Every once in a while you have an experience you know you’ll remember forever. Even when you’re in the midst of it, you know it’s one of those life moments and memories you’ll always cherish.
And so it was that we visited Arrows: the flagship restaurant of award winning chefs, Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier, and named 14th in "America's Top 50 Restaurants 2006" by Gourmet Magazine. Their garden and organic farm is cultivated by three full time gardeners and provides up to 90% of the produce the restaurant needs. Their prosciuttos and charcuterie are created on premise, fish of all types are prepared in the onsite smoke house, and breads and pastries are created by a master pastry chef. Cheeses are taken from curd to finished product in the kitchen, and mushrooms, cranberries and fiddle heads are foraged from the surrounding woodlands. Located in a humble country home in the woods near Olgunquit, Maine, this small restaurant changed forever my dining barometer and raised the experience from enjoyable to surreal. Where to begin?
Possibly with the moment we stepped out of the car? We glanced towards the entrance where a chef in full dress whites stood near an open fire, holding a tray of tiny beignets filled with a pumpkin seed aioli. She smiled as we approached, greeted us, and offered us a bite. Naturally, we accepted. As we continued towards the door, the pastry literally melted in our mouths, sparking even higher expectations. This was a reservation made months beforehand and a trip planned for over a year. But however high our expectations rose, they couldn’t reach the lofty experience that had already begun to unfold.
Inside, smartly garbed servers greeted us with such warmth we felt like prodigal children returning to hearth and home. Our coats were lifted away, and we were guided towards a table next to a window where we looked out to see a virtual autumn fairyland. There were windows around the entire restaurant with views of artfully placed pumpkins and gourds of all sizes in a decorative display, which glowed in the white lights draped through the trees that served as their backdrop. The wait staff gently pushed in our chairs for us, draped our napkins on our laps and handed us menus that were poetry to read. All I could think at this point was “I’m not worthy.”
We had arranged to meet two friends for the experience. Both are true foodies with whom we’ve forged enough restaurant experiences to have negotiated complete consensus decision-making on ordering, with blanket expectations that everything would always be shared. The scene was set. We began perusing the menus with nothing short of anticipated lust. But wait…here is a server to offer us tiny, thin breadsticks while we wait. Mmmm. Tasty and fun. Back to the menus…the starters look amazing. We begin the negotiation and settle on four gorgeously described dishes. But wait…here is another server to offer us small pieces of rosemary focaccia and sourdough bread. And our choice of several plates of house-churned butter. We choose the duo of salted and unsalted butters and lovingly adorn our bread selections. The sourdough is soft, chewy and satisfying. The focaccia is airy and delicious with a salty burst that pairs brilliantly with the butter. We chew happily as we continue to consider the entrees. Torn badly between six selections, we can only seem to eliminate one - so we agree that it’s not too over-the-top for four people to order five entrees. Is it? Decisions made.
The servers appear as if they knew it was exactly the right moment. We place our order as they nod approvingly and refill our drinks. The setting is intimate, quiet, but a buzz of excitement extends beyond our table. This is theatre. This is the way we imagined life as a Hollywood star or international spy. We have arrived beyond our wildest expectations. And we’ve yet to taste our first appetizer. But that is about to change.
Imagine a parsnip “crème brûlée” with garden greens, cider vinegar, pumpkin seed oil and toasted five-seed bread. Unlikely, unprecedented and the favorite starter at our table, it delivered on taste, texture and beautiful presentation. The savory brûlée was delicate but bold at the same time. Our next appetizer was grilled banana leaf wrapped halibut with a candied lemon dipping sauce; chilled calamari salad with garden shiso; and a prawn with Thai green curry and preserved rhubarb. The platter was complex, the flavors running the gamut, with each bite waking up taste buds that had been sleeping for years. The prawn was extraordinary, and we agreed that we could have eaten dozens.
Our Maine shrimp parfait with mango, avocado, garden radish in a lime-vanilla bean vinaigrette was presented in a tall champagne flute and looked amazing. The vanilla was a tasty and provocative foil for the salad. The only complaint we had was that it was somewhat difficult to access all of the layered components in the dish in order to share it equitably. Our final starter was seared foie gras with puff pastry, fresh mango, pomegranate and a rich stock sauce with garden “golden frills” salad. Forget what I said about the crème brûlée; much as we enjoyed that, THIS was our favorite appetizer. The decadent fois gras, the buttery pastry, the combination of fruit and stock as sauce was literally a fantastic mouthful. Ever. We couldn’t stop exclaiming about it.
Our servers presented each dish with a flourish and detailed description of the elements and, in many cases, where the ingredients originated. Often, the ingredients came from the Arrows gardens or bee hives. By this point in the meal we began assuming that they designed their own plates and smelted the silverware. Did I mention the silverware? Each course, each dish, came with the perfect accompanying tools. Four beautiful silver sets of chopsticks were carefully set up at each of our places so we could enjoy the Thai halibut and prawn dish.
