tasting menu – Well Dined

Tag: tasting menu

25
Feb
2015

Volt – Valentine’s Day Menu

categories: Reviews

I know I’ve been really slow in posting, but that’s been because of traveling and (drumroll please) buying a house! We are in the process of moving and decorating and all of that, so posting will still be delayed for a bit. But then I expect to be back in full swing, and with a much better photo set-up. So until then, here is a review of the Valentine’s Day menu at Brian Voltaggio’s Volt in Frederick, MD.

We’ve been wanting to try out Volt for years, in particular their Table 21 chef’s table, but just never made it. But we finally made a commitment and braved the icy conditions and hour drive to come for Valentine’s Day dinner. We were a little disappointed to see that they did not offer valet, especially because of the weather, but we were able to find street parking 1 block away (free after 5 on Sat). The decor is sophisticated and clean, and the staff are very professional.

For the holiday, they had a 7-course prix fixe menu with optional wine pairing (7 2oz pours). The pacing was perfect, as was the amount of food – just enough to allow you to explore the flavors, but not enough to grow tired of the dish. I wasn’t struggling to finish at the end like with some tasting menus. I was driving, so my husband ordered the wine pairing and I had a sip with each course to test the pairing. They were all excellently paired, though my favorites were the whites in the beginning.

Amuse Bouche – oyster with salmon tartare, “tartar sauce”, dill. Paired with Sparkling Rose.

Beets, burrata, celery, lemon – very nice, bright, fresh. Paired with Gruner Veltliner (Austria).

Black bass, sunchoke, apple, fennel – very interesting, German flavors I would normally pair with pork or chicken, perfectly cooked. Paired with Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre).

Lobster, celery root, abalone mushroom – lovely, perfectly cooked. Paired with Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast).

Foie Gras, truffles, arugula, salsify – a decadent mousse, the favorite course. Paired with Pinot Noir (Ladoix) – we were concerned when we saw this on the menu, because we thought the foie would be seared, and we prefer it with Sauternes. But the light Pinot was actually perfect with the chilled mousse.

Beef short rib, coffee, chocolate, guajillo – described as a take on mole, each of our least favorite course, but still good (just not as good as the other courses). Paired with a Granche blend (Chateaneuf du Pape) – also our least favorite wine (but again, still good).

Dried cherry, elderflower vinegar, buttermilk – pretty cool, a cherry macaron frozen with liquid nitrogen and shattered with a St Germain gelee (yum) and a sweet buttermilk. Loved this. Paired with a Rose (CA).

Almond cake, banana, caramel, yogurt – wasn’t impressed by this one. The cake was moist, and sitting on creme anglaise, but there wasn’t a ton of flavor and I didn’t think the caramelized banana frozen yogurt (good on its own) went with it very well. Paired with a Sauternes.

We were also each given a box of 4 chocolates (2 of which were awesome, 2 of which were okay) and I was given a rose.

I was very impressed by the food, the service, and the price – very reasonable. I also really liked the atmosphere – old townhouse turned serene and modern inside. I would love to come back and try Table 21 (but not when the weather is that bad – nightmare).

20
Jan
2015

San Antonio Country Club Chef’s Table

categories: Reviews

While we were in San Antonio for Christmas, my father (from whom I inherited my love of food) set up a special dinner in the kitchen of the San Antonio Country Club with Chef Nelson Millán, a Puerto Rican native who has been working at SACC since 2010. Chef Millán specializes in Latin flavors, but is versed in a variety of cuisines; so when I told my father that I’m not a huge fan of Latin cuisine in general he was able to put together a menu combining two of my favorite cuisines – Asian and French (or Frasian, they joked). My parents, my brother and his fiance, my sister, my husband, and I were set up at a big metal table inside the kitchen with a close up view of the action and a very dedicated server who made sure our glasses were never empty. Let’s begin our Frasian adventure!

First up was a White Bouillabaisse with Clam, Mussel, Lobster, White Fish (I can’t recall what kind), Prawn, Potato Puree, and Roasted Fennel with a Togarashi Rouille. This was accompanied by a 15 yr Oloroso Sherry. Beautiful. Each piece of seafood was perfectly cooked and the broth was packed with flavor. I liked the modern way the chef incorporated the traditional potato and fennel into the dish, and the togarashi (Japanese condiment with chili, citrus, ginger, seaweed, and sesame) in the rouille (sauce of olive oil, breadcrumbs, garlic, saffron, and chili traditionally served with bouillabaisse) was a fun way to bring in Asian flavors.

