Chrissie finished her last teaching class ever this summer. To celebrate, my Uncle John wanted to take us somewhere she could indulge. Those new to this blog are probably unfamiliar with Uncle John and his culinary influence on my family. Instead of writing about it again, if you are interested click here to read about him. He wanted very badly to take us to Monteverde at Oldstone Manor to sate Chrissie's appetite for foie gras, but he discovered that it is currently not on the menu. After a little research on the internet he settled on Crabtree's Kittle House, a restaurant he and my aunt used to go to quite often, but hadn't been to in years, because they offer a trio of foie gras appetizer.
Our reservation was for Saturday night and we were disappointed to read on the website that the tasting menu is offered only Sunday though Thursday. The restaurant itself is located off of route 117 in Chappaqua in a renovated white mansion. Chrissie and I had been once before, but only for brunch. Our impression that it caters to an older crowd was confirmed by the clientele populating the dining room in advance of our 7:30 reservation. As a couple who are usually in bed long before midnight, the thought of eating with quiet refined diners excites me more than a raucous dining room populated with loud Westchester yuppies.
We were seated at a nice window table overlooking the lawn and garden. After the first round of cocktails were delivered we began checking out the menu. To our surprise and delight the tasting menu was offered. I don't know if the website is incorrect or if the kitchen anticipated a slow late summer night. Either way, we were all in agreement to order the chef's menu with the wine pairing. Since the whole point of choosing the Kittle House was to try their foie three ways appetizer we asked if the menu could be supplemented with an additional course. The chef obliged and our meal began with an amuse of cold summer soup.
The first course of the meal was poached lobster served with polenta and a coriander sauce. The lobster was perfectly poached and portioned. I was surprised at how good the dish was. We've had quite a few tasting menus this year and most of them were significantly more expensive than the Kittle House, especially when the wine pairing is factored in. We discussed for a quite some time why we had not been there to eat yet and what a bargain it would turn out to be if the rest of the dishes were as pleasing.
The fish course was halibut served with fingerling potatoes and bluefoot mushrooms. One of my favorite things to eat is a fish that is properly cooked and is served with cispy skin. The fish was excellent.
The foie gras came out between the fish and the poultry courses. My favorite presentation was the brulee. On paper I thought I would like the skewered lobes more, but in reality it was my least favorite that evening. When we go back I'll have to try the dish again and determine if it was my palate or the preparation itself that went against my typical expectations. The third style was a mousse accompanied by a vanilla and pear relish. This was also very good.
Our sixth course interlude over, the chef's progression began again with a grilled quail dish. By this time we had cemented our view that the Kittle House truly is a gem. I easily admit that it doesn't have the movie set splendor of Daniel, the army of waiters, captains, and busboys of Le Bernardin, the young money excitement of Jean-Georges, or even the niche market exclusivity of Blue Hill at Stone Barns. What the Kittle House offers is very good food ten minutes from my house that is well cooked, properly portioned, and presented.
The meat dish of the evening was a sirloin with a garlic and herb crust. Again, it was perfectly cooked. There was not one misstep the entire evening. Not one problem with the reservation, the front of the house, the food, or other diners. As we waited for dessert our conversation turned to the value of having a restaurant like this so close by. Chrissie and I don't mind going into Manhattan, but after the hassles of driving (parking and limiting alcohol), taking the train, or arranging for a place to crash, it seems like such a production. Factor in that our last Manhattan dinner was almost as much as a mortgage payment and I am inspired to find more places like the Kittle House.
Dessert was a fair presentation of selections from the menu. As someone who doesn't care that much for dessert, I do not know how much can be read into my ambivalence. The house did send out an extra dessert for the table. I'm not sure if was compliments of the chef or if they had an extra. Either way, I enjoyed the chocolate gift, an oozing mess of Valhrona chocolate wrapped in a thin pastry skin. Rather than traditional desserts I'd rather see the choice of cheese and a few petite fours at no additional charge for those of us who don't have a raging sweet tooth.
High Points-
Low Points-
Will we go back? Certainly. The food, the ease of reservations, the location, and the value we perceived mandate we provide patronage. I can't think of the last time we ate a meal at this price point or with these culinary aspirations that didn't offer something to complain about- be it a snooty waiter, an overcooked course, or dish that didn't work. I only hope that I leave the Kittle House next time nearly as pleased as I was this time.