Because our five entrees could not fit on our table, the staff suggested that they split one and serve it first, with the intention of bringing the remaining four afterwards. Sounded wonderful to us. We were already dazed and euphoric and would have agreed to anything as long as they continued to feed us.
The first entrée that arrived was the Duo of chicken. The plate included a pan roasted breast with caramelized butternut squash and agnolotti with crab apple brown butter. It also contained a smoked crepinette with apple mustard and wild rice broth with parsnip, potato, carrot, celery, leeks and puffed rice. Presented in four brûlée dishes, the air-dried, organic chicken (from Jersey our servers explained) was so tender and tasty it bore little resemblance to what we call chicken today. The wild rice broth with tiny vegetables was so flavorful I literally raised my dish to slurp up every single drop. The little pasta agnolotti with crab apple butter added the perfect sweet/savory addition. Each mouthful was better than the last.
Next we enjoyed several complex platters. If I say we had duck, beef, scallops and lobster, it is an injustice to the artists who conceptualized, prepared and designed each of the brilliant platters. The beef platter included grilled tenderloin with a clove-hollandaise sauce. Savory, tender, and full of flavor, the tenderloin was remarkable. The braised beef short ribs with black pepper, cinnamon, ginger and red wine sauce was deep, glazed and rich. A veal meatball tartlet with gnocchi and a sweet custard was a tiny world unto itself. The pastry was flaky, the meatball light but savory, and the gnocchi a tiny soft dumpling with the slightly sweet custard. It all came together to create a complex mouthful that pleased on every level.
The “whole quack” platter also had three preparations. A confit leg was meltingly tender and tasty, the cedar wood-charred breast with dragon well tea and fermented black beans had a deep, smoky flavor which surprised the palate. As I ate each bite, the flavors came in quick succession – the sweetness of the duck, the dusky cedar taste, the fermented black beans. The smoked breast was another of our growing list of favorite dishes. The platter also included seared fois gras with garden radish and an orange chili vinaigrette. While we enjoyed it, the starter fois gras remained our preference.
Our two seafood dishes were lobster and scallops. The lobster was served with an anise-olive oil emulsion and Jewish fennel (grown in their garden of course!). The roasted tail came with sweet breads, soy beans, and spaetzle. It was all lovely and delicious but didn’t stun us the way the other dishes had. We agreed that anything done with lobster beyond steaming was gilding the lily and probably unnecessary.
Our final dish was seared scallops with crispy foie gras potatoes, red and yellow beet salad, crispy pancetta, King oyster mushroom tempura and a chervil vinaigrette. The tiny cubed beet salad was the perfect counterpoint to the rich elements of the dish – all of which were thoroughly enjoyable. The star of the platter was the foie gras potatoes, savory cups designed to hold the scallops that stood up and announced themselves as a custardy confection deserving of attention and applause all on their own. I can’t compare them to anything because I’ve never tasted anything like it before. As with so many various dishes…they defied description, and quite frankly were unparalleled.
Dessert was created by Chef Karina Gowing, and she has every reason to be proud. We chose the Heirloom Apple strudel (with apples and pears, poached cranberries and pecan cake, star anise ice cream and hot mulled cider). Our server explained to us how to pour the small decanter of cider over the other elements. One of our group who is a strudel lover couldn’t stop exclaiming over how much he was enjoying it. I’m not a strudel person, but I figured since he had agreed to order the chocolate fondue to indulge my craving, I’d support his strudel habit. The fondue, by the way, was a deep pool of dark chocolate with exquisite tiny bits of fruit and pastry for dipping. I particularly enjoyed the Madeline’s and tea cakes, but the raspberries, slices of Asian apples, and blackberries were also spectacular. I could have dipped all night.
We also ordered a blackberry tart and chocolate honey bento box. The tart was fresh blackberries on a goat cheese crust with a merlot drop. It was fresh and lovely, but the winner on that platter was the accompanying lemon basil ice cream. The new trend towards savory and unexpected ice cream flavors often results in heavy handed intensity that hits you over the head. Not so with Arrows. The lemon and basil flavors were gentle, fragrant, mild and refreshing. It was the star of the dessert table as far as I’m concerned. Our final dessert was the bento box. Presented as a layered series of boxes that fit together, the staff explained that it contained three separate offerings. First a bittersweet chocolate and honey terrine (their own family apiary of course!), a golden pyramid with orange mint and pomegranate seeds, and a honey buttermilk panna cotta on a chocolate snap cookie. I was preoccupied with bathing everything that wasn’t nailed down in the chocolate fondue but took a brief break to taste the chocolate pyramid with the pomegranate seeds. The snap and burst of the seeds along with the chocolate was like fireworks – it worked so beautifully I plan to pair the two whenever humanly possible.
