
San Francisco/Napa trip report
Just returned from a delicious and memorable trip. Here were our stops:
Arrived Friday August 31, famished. We dropped our stuff at the hotel and went in search of Yank Sing for first-time dim sum for my husband. We went to the closer, and I suspect smaller, branch on Stevenson St. We walked in and an absolutely adorable waitress asked us if we'd like the house speciality -- soup dumplings. Why yes, we would! They were absolutely scrumptious -- and, I learned when I asked for a menu, $9.50 for 6 dumplings. That pretty much sums up the experience: scrumptiously delicious and excruciatingly expensive. We moderated our food intake significantly and still ended up with a $53 bill before tip. I had been warned of the prices on the board, I must say, and for us it was marginally worthwhile because it was a gentle introduction to dim sum for my unadventurous other. He greatly enjoyed the experience of the carts, was only subjected to one eyefull of chicken feet, and tried a bunch of new tasty treats -- pork buns (great), peking duck in a bun (a new taste for me -- I prefer the thin pancakes that let the chewy richness of the duck shine through -- it gets lost in the doughy sweet bun), a plateful of sauteed chicken, some better than average but not stellar potstickers, and two snow pea shoot dumplings -- two per plate! We must have had something else I am forgetting. We saw lettuce in a cup go by while chowing down, never to be seen again. Overall, a great first-time experience for husband, but we won't go back because it's just prohibitively expensive -- hopefully he'll be willing to try something a little more authentic/cheaper next time.
After traipsing around your beautiful city, we headed for our early dinner reservations at Zuni. I was a little surprised at the service -- we waited a good 10, 12 minutes without a waiter until I flagged one down. Knowing that we needed an hour's head-start for the chicken made us a bit crankier than normal at waiting for the waiter. Redemption was quick with the arrival of appetizers -- I had two types of extraordinary oysters (sorry not to remember which kinds -- one that was creamy and unlike any oyster I've ever had before) and husband had the delicious ricotta gnocci -- second-best gnocci we've ever had, although I am still partial to non-ricotta variety (the ricottas seem to come by their lightness dishonestly -- to be a potato-based gnocci and still light-as-a-feather, yet perfectly al dente -- now that is a commendable achievement!)
We did love the chicken. Brined to the heavens, it was still the most delectable restaurant chicken in our memory. But then again, we almost never order chicken in a restaurant. I do see the point of those who say you can get a really delicious chicken at a Peruvian joint for 1/10th of the price -- but at Zuni, it's about the bread salad and the theater. We had seats overlooking the kitchen prep area and the oven, so we could dream about and salivate over our chicken while waiting. We loved the San Fran-does-French-cafe vibe and didn't find the decor dated. For dessert, we split the yummy espresso granita -- excellent intense flavor. I'd say that this (along with the next night's meal) was one that at least met high expectations, even if it didn't exceed them.
Our plan the next day was to do a few touristy things before hitting Ferry Plaza early. But our few stops turned into a tourist hike from Lombard Street to Coit Tower, and we were too hungry by 11:15am to wait. So when we crossed Levi Plaza and saw the adorable patio and water fountain displays by Il Fornaio, we were suckered into sitting down for brunch. Mistake! I'm really not a stickler for good service, but if you're sitting down for half an hour with no wait staff bringing you water, you'd probably do what I did: get up, help yourself to water from the spigot, and hope that one of the waiters would see and feel embarrassed at guests being forced to serve themselves. The waiter-customer ratio was ridiculously high -- we counted at least five of them going in and out of the patio area, with no more than six occupied tables. But we never saw our waiter between taking our order, leaving us water-less, and bringing our food -- and my plaintive looks towards other waiters went totally ignored. We were starving for the covered bread baskets we saw delivered to our table, so when we did spy a waiter we asked for bread -- and got a standard dinner-service assortment, nothing like what the other brunchers were receiving. Oh well. Food was fine -- I had an omelette, whose best feature was the accompanying polenta square with blue cheese on top -- I've infrequently enjoyed polenta so was pleasantly surprised. Husband had a doughy breakfast stromboli with undercooked potatoes, eggs and sausage. He was so hungry that I had to fill him in on its less than delicious-ness. I also had a good champagne with strawberry puree.
We did stop by Ferry Plaza, but by the time we got there (around 12:30p), it was beyond crowded, and my non-crowd tolerant husband was going nowhere near the farmers' booths. I must say it's the most impressive in sheer number of farmers' for any market I've ever seen, and I will be back (early) on future visits. We snagged a few grapefruits which we gobbled up later -- really tightly sectioned fruit that was super-sweet -- if we had access to those grapefruits regularly, we would scoff at the idea of sprinkling with sugar and eating in any other way than section by sweet section.