Crabtree's Kittle House is located at:
11 Kittle Road
Chappaqua, New York 10514
Monday, September 1, 2008
Crabtree's Kittle House
Saturday, August 30, 2008
QuickBites- August
Our dedication to writing about reasonably priced Westchester restaurants took a hiatus this summer when we blew our dining budget with two dinners. Our trip to Craft for Cara's birthday and an anniversary dinner at Daniel meant we've been eating at home a lot this August. With the school year starting and paychecks coming in again, we are excited to restart our narrative descriptions of the Westchester dining scene. August's installment of QuickBites summarizes our anniversary dinner, a meal out with the Journal News' Rockland restaurant reviewers, and a summer ending appetizers only dinner at Half Moon.
Daniel
For our fifth wedding anniversary Chrissie and I wanted to try something opulent and excessive. After narrowing our choices we settled on Daniel. We'd never eaten at any of Daniel Boulud's establishments and the pictures on the website suited what we envisioned for a very special anniversary date. To help us make the choice, the restaurant would be closing the next day for six weeks for a redesign in anticipation of their tenth anniversary. There was something perfect about us and the restaurant both celebrating milestones and starting new phases.
As we exited our cab and walked down the stairs into the massive foyer I was dwarfed by the scale of the restaurant. A gentleman opened the door, asked if we had reservations, and escorted us to the hostess desk. The hostess guided us to a table overlooking a dining room that felt reminiscent of a movie scene. We at A Man Has Eat are not easily impressed by fancy dining rooms and large fleets of waiters, but Daniel was the most overwhelming room we'd been in a long time.
The six course tasting menu offered two choices for each course. Not by design, Chrissie and I each chose the opposite dish. This led to one of two low points of the evening. Our waiter, upon hearing we were each ordering one of the two choices left the table before finding out which dish we'd each like. This confused the back waiter and led to a problem when the dessert courses had different wine pairings. The captain initially poured me a glass of wine to go with the chocolate-prailine cremeux Chrissie was having. When he realized what was going on he left the wine for Chrissie and immediately retrieved the appropriate wine for my mango based dish.
The other troubling spot of the evening came when our first course arrived before I was half way through my cocktail. The captain came by to see if everything was o.k. because we weren't eating. When I asked if there was a rush for the table he apologized, informed us that he would tell the kitchen to slow down our ticket, and assuaged my fears by generously refilling my wine tasting when we began the first course.
Fortunately, the rest of our experience at Daniel was perfect. The pacing, the cooking, and the dishes cemented a sublime anniversary experience. We chatted with the captain about the renovations as we took care of the check. He suggested we come back when the room was finished in six weeks. We joked that it would probably be another five years before we were able to return.
Priya Indian Cuisine
I woke up one day this summer to an email from Deven Black, the Rockland restaurant reviewer for the Journal News, asking if the Chrissie I write about was the same one he went to graduate school with. She was, and after a few email exchanges we made a date to meet for dinner at Priya, an Indian restaurant in Suffern.
Deven and his wife Jill share the byline and responsibilities that go into crafting the newspaper reviews. It was fascinating for me to find out what goes on behind the scenes of a print review and to learn how the Blacks wound up at the Journal News. Chrissie had a great time reconnecting with a classmate.
Priya presented an interesting Indian menu. The number of seafood dishes led to a detailed discussion with the manager about the influences on the menu and the geography behind the restaurants cooking. My ability to assess Indian food is still in its infancy, but Chrissie and I both liked the food. A low would be the overcooked chicken in the appetizer sampler and a high for me would be the balanced heat in my lamb Vindaloo. If we lived closer, Chrissie and I both agree that we would try Priya again.
Half Moon
To celebrate the end of summer, Chrissie called for an appetizers only dinner on the water at Half Moon. Our intention was to blend an extended happy hour with a gluttonous tasting of as many small plates as we could eat/afford. I am writing about Half Moon in summary instead of a full review because it is owned by the family of a student whose been in a number of my classes.
The restaurant is located in the same space as the old Chart House, but that is where the similarities end. Extensive work was done in the dining room and kitchen to create a new space that does more than offer terrific views of the Hudson.
We began our meal with an assortment of ceviches. The table found the scallop with fennel, oranges, bell pepper, and mint to be our favorite.