I can’t adequately describe how we felt when exiting. Escorted to the door, coats draped around our shoulders, we were offered a final peanut buttery chocolate confection as we exited. With that final flavor melting on our tongues, we walked outside into the autumn fairyland and stood grinning at each other, drinking in the moment. Thank you, Arrows, thank you Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier. From the bottom of my heart. I will never, ever forget that night.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Mystery Plate of the Month!
Remember this mystery plate first posted in July? Read the next entry for mystery solved . . . !
MYSTERY SOLVED!
For those of you who have been wondering where this white plate originated, wonder no more…it’s time for the great reveal! The restaurant is - drumroll please - the Restaurant at Hickory Ridge Golf and Country Club.
It seems that every Wednesday evening they offer a 2 for 1 dinner special. So one Wednesday evening, we drove over to check it out. We wandered around a bit before being directed to the right place - down a hallway, past a bathroom, through a corridor and then a rather imposing door with no sign. But when we opened the door, the restaurant was revealed. At first glance it looked like a typical sports bar, but the clientele told a different story. Exclusively seniors as far as the eye could see. We were ushered to our table, given menus and told about the Wednesday special. It allows a choice of soup or salad (we chose one of each and shared as usual) and a selection of half a dozen entrees. We selected the oven baked fish with crumb topping (pictured) and the roast pork loin. Both came with mashed potatoes and corn. The pork was also accompanied by stuffing and gravy. The wait staff were friendly and efficient, the restaurant itself was quiet, clean and comfortable, and we had a nice window view. Almost immediately, the soup and salad arrived. In fact, the whole dinner was served so quickly we speculated they were quickly zapping prepared plates in the microwave. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
So back to the food. The soup was beef barley, and the only reason we wondered if it hadn’t come out of a can is that it was SO salty that we couldn’t imagine it would get past quality control. I say this knowing that canned soups are generally some of the saltiest products on the planet. The salad was modest, but fresh and respectable. Unfortunately, it was accompanied by a mediocre bottled salad dressing. A small basket with two rolls appeared, and though they looked and tasted like bagged rolls from a supermarket, they were warm. Call me shallow, but a warm roll goes a long way towards making me happy. And that’s the ironic thing - salty soup, mediocre salad dressing, but we were still feeling kind of comfortable and pleased. Perhaps it was because the whole experience felt a little like we were visiting an elderly aunt’s home or grandma’s house (if grandma was not a very good cook). When we got our first glimpse of the entrees (delivered mere moments later), it was like we’d time traveled back to the 50’s – and not in a really good way. The fish was clearly a frozen filet which probably came covered with the crumb topping. It tasted fishy and rather unpleasant. The pork tasted like it was one of those pork rolls from the freezer section, artificially shaped in circular slices. It wasn’t bad tasting, just reminiscent of school cafeteria food. The potatoes were okay, but the stuffing tasted like leftover boxed stove top that had stored a bit too long, and the gravy was gluey and bland. Interestingly, the corn was clearly fresh off the cob. That was a nice surprise! The pale yellow was also the only touch of color on either of our plates.
The entire bill including tip came to 20 bucks, not much more than we’d pay for sandwiches, chips and drinks at Subway. Okay, it wasn’t gourmet…actually, it wasn’t very good at all. But the retro atmosphere was kind of soothing in a strange kind of way, the service was friendly, and we were in and out of the restaurant in 27 minutes. If you think of it as a blast from the past amusement park ride complete with snacks, maybe you’ll enjoy it too!