We managed to skip lunch and wait on our late reservations at Aziza, and still, in our famished state, knew we couldn't do justice to the extremely reasonably-priced tasting menu. Husband had a bad previous experience at Moroccan restaurant and really dislikes bastilla, which is standard in the tasting, so we stuck with the options menu. I had a lavendar cocktail, which was a treat for the first few ice-cold sips, then got progressively sweeter and less tasty as it warmed up. I started with fava beans in a tomato sauce under a feta topping -- upon reflection, it reminded me much more of a Provencal-style gratinee than something I think of as Moroccan, but it was great -- warm and filling and substantial with honest country savory flavor. My husband had some excellent firm goat cheese with a tomato jam, really tasty -- but to my mind, the Moroccan connection was absent and it was all California. In any case, we enjoyed both starters. I opted for the prawn tagine (I was hankering after the preserved lemons) and husband had lamb chops with a chickpea puree. Both were great; I got my Moroccan fix with a quite traditional tasting tagine and with some delicious couscous (which we had to order separately). It had a thick tomato gravy and I think potatoes in mix, although it only advertised carrots. Lamb was perfectly cooked and with a nice side of cabbage. We split the lemon basil ice cream with crepes after reading great reviews of the dessert on this site, and enjoyed it quite a bit -- the whole meal, again, met expectations (which were very elevated after reading this site) but did not exceed. I would characterize the fusion as a Moroccan-French-California combo, more accurately, although perhaps the French characteristics are considered inherent to Moroccan cuisine.
Skipping over a dismal day of starbucks, local Chinese and wedding buffet food, we hit Napa on Monday. I don't know if it's appropriate to discuss wine tasting on this particular board, so I'll just say quickly where we hit: V.Sattui (no longer free, even if free not worth it), Clos Pegase (really good cabs, amazing sculptures on the grounds), Zahtila (really great zins and cabs in a small, family-farmhouse feeling vineyard up north on Silverado Trail near Calistoga), tour at Schramsberg (probably worth most of the $25 just for the great tour, but *definitely* worth it for the four full glasses of champagne near the end) and Darioussh -- interesting Persian palace in the middle of Napa, overrated if $20/tasting is an indication of their measure of self-worth in wine, the lemony pistachio nuts though were awesome. We never did get to lunch (huge line outside of Taylor's Refresher at 11:30a = no way in hell we were stopping) especially in anticipation of 5pm reservations at Ad Hoc.
This was an extremely memorable, extremely pleasant meal and experience. The decor is like a sleeker Ethan Allen living room, without the poofy furniture. Just the right touch for food that is homey but sophisticated. We had an exquisite salad -- fairly simple, with fresh local lettuce, heirloom tomato variety, thin apple slices and pinenuts, but to our East Coast palates, believing for decades upon decades that we could enjoy lettuce if only it was sufficiently coated with another substance, it was a revelation. Main course was polpette and spaghetti with a variety of fresh green, wax, and other beans in herbs -- I almost abandoned the meatballs completely for the beans. I thought the polpette was a tad salty, but husband adored the crisp crust on a huge mound of meat (3 parts wagyu to 1 part each pork and veal) surrounding a small dab of mozzarella. The pasta itself was even quite tasty. The cheese course -- idiarad (sp?), a smoked Spanish cheese -- was to my mind unnecessary -- even knowing it's a set part of the menu as the third course, it does seem a little incongruous with the hearty, elevated peasant food we were enjoying. We liked it with the honey and almonds more so than plain. The dessert, a Basque cake topped with a few strawberries and with a small pool of bittersweet chocolate sauce, was a triumph. It had muffin shape with a crisp crust that I assumed would be my favorite part, until I reached the meltingly buttered middle. It was really quite perfect without chocolate, and with a cup of Earl Grey, but that's not to say that I didn't try the chocolate combination and found it quite delicious.
The concept is really quite precious -- who other than Thomas Keller could pull it off? Telling diners that no choice would be presented for your hard-earned money ($45 a head added up very quickly to $175 with various drinks) is only for the most adulated of chefs to impose upon the dining masses. And yet the concept yields great benefits for the diner -- huge portions, multiple courses, and quite a low price considering the quality and fame associated with the place -- knowing exactly what each guest is going to eat must significantly cut down on waste and on costs. The wait staff was superb -- really, that rare combination of high compatency and unforced pleasantness. A home run, overall probably the top dining experience of the trip.