We continued to work our way through most of the first page of the menu ordering 3 more rounds of food. Since we didn't order any entrees I can't say for sure what goes on in the kitchen, but the huge assortment of appetizers and the view make Half Moon ideal for tapas-ish dining. Two standouts from our meal were the fried Ipswich clams (we had to order a second basket) and the lamb ribs.
It is too bad they don't open the kitchen and bar earlier on Fridays so like minded eaters can take advantage of the sun and share plates after work before the dinner crowd shows up and the dining room gets busy.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Iron Horse Grill
At times we overlook the most obvious choices when deciding where to dine. For years we have known about, and eaten around, the Iron Horse Grill in Pleasantville. I can only recall hearing positive feedback about the restaurant, but we always opted for other choices when searching for higher end contemporary American food. The inclusion of Iron Horse in this year's Zagat America's Top Restaurants mandated our first visit.
Located in a converted train station on the outer perimeter of central Pleasantville, the Iron Horse Grill is very easy to get to. Parking is not an issue unless you circle the block quixotically multiple times waiting for a spot to open by the front door. Once we'd resigned ourselves to the lot, we realized it was far closer and easier than we thought.
Forced again into a 6:30 reservation, we were at least not the only people there. In fact, it appears the restaurant caters to early dining. Peak capacity was seen at around seven o'clock and then waned as tables opened up and the room became more intimate. If proximity and noise are issues, I recommend, from our one experience mind you, a later reservation. The room itself is quaint, bordering on tight. The two tops were very close. Chrissie commented that it would be more pleasant to come with another couple because the seating for four is more casually spaced in the interior of the room while the couple seating is lined against a bench with just enough room to squeeze between tables. A cocktail and the added volume of more patrons helped obscure the distinct sounds of conversations coming from our neighbors.
It was a pleasure to have a waiter who was both gregarious and professional. At first I feared he was going to be too personal and taint dinner, but he expertly walked the line between the two personas. Since we were out for both dinner and to determine how accurate the masses were in their very high 27 rating, we asked our waiter about the tasting menu. There are three ways to eat at the Iron Horse Grill. A three course prix fixe and a five course tasting add to the standard dining experience. The waiter asked us the two questions he says he asks of anyone who inquires about the tasting menu. The first was if we trusted him and the chef. The tasting is not only blind, but each diner receives a different dish during each course. I'm still undecided if this is brilliant or too scary for repetition. The second was if we had any food allergies or aversions. We showed our faith in the kitchen by going ahead and ordering the tasting. We also ordered two half bottles of wine, a Chardonnay and a Chateauneuf du Pape, to hopefully complement what would follow.
The meal began with a ramekin portion of beet soup flavored with ginger. Beet soup is not something I would typically order, but it was well executed and the flavor developed with each bite until I found myself enjoying it very much. The first courses were a fig salad and the crisp khaifi shrimp. The fig was served on a bed of bitter greens with melon and ham. The shrimp was wrapped in shredded phyllo, fried, and served with cucumber yogurt salad. The fig salad was an excellent presentation of a first course. It was eclipsed by the perfect textures and interesting flavors of the shrimp dish.
The second course was not as successful. Both the ravioli and the seared scallop were disappointing. The scallop was served with creamed leaks and oyster mushrooms. While the scallop was expertly cooked, I found the flavors of the plate muddled and plain. The ravioli also suffered from a lack of flavor. In the end it was good that the two least successful dishes came out at the same time because these complaints did not resurface during the remainder of the meal.
The fish course brought plates of swordfish and cod. It was at this point I remarked how skilled the cook was. I pride myself on the ability to cook fish. Chrissie usually enjoys the textures and browning of my fish more than a restaurant's (keep in mind I'm cooking for two and can dedicate my entire attention to one task). Iron Horse Grill nailed every fish. In fact, their swordfish could have been the best cooked piece I've ever had. We continued to note a lack of intensity in the flavors. To counter this observation, the flavors of the meats and fish were all true and allowed to anchor the dishes without being overshadowed. We discussed, and continued to discuss in the days after the meal, whether we would rather have perfectly cooked protein that was on the blander side, or overcooked food with intense, bold flavors. I believe it is in the philosophy of the Iron Horse Grill to prepare meals that are excellent and accessible and to use fresh flavors and ingredients. While not risky, the execution, in my opinion, compensates for the vanilla palate.