It seems that every Wednesday evening they offer a 2 for 1 dinner special. So one Wednesday evening, we drove over to check it out. We wandered around a bit before being directed to the right place - down a hallway, past a bathroom, through a corridor and then a rather imposing door with no sign. But when we opened the door, the restaurant was revealed. At first glance it looked like a typical sports bar, but the clientele told a different story. Exclusively seniors as far as the eye could see. We were ushered to our table, given menus and told about the Wednesday special. It allows a choice of soup or salad (we chose one of each and shared as usual) and a selection of half a dozen entrees. We selected the oven baked fish with crumb topping (pictured) and the roast pork loin. Both came with mashed potatoes and corn. The pork was also accompanied by stuffing and gravy. The wait staff were friendly and efficient, the restaurant itself was quiet, clean and comfortable, and we had a nice window view. Almost immediately, the soup and salad arrived. In fact, the whole dinner was served so quickly we speculated they were quickly zapping prepared plates in the microwave. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
So back to the food. The soup was beef barley, and the only reason we wondered if it hadn’t come out of a can is that it was SO salty that we couldn’t imagine it would get past quality control. I say this knowing that canned soups are generally some of the saltiest products on the planet. The salad was modest, but fresh and respectable. Unfortunately, it was accompanied by a mediocre bottled salad dressing. A small basket with two rolls appeared, and though they looked and tasted like bagged rolls from a supermarket, they were warm. Call me shallow, but a warm roll goes a long way towards making me happy. And that’s the ironic thing - salty soup, mediocre salad dressing, but we were still feeling kind of comfortable and pleased. Perhaps it was because the whole experience felt a little like we were visiting an elderly aunt’s home or grandma’s house (if grandma was not a very good cook). When we got our first glimpse of the entrees (delivered mere moments later), it was like we’d time traveled back to the 50’s – and not in a really good way. The fish was clearly a frozen filet which probably came covered with the crumb topping. It tasted fishy and rather unpleasant. The pork tasted like it was one of those pork rolls from the freezer section, artificially shaped in circular slices. It wasn’t bad tasting, just reminiscent of school cafeteria food. The potatoes were okay, but the stuffing tasted like leftover boxed stove top that had stored a bit too long, and the gravy was gluey and bland. Interestingly, the corn was clearly fresh off the cob. That was a nice surprise! The pale yellow was also the only touch of color on either of our plates.
The entire bill including tip came to 20 bucks, not much more than we’d pay for sandwiches, chips and drinks at Subway. Okay, it wasn’t gourmet…actually, it wasn’t very good at all. But the retro atmosphere was kind of soothing in a strange kind of way, the service was friendly, and we were in and out of the restaurant in 27 minutes. If you think of it as a blast from the past amusement park ride complete with snacks, maybe you’ll enjoy it too!
The Night Kitchen
We heard the sound of rushing water as we walked towards the patio and outdoor dining section of the Night Kitchen. Choosing the inside space rather than eat with the mosquitoes, we were greeted by a hostess who checked the reservations list, smiled up at us, and said “you’re booked at the best table in the restaurant!”
An auspicious beginning. Our table was tucked in the far corner and surrounded on two sides by large windows and a thrilling view of the rushing water falls and lush green landscape around it. An interesting building. We sat next to the remnant of a mysterious pile of machine parts and theorized about what it might have been. But not for long - we quickly had elegant menus presented to us, and we began to read the intriguing sounding options.
We began with a shrimp sauté with sweet corn timbale, guacamole and cilantro oil. The dish was enormous. About six or eight shrimp were lavishly covered with a rich tomato based sauce which was just the right amount of sweet and spicy and rich and delicious. There was a gargantuan portion of sauce ladled on top, and I suffered from leaving it there because it tasted so darn good. I used one of the pita chips from the complimentary basket to scoop up about a quarter of the mouthwatering sauce, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but the chip was hard and unpleasant. To continue the over-the-top theme, there must have been a third of a cup of guacamole spooned around the dish. We forced ourselves to stop eating it because finishing it would have undermined the rest of the meal. Isn’t an appetizer supposed to be an appetite teaser? This dish wasn’t teasing, it was dead serious. Our second appetizer was the pulled braised duck in hazelnut crepes with wilted frisee and orange chutney. The combination of the slightly bitter citrus with the flavorful and soft crepes stuffed with rich duck inside was unusual and tasty. Although the description didn’t state it, there was a creamy sauce of some kind inside the crepe that added to the rich buttery flavor of the dish. Again, however, it was a large, rich and very heavy dish. Granted, we chose the two appetizers, but the size and composition of both was more appropriate for a winter meal than one in the middle of August.
Our salad choice was grilled hearts of romaine with a lemon, anchovy and buttermilk dressing. It was so overwhelmingly garlicky that as soon as we tasted it we immediately pushed it away. Salad should be crispy and fresh tasting with dressing that teases the taste buds while letting the greens shine through. We didn’t taste greens, lemon, anchovy or buttermilk - just garlic. This was a dish only Emeril could love.
Our first entree included the grilled pork chop with orange-chipotle barbecue sauce, tempura battered onion rings, buttermilk mashed potatoes and a mix of sautéed fresh vegetables. The pork chop was slightly dry, but the sauce was pleasant. Nothing extraordinary, just pleasant. The onion rings weren’t particularly appealing or crispy, and the mashed potatoes were okay, but kind of drowned by the chop, veggies, potato and onion rings. Are you getting the picture? This was a huge plate of food! The vegetables were made by the same person who grilled the salad because the garlic taste was so intense it was as though it was a dish of sautéed garlic - any vegetable flavor had been sought out, dominated and destroyed.