Quick breakfast at the concierge suite of the hotel sent us off on an early start in Sonoma -- we traveled far beyond Napa to the Alexander Valley, stopping at said Alexander Vineyard (good solid zins) and Murphy-Goode (we like their liar's dice wine, and husband played a game with the proprieter!). Then we headed to Russian River Valley. We wanted to get a look at the modern buildings of Roshambo, but that property has been purchased by Twomey. Nice wines, we liked the pinot and their merlot is apparently uniquely produced and celebrated (we liked it fine), but the building and the view really are beyond reproach and worth a visit. We went to Hop Kiln, one of our favorites, with really accessible reds and good whites -- they're known for the Thousand Flowers white blend, which husband liked, but I preferred the citrusy lightly sweet gewurtz. Loved the Big Red as well as Rushin' River, and because they're so well-priced we'll hope to stock up for a signature bottle to have at home (but first, finding a DC distributor ... grrrr). We were highly tempted by all the great looking cheeses, the promise of freshly baked bread, and a bottle of Big Red by the duck pond, but we needed a substantial lunch before our late reservations at Redd.
So in Healdsburg we went to the Taqueria el Sombrero. I had carne soft taco, husband had burrito (we had meant to go for burritos in Mission district but circumstances intervened.) Oh. my. god. Without a doubt, the tastiest taco I have ever had. Huge flavor, perfect textures of both meat and tortilla -- the tortillas were really especially great. Husband really enjoyed his burrito, I had a few bites, it was certainly better than average. But I'm still thinking back to the tacos ... and you can't beat the price. A great change of pace from a wine-soaked morning.
It took us a good long while to drive down the valley, so while we had grand aspirations of stopping first at Ravenswood, which we did, followed by a few pinot and champagne tastings in Carneros, Ravenswood ended up being our end of the line. We did like the wines, but tasting fatigue had set in and probably unfairly clouded our palates. I should say that having not paid all day in greater Sonoma valley (except $5 at Twomey, a Napa-based vineyard) we were not too happy to pay $10 for the lower-end wines. The nice pour-guy sneaked us a pour of reserve Zin which was great, and we ended up really enjoying the dessert wine, whose name escapes me, and which is for some reason not on the website.
And so, we ended at Redd. Again, intentions of a tasting menu deserted us -- it really is not for the faint of heart (the one time we did a high-end tasting, with wine, I actually thought I would have to lie down on the sidewalk out of fullness). We both wanted seafood starters and meat mains, so I did a nice Asian-spiced tuna tartar with chunks of avocado and a fruit (apple?) to break up the monotony -- a great touch since tuna tartar can get start to seem mushy after several mouthfuls, without any other texture to contrast. Husband had a sort of ceviche taco salad -- that sounds right but is really perfectly descriptive, with napa cabbage replacing iceberg lettuce and citrusty ceviche chunks instead of chuck -- with dollops of crema and salsa and crunchy tortilla strips. Unusual and satisfying (but I preferred my tartar). I had the duck with cherries, baby turnips and beets and cabbage -- very, very good. But as my husband said, you must like duck to eat duck -- it was really quite a traditional preparation and I enjoyed it. He had a combination of New York strip and short ribs. He loved it, I tried a very flavorful piece of his strip and a good, but slightly dry, piece of short rib. I am biased about short rib because I make a great version with horseradish mashed potato and fresh spinach (from epicurious) and I think it can be done so well at home, that a restaurant really has to be spot-on to improve on it -- and that's why I go to restaurants, for food I can't (or won't) do at home, either because of complexity, time, availability of specialty or regional ingredients or expertise of a cuisine that I don't possess. I also think short rib should be served with a hefty amount of sauce (and I wouldn't hesitate to say a gravy-like sauce), which this wasn't. In retrospect, I'm not sure why we both chose winter dishes, or why our food throughout the trip skewed to hearty comfort food. We had a fantastic Pinot called Green Truck with our mains that ended up being our favorite of the trip.
We split a dessert that was quite lovely -- brioche "profiterole" with decadent rich chocolate ice cream and a few slices of bananas that may have been bruleed -- only complaint was that the brioche was a little dry, leading me to wonder why they didn't use plain old profiteroles, which can be moist and delicious and, you know, profiteroles by definition! Switching up profiteroles and brioche -- just go totally crazy, next time!
Service was lovely and attentive. Room was a bit stark for my tastes and if only I'd known I would have reserved one of the adorable patio tables. Here on the East coast, the only thing crazier than switching profiteroles and brioche is trying to eat outside Labor Day weekend -- nothing romantic about slapping mosquitos off your sweat-drenched flesh while trying to eat special food. But next time (and I would go back) it has to be outside. Do ask for an outdoor table if you reserve.