Here we see Chef Millán arranging the seafood over the potato puree before pouring in the broth. I should add that we also had all kinds of bread to munch on, my favorites being the sweet potato biscuits and the cornbread drops that I loved as a kid. (more…)

20
Nov
2014

Atelier Crenn – San Francisco

categories: Reviews

While we were in San Francisco visiting family, Jasper and I wanted to have a nice date night to ourselves to try one of the many Michelin rated restaurants. We choose Atelier Crenn, a 2-star restaurant with a seasonal and locally sourced menu written in the form of a poem. Yes, it is a little bit silly and pretentious to present your menu as a poem, but chef/owner Dominique Crenn seems to have some reasons for doing it. Crenn hails from Versailles, France, where her father had a painting workshop (called an “atelier”). She considers her restaurant to be her own artist’s studio (hence the name), with the plate as a blank canvas, and the ingredients as the paint. So perhaps we can consider it to be more artsy than pretentious. And it did provide a fun game to try and figure out what would be in the next course based on the poem.

From the website: “Poetic Culinaria: Atelier Crenn, a painting. An empty white canvas. With tools… a brush, paint and a vision, creativity is given its breath. Here, from this place, the artist can suggest emotion. A lasting moment from childhood… little drawers of heartbeats.”

Crenn seems to be inspired by her childhood and her father, whose paintings decorate the restaurant. Playfulness and nature are the overriding themes of the menu we received, which I have copied below:

Summer has come and is full of sweet surprises
Under the midnight glow, I can taste the sweetness of the sea,
hear mellow serenades of colors licorice and orange
I touch the earth and play
Where the broad ocean leans against the Spanish land,
I remember an oceanic feeling
Here, the earth proffers its juicy, vermilion gifts
and above, the half moon floats, silky and smoky
In its cool, milky light,
the forest still radiant with possibility
Nature rejoice! chasing childhood memories
Feeling the black sand under my toes, I dreamed of
these creatures’ languid movements
Walking deep in the woods, as the earth might have something to spare
bird song, see the water rippling from their visit
a token of the summer
Summer has come, the sea beckons
sweetness, bounty, thanks (more…)

03
Apr
2013

Valentine’s 2013 Pt 1

categories: Reviews

Yes, yes – I know I am way late in posting this, sorry. This year for V-Day we went to Sushi Taro for their special tasting menu. It’s what we did for our first Valentine’s together in DC 3 years ago and I wanted to go back. I loved the whole meal, but Jasper was a little disappointed. I think he wanted more sushi, but I liked the combination of hot dishes and raw fish. Anyway, here’s what we had:

Taro’s signature tofu with uni. I love this stuff, it has the best texture. I always look forward to this dish at Taro.

This was a mixture of different raw and pickled vegetables with some gelees and monkfish liver. I thought it was playful and interesting; I think this is one of the ones Jasper was disappointed with. (more…)

17
Aug
2012

Joel Robuchon Las Vegas

categories: Reviews

After years of wanting to go and not being able to due to finances or timing, we were finally able to make a trip to the best restaurant in Las Vegas. Located in the MGM Grand, Joel Robuchon is one of the highest rated and most awarded restaurants in the country, including being one of only a dozen 3-star Michelin rated. So, as you can imagine, it’s kind of a big deal.

Mansion-at-MGM-Grand — image courtesy of bestofvegas.com

And they certainly give you the start treatment. Reservations are required and if you are staying on the strip they will send a golden limousine to pick you up and take you to the private entrance at the back of the casino. Through a big set of iron gates is the entrance to The Mansions at MGM Grand (exclusive villas for high-rollers); here the hostess will meet you and escort you through the property to the restaurant, passing though a gorgeous temperature controlled atrium with custom scents piped in (I’m not even kidding).

The interior of the restaurant is beautiful – opulent, but not old fashioned, and decked out in rich purple. The flower arrangements and table settings change seasonally – ours were bright orange and gold. There is also a lovely enclosed terrace with a vertical garden that I would love to be seated in next time. (more…)