Our second entrée was one of the specials that night. Sautéed scallops over fresh spinach with a creamy sauce. Scallops done right are sweet, tender bites and sautéed they come into their own with buttery crispy bits on the browned surface. These were not browned…just cooked. The flavor was bland - although there was a strong backdrop of garlic (surprise!) which didn’t add anything to the overall experience. It may have been the first time I’ve ever left scallops uneaten on the plate. It wasn’t bad…just not very good.
All in all, the appetizers were the best part of the meal. And by the time we finished what we wanted from our entrees, both of us just wanted to leave and get the garlic taste out of our mouths. Uncharacteristically, we didn’t even stay for dessert.
The location was lovely, the table and view pretty, servers friendly, menu impressive and yet… I don’t see us going back again. We had been there once before a while ago. I recall ordering a steak dish and it coming with such an overpowering rosemary flavor that the dish should have been called rosemary flavored with beef. A pattern? Hard to say, but in my humble opinion the head chef needs to spend a little time in spice rehab, and learn to use seasonings to bring out the natural flavor of food. That way we can be dazzled with bold and BALANCED flavors.
I’ve heard many people rave about the Night Kitchen, so it’s entirely possible that we ordered the “wrong” dishes or were there on the “wrong night” (twice), but in my opinion, the food doesn’t live up to the hype nor warrant the prices being charged.
An auspicious beginning. Our table was tucked in the far corner and surrounded on two sides by large windows and a thrilling view of the rushing water falls and lush green landscape around it. An interesting building. We sat next to the remnant of a mysterious pile of machine parts and theorized about what it might have been. But not for long - we quickly had elegant menus presented to us, and we began to read the intriguing sounding options.
We began with a shrimp sauté with sweet corn timbale, guacamole and cilantro oil. The dish was enormous. About six or eight shrimp were lavishly covered with a rich tomato based sauce which was just the right amount of sweet and spicy and rich and delicious. There was a gargantuan portion of sauce ladled on top, and I suffered from leaving it there because it tasted so darn good. I used one of the pita chips from the complimentary basket to scoop up about a quarter of the mouthwatering sauce, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but the chip was hard and unpleasant. To continue the over-the-top theme, there must have been a third of a cup of guacamole spooned around the dish. We forced ourselves to stop eating it because finishing it would have undermined the rest of the meal. Isn’t an appetizer supposed to be an appetite teaser? This dish wasn’t teasing, it was dead serious. Our second appetizer was the pulled braised duck in hazelnut crepes with wilted frisee and orange chutney. The combination of the slightly bitter citrus with the flavorful and soft crepes stuffed with rich duck inside was unusual and tasty. Although the description didn’t state it, there was a creamy sauce of some kind inside the crepe that added to the rich buttery flavor of the dish. Again, however, it was a large, rich and very heavy dish. Granted, we chose the two appetizers, but the size and composition of both was more appropriate for a winter meal than one in the middle of August.
Our salad choice was grilled hearts of romaine with a lemon, anchovy and buttermilk dressing. It was so overwhelmingly garlicky that as soon as we tasted it we immediately pushed it away. Salad should be crispy and fresh tasting with dressing that teases the taste buds while letting the greens shine through. We didn’t taste greens, lemon, anchovy or buttermilk - just garlic. This was a dish only Emeril could love.
Our first entree included the grilled pork chop with orange-chipotle barbecue sauce, tempura battered onion rings, buttermilk mashed potatoes and a mix of sautéed fresh vegetables. The pork chop was slightly dry, but the sauce was pleasant. Nothing extraordinary, just pleasant. The onion rings weren’t particularly appealing or crispy, and the mashed potatoes were okay, but kind of drowned by the chop, veggies, potato and onion rings. Are you getting the picture? This was a huge plate of food! The vegetables were made by the same person who grilled the salad because the garlic taste was so intense it was as though it was a dish of sautéed garlic - any vegetable flavor had been sought out, dominated and destroyed.
Our second entrée was one of the specials that night. Sautéed scallops over fresh spinach with a creamy sauce. Scallops done right are sweet, tender bites and sautéed they come into their own with buttery crispy bits on the browned surface. These were not browned…just cooked. The flavor was bland - although there was a strong backdrop of garlic (surprise!) which didn’t add anything to the overall experience. It may have been the first time I’ve ever left scallops uneaten on the plate. It wasn’t bad…just not very good.
All in all, the appetizers were the best part of the meal. And by the time we finished what we wanted from our entrees, both of us just wanted to leave and get the garlic taste out of our mouths. Uncharacteristically, we didn’t even stay for dessert.
The location was lovely, the table and view pretty, servers friendly, menu impressive and yet… I don’t see us going back again. We had been there once before a while ago. I recall ordering a steak dish and it coming with such an overpowering rosemary flavor that the dish should have been called rosemary flavored with beef. A pattern? Hard to say, but in my humble opinion the head chef needs to spend a little time in spice rehab, and learn to use seasonings to bring out the natural flavor of food. That way we can be dazzled with bold and BALANCED flavors.