And there you go, my unwieldy description of a food-tastic weekend. I am interested in your own experiences at these places!
dim sum for beginners/Redd/other
Hello -- My husband and I have a vacation of eating and indulgence planned in SF and Napa, with a brief stop in Palo Alto for a wedding. I love dim sum and would like to go, but he is what I'd call a dim sum "beginner" -- I would like him to have the dim sum experience without some of the uncertainty that can plague it (accidentally eating something unusual could traumatize him, and he is allergic to shellfish). Is our best bet to do a place like Yank Sing that may not be perfectly authentic and that is relatively quite expensive, but that will be very clear about dishes and ingredients? I appreciate any suggestions of dim sum places that would fall in our perameters -- it could be in Palo Alto as well as SF.
We will be in Napa for our anniversary and I've booked at Redd. Would be curious to hear from others if it is worth the price, is it a romantic atmosphere, etc. Again, if there are other restaurants one would recommend, please share -- we are going over Labor Day so getting a table could be an issue. We're more interested in good food and atmosphere than in cutting edge cuisine.
If anyone cares to comment on our food itinerary, here it is:
Day one -- walk to Ferry Building for lunch; dinner reservations at Zuni Cafe
Day two -- either Zushi puzzle or a burrito in the mission for lunch (or both); dinner at Aziza
Day three -- dim sum brunch, wedding dinner
Day four -- dinner at Ad Hoc (do I need reservations?)
Day five -- breakfast at Bouchon, dinner at Redd or other
Thanks for input!
my Philly foodie weekend
Planning a trip to Philly for my birthday weekend in April and I am AMAZED at the leaps and bounds by which the restaurant scene has changed since I went to college here 10 years ago. Please help with advice and further recommendations!
Arriving Fri aftn with a plan to walk around and stop at Reading Term for a pretzel. Considering Alma de Cuba for an appetizer of ceviche if they have a bar? For dinner considering Buddakan -- at first I wasn't planning on doing Asian as we have a fine selection of haute Asian at home, but the reviews make it sound phenomenal.
Saturday morning/lunch will be Italian market. I've seen lots of great recs for Cucina Forte and the husband loves good gnocci -- are they really all that? Does anyone have experience in making reservations for lunch at Cucina Forte as I've read that they do lunch "by request only" -- ??
Saturday dinner, I currently have reservations at Marigold Kitchen, but after reading on the board I'm starting to lean towards Matyson assuming I can get reservations. Comments? I'd also consider Django except I understand they don't take reservations. We want to have at least one meal at a very fine BYO place (what a wonderful concept!)
We'll probably leave Sun afternoon so we're still up in the air for other meals, but would appreciate suggestions for great brunch or Italian places serving lunch. Also considering Mama Palma's for pizza, Mixto for latin, Cuba Libre for "tropical brunch" -- and I have a nostalgic soft spot for White Dog, does it remain as good as it was?
Clearly we have a week's worth of eating currently on the table, so please recommend away!
mofongo in ft. lauderdale and sushi on the intracoastal
I'm wondering if there's anywhere to get mofongo and other puerto rican/cuban cuisine in Ft. Lauderdale? Fell in love with mofongo on a trip to PR last year and wouldn't rule out a boat ride to Miami if the place recommended was really sensational.
I did my due diligence searching before posting and I realize that people don't have much to recommend on the intracoastal -- even so, thought I would double-check if anyone could recommend sushi, or anything else fresh and light, on the intracoastal. We are in Ft.L for the weekend before a cruise and our big dining out experience will be Eduardo de San Angel on Sat. night. Otherwise, we're looking for things we can't get at home or a great dining atmosphere, but won't shell out the big bucks. We might check out Bahia Cabana since it's near our hotel, can anyone recommend?
Restaurant Week 2007
Announced for January 8-14: http://www.washington.org/restaurantwk/
I'm returning to Zola for lunch, which was fantastic last year given a full menu selection of three courses. I snagged dinner reservations at IndeBleu, which I can't afford under normal circumstances, and Oceanaire (ditto), but I've read mixed reviews for both places during RW. Anyone have positive or negative feedback to report?
Has anyone been to RW at Zengo, Kaz, Cafe Atlantico for lunch, or any other sushi place, like Sushi-Ko or Sake Club?
Review/Question about Komi?
We adored the tasting menu and wine pairing at Komi but like you, I didn't find the capretto particularly to my taste -- good, but not for me. My husband had, I believe, the venison with venison moussaka (it's a few weeks ago already) and it was outstanding.
Three of the things we ate that night -- the mascarpone-stuffed date, the mini gyro, and the fresh donuts for dessert -- rank as three of the most delicious, evocative and memorable things I have ever put in my mouth. That meal was hands down the best we've ever had, topped Citronelle and CityZen without question.
Brunch at 14th and U
Even though you'd think it's just a coffee house, Mocha Hut has excellent brunch food -- eggs, waffles, etc. You order, grab a seat and someone will bring you the food. Quite reasonably priced too.