I’ve heard many people rave about the Night Kitchen, so it’s entirely possible that we ordered the “wrong” dishes or were there on the “wrong night” (twice), but in my opinion, the food doesn’t live up to the hype nor warrant the prices being charged.
Bistro Les Gras
Bistro Les Gras has a soothing, comfortable look inside. Small, but not crowded, the feeling is intimate and gracious. The menu describes “hot” and “cold” starters, main plates and a few side dishes or “garnitures.”
The day we visited, we began with a hot starter, a pumpkin velouté soup with brown sugar croutons and sage oil. It was absolutely delicious and the essence of autumn in New England. Eyes closed, it wasn’t immediately identifiable as pumpkin as much as a mix of autumn root vegetables in a creamy, smooth, full-flavored experience. We were able to identify the pumpkin taste, along with carrot, and leek, and what we thought was a chicken base, and we relished every single spoonful. The Flan de Patate Douce - aka a savory sweet potato custard with a maple glazed ham crisp - was a cold starter. The flan tasted like a smoothly blended sweet potato but was a bit disappointing when it came to flavor punch. The ham crisp was delicious, and there was a tiny mix of baby greens in a wonderfully flavored citrus vinaigrette - but once the toppings were gone, the flan itself was too bland to really enjoy. On the other hand, next trip I will absolutely try one of their salads, because that fleeting taste of lemony dressing was something special.
Our third starter was sautéed mushrooms on toast with a poached egg. The toast was delightfully crisp and buttery, and the mushrooms were succulent and had a zing of sherry that added the perfect touch to the dish. The poached egg was cooked perfectly and when broken open, flowed in a golden river over the mushrooms and toast, adding a velvety texture and combining well with the other elements of the dish. Unfortunately, the poached egg was cold, which took away slightly from the overall experience. Given the surprising speed with which our three starters were delivered, I have to imagine that the eggs were pre-poached and standing by. I have no problem with that, especially when they are so well cooked – but warming is essential since the cool temperature jarred with the warm mushrooms and toasty brioche. Still, I’d recommend the dish and order it again with pleasure.
For dinner we chose the braised pork belly over flageolet beans with an apple relish, and a roasted half chicken over pommes purée with sauce chasseur. The pork belly dish was comfort food at its most extreme. In other words, it was not a light dish! The pork was meltingly tender, accompanied by savory beans, and the tart bit of apple added a refreshing zing to each bite. The only complaint we had was the look of the dish. Pork belly is unapologetically full of fat. But even when braised, it needs to look appealing to the eye, and instead of a browned or crispy top, it was presented with a grayish white layer of fat on top. Now mind you, we polished off every bite, but it wasn’t the most visually appealing dish. Particularly since the beans were also a grayish white and the apple relish almost invisible.
Our second entrée was the half chicken over mashed potato…excuse me “pommes purée,” with sauce chasseur - a sauté of tomatoes, onions and mushrooms. The half chicken was the tiniest half chicken I’ve ever seen – more like a game hen thigh and leg with a tiny piece of white meat attached. I don’t need a half chicken for an entrée, and the portion size was fine for a multi-course meal, but the description was misleading to say the least. It was served on a very large portion of potato, which was too loose and kind of blended with the enormous portion of sauce that filled the plate like a huge bowl of soup. The sauce was delicious but too much and too greasy, the potatoes were too much and too loose, and the chicken was unfortunately quite tough. Would I order it again? No. And I’d be leery of any chicken dish after the experience.
Now you’re wondering how two of us managed to polish off such a heavy meal, right? And I haven’t yet mentioned the side dish we couldn’t resist. Their pommes frites seem to be a consistent dish in an ever changing menu, and the wait person agreed that it was worth trying! So we did - and absolutely didn’t regret it. They were simply the best fries we’ve had in many, many years. Thin, with a tender center and crispy outside, and completely addictive, they were accompanied by a delicious house-made aioli.
And yes, of course we ordered dessert. After all, I felt we had a duty to report to you about the full Bistro Les Gras experience, so we took a deep breath and chose the sweet pumpkin mousse served with a sage tuile, and their daily selection of assorted confections and cookies. As I write this, I am transported back to the heady experience that was their mousse. Each silky smooth, sweet, pumpkin flavored spoonful was like manna from heaven. Better. Like what manna aspires to be. The only thing even more remarkable than the mousse was the ridiculously delicious sage cookie that accompanied it. Subtle, buttery, slightly chewy but still melt-in-your-mouth soft, the flavor was indescribable, unique and one of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten.
But the confection and cookie platter held a few more surprises for us. The homemade tiny éclairs were ethereal but satisfying, full of delicious vanilla custard and draped in deep, dark chocolate. The plate contained three other types of cookies - two of which were fine, but unremarkable. However, there were three itsy bitsy Madeline’s which once again, nearly defy description. Each tiny pillow popped in our mouths literally exploded with a bright, lemon flavor that was so unexpected and so delightful, it made us giggle. After we each ate one, I eyed my wife and wondered just how much she loved me. She nodded with a smile, and I popped the final one in my mouth, moaning with contentment and feeling loved inside and out.
So how to sum up the experience? We’ll definitely go back. The dishes were clearly uneven, but there were several which were so delicious, so flavorful, so unexpected, that we are eagerly anticipating our next trip. One of the exciting aspects of this new restaurant is that they change their entire menu every single month. That says a great deal about the passion and commitment of the owners and chefs and makes every visit a new adventure…a foodie’s dream. I’d love to hear what any of you thought. And if this review makes you consider the trip, take my advice - whatever else you order, don’t skip the pommes frites…and don’t miss dessert!
The day we visited, we began with a hot starter, a pumpkin velouté soup with brown sugar croutons and sage oil. It was absolutely delicious and the essence of autumn in New England. Eyes closed, it wasn’t immediately identifiable as pumpkin as much as a mix of autumn root vegetables in a creamy, smooth, full-flavored experience. We were able to identify the pumpkin taste, along with carrot, and leek, and what we thought was a chicken base, and we relished every single spoonful. The Flan de Patate Douce - aka a savory sweet potato custard with a maple glazed ham crisp - was a cold starter. The flan tasted like a smoothly blended sweet potato but was a bit disappointing when it came to flavor punch. The ham crisp was delicious, and there was a tiny mix of baby greens in a wonderfully flavored citrus vinaigrette - but once the toppings were gone, the flan itself was too bland to really enjoy. On the other hand, next trip I will absolutely try one of their salads, because that fleeting taste of lemony dressing was something special.
Our third starter was sautéed mushrooms on toast with a poached egg. The toast was delightfully crisp and buttery, and the mushrooms were succulent and had a zing of sherry that added the perfect touch to the dish. The poached egg was cooked perfectly and when broken open, flowed in a golden river over the mushrooms and toast, adding a velvety texture and combining well with the other elements of the dish. Unfortunately, the poached egg was cold, which took away slightly from the overall experience. Given the surprising speed with which our three starters were delivered, I have to imagine that the eggs were pre-poached and standing by. I have no problem with that, especially when they are so well cooked – but warming is essential since the cool temperature jarred with the warm mushrooms and toasty brioche. Still, I’d recommend the dish and order it again with pleasure.
For dinner we chose the braised pork belly over flageolet beans with an apple relish, and a roasted half chicken over pommes purée with sauce chasseur. The pork belly dish was comfort food at its most extreme. In other words, it was not a light dish! The pork was meltingly tender, accompanied by savory beans, and the tart bit of apple added a refreshing zing to each bite. The only complaint we had was the look of the dish. Pork belly is unapologetically full of fat. But even when braised, it needs to look appealing to the eye, and instead of a browned or crispy top, it was presented with a grayish white layer of fat on top. Now mind you, we polished off every bite, but it wasn’t the most visually appealing dish. Particularly since the beans were also a grayish white and the apple relish almost invisible.
Our second entrée was the half chicken over mashed potato…excuse me “pommes purée,” with sauce chasseur - a sauté of tomatoes, onions and mushrooms. The half chicken was the tiniest half chicken I’ve ever seen – more like a game hen thigh and leg with a tiny piece of white meat attached. I don’t need a half chicken for an entrée, and the portion size was fine for a multi-course meal, but the description was misleading to say the least. It was served on a very large portion of potato, which was too loose and kind of blended with the enormous portion of sauce that filled the plate like a huge bowl of soup. The sauce was delicious but too much and too greasy, the potatoes were too much and too loose, and the chicken was unfortunately quite tough. Would I order it again? No. And I’d be leery of any chicken dish after the experience.
Now you’re wondering how two of us managed to polish off such a heavy meal, right? And I haven’t yet mentioned the side dish we couldn’t resist. Their pommes frites seem to be a consistent dish in an ever changing menu, and the wait person agreed that it was worth trying! So we did - and absolutely didn’t regret it. They were simply the best fries we’ve had in many, many years. Thin, with a tender center and crispy outside, and completely addictive, they were accompanied by a delicious house-made aioli.
And yes, of course we ordered dessert. After all, I felt we had a duty to report to you about the full Bistro Les Gras experience, so we took a deep breath and chose the sweet pumpkin mousse served with a sage tuile, and their daily selection of assorted confections and cookies. As I write this, I am transported back to the heady experience that was their mousse. Each silky smooth, sweet, pumpkin flavored spoonful was like manna from heaven. Better. Like what manna aspires to be. The only thing even more remarkable than the mousse was the ridiculously delicious sage cookie that accompanied it. Subtle, buttery, slightly chewy but still melt-in-your-mouth soft, the flavor was indescribable, unique and one of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten.
But the confection and cookie platter held a few more surprises for us. The homemade tiny éclairs were ethereal but satisfying, full of delicious vanilla custard and draped in deep, dark chocolate. The plate contained three other types of cookies - two of which were fine, but unremarkable. However, there were three itsy bitsy Madeline’s which once again, nearly defy description. Each tiny pillow popped in our mouths literally exploded with a bright, lemon flavor that was so unexpected and so delightful, it made us giggle. After we each ate one, I eyed my wife and wondered just how much she loved me. She nodded with a smile, and I popped the final one in my mouth, moaning with contentment and feeling loved inside and out.
So how to sum up the experience? We’ll definitely go back. The dishes were clearly uneven, but there were several which were so delicious, so flavorful, so unexpected, that we are eagerly anticipating our next trip. One of the exciting aspects of this new restaurant is that they change their entire menu every single month. That says a great deal about the passion and commitment of the owners and chefs and makes every visit a new adventure…a foodie’s dream. I’d love to hear what any of you thought. And if this review makes you consider the trip, take my advice - whatever else you order, don’t skip the pommes frites…and don’t miss dessert!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Mystery Plate of the Month!
Can you tell where this dinner plate of food came from?
Write in your thoughts and reactions please!
(For the answer, see "Mystery Solved" posted in November 2008.
Write in your thoughts and reactions please!
(For the answer, see "Mystery Solved" posted in November 2008.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Chef Wayne's Big Mamou - Williamsburg Style
We were ravenous when we entered the Big Mamou restaurant in
The place looked great.
We ordered two lunch specials and a sandwich from the regular menu. The sandwich was a fried eggplant po’boy with roasted tomato, peppers, artichoke hearts and cheese. It was a flavorful combination and large enough to satisfy a hungry trucker. It came with jambalaya rice. The fluffy yellow rice was smothered with a creamy, rich gravy that was unlike anything I’ve ever eaten, and I will confess I had no idea what was in it. I suspected a chicken base, but beyond that I could only detect tiny bits of celery and possibly some corn? It was recognizable as universal, soothing comfort food, yet full of strange and sparky flavor at the same time. My wife theorized that it was what Rice-A-Roni fantasizes being when it grows up. I don’t know about that, all I know is that I couldn’t get enough.
Fortunately, one of the lunch specials had the same jambalaya rice, and I polished off that portion as well. This second plate also was heaped with the best pulled pork I’ve ever eaten. Spicy but not overly hot, rich and tender chunks of pork, and smoky and barbecued in just the right balance. Honestly, you could taste the love. I haven’t been a real fan of pulled pork in the past because it is typically dominated by smoke flavor. But this dish was like a ferris wheel of flavor in my mouth – first a happy shock of sweetness, followed by a full-bodied and rich tomato essence, blending with the little mounds and morsels of succulent pork, rounded out with a spicy smokiness that left a warm glow in my mouth. It was magnificent. The third dish (yes, we ordered three entrees for lunch between us . . . got a problem with that?) was a fried catfish special with red beans and rice. Both specials came with cornbread and sautéed veggies – mostly summer squash, zucchini and string beans. The vegetables were okay, but the rosemary seasoning was a bit heavy. The cornbread was good but nothing extraordinary. On the other hand, the catfish was anything but ordinary. It had a satisfyingly crunchy cornmeal crust with tender, perfectly cooked fresh fish inside. The rémoulade sauce added a nice creamy kick to the fish. The red beans and rice were good, but, for me, the jambalaya rice was the clear winner.
Sweet tea might have been enough to round out the meal for most diners, but we aren’t most diners. While disappointed to hear they didn’t have their bread pudding (my wife’s favorite dessert), we consoled ourselves with the sweet potato pie on a plate drizzled with caramel and a thick wedge of Aunt Millie’s pound cake in a pool of intense raspberry sauce and warm brandied peaches and pecans. The pie was tasty, but Aunt Millie’s creation was serious business. Warm, dense, and moist, it tasted like a cross between pound cake and chic bread pudding. We were giggling like fools by the end of the meal. Happy, very full fools. What a surprising and wonderful meal.
As we exited, we noted the dinner specials for that evening and mourned the loss of them. The great news is that there are so many more options to try when we return - as we surely will. Blackened prime rib or blackened salmon with jambalaya and crawfish topping? Oh yeah, baby . . . I love Cajun cooking!
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