Lamb chops and duck were served for the meat course. This made me very happy because those are the dishes I was looking at if we had ordered off the menu. Both dishes were cooked to a perfect temperature. The duck's skin was obscured by a glaze, but this was my only complaint about the dish. The lamb was the most tender serving I have had in recent memory. Each bite was buttery smooth but had enough chew to allow the flavors to linger. I might have thought the lamb was overcooked by the color, but to the tooth it was clearly perfect. Again, my compliments go out to whoever in that kitchen is cooking the proteins.
At this point we were incredibly sated. The dainty ladies seated next to us felt compelled to comment to the waiter about how much food the tasting menu brought to our table. I say this to set up how good the desserts were. Chrissie had the blueberry cobbler and I had a peach bread pudding. These typical American desserts were elevated to the level of fine dining and demanded to be eaten. Chrissie usually orders a chocolate based dessert, but after watching, and smelling, the dainty ladies enjoying the cobbler she had to have it. I think if you can change my wife's mind about dessert, especially after eating so many filling courses, you have created a truly tempting dish.
High Points-
Low Points-
Will we return- I can easily see the Iron horse Grill becoming the type of restaurant we revisit two or three times a year. I expected the prices to be more expensive, and while they certainly aren't a bargain, they do not go above thirty dollars for the regular menu. While dishes do not go above the thirty dollar ceiling, they can not be had for less than twenty six and the appetizers are approaching entree prices, averaging fifteen dollars. The tasting menu, at $69, is very fair.
It was the overall experience that we enjoyed above any singular component. The chef made the rounds twice, the hostess was welcoming, the waiter was pleasant, the food was well prepared, the atmosphere was appropriate for the food and prices, and the bill was not shockingly expensive.
I'll be keeping watch on their website and we'll return when the summer menu is retired.
Iron Horse Grill is located at:
20 Wheeler Avenue
Pleasantville, New York 10570
Sunday, June 29, 2008
La Panetiere
The time commitments of the last weeks of school kept Chrissie and me in since the middle of June. We decided to go somewhere celebratory to mark the end of a long year and the beginning of what will hopefully be a rejuvenating summer. Chrissie, armed with her Zagat and a desire to try local fine dining, decided it was time to visit La Panetiere in Rye. I called to make reservations and chose six when offered that or nine o'clock.
La Panetiere is located on a tremendous piece of property by the water on Milton Avenue. We arrived ten minutes early and encountered one of the few missteps of the evening when the valet parking staff was nowhere to be found. I waited for a few minutes, watching the kitchen staff play soccer in the lower lot, before I parked my own car. I understand we were a few minutes early, but I was unsettled to find the staff putting on their ties and jackets as we entered the restaurant. A valet ran to us and claimed he had to park my car. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be annoyed when I told him that would no longer be necessary. I did not mind taking the early reservation, but I did mind not having the restaurant ready for our arrival.
The interior of the restaurant is very classic. I commented to Chrissie that it seems like a more feminine version of La Cremaillere. They began our meal with bread sticks presented in a Champagne flute. These were fun because they looked to be crunchy, but were in fact flaky and soft. We ordered drinks and slowly other couples made their way in. The waiter brought menus over after letting us linger over drinks for half an hour. I normally enjoy a long cocktail hour, but this made me wonder why I was led to such an early reservation.
The menu has three options. Meals can either be ordered as two or three course dinners or as a six course tasting menu. Chrissie and I, in the spirit of celebration, went with the tasting menu. I ordered mine with the wine pairing.
The meal began with a three shots of chilled soup. From left to right on a platter were a gazpacho, which was well balanced and very good, a cantaloupe soup, which was sweet and fresh, and a pea (I believe it was pea) that we both found bland.
As we had our soups we encountered the second misstep of the evening. We had been the first table seated. We made our reservation more than a week in advance. We arrived at the designated time for our reservation. With all of this in mind, I can't comprehend why we were seated adjacent to both tables of a high school graduation dinner. Two six tops of diners came to celebrate a young man's completion of school and acceptance to Princeton. They were not unruly or rude, but were a party of thirteen split between two tables that happened to both be next to mine. Had we arrived late and it had been the only table in the restaurant I could have overlooked the inter-table conversation and the occasional rump in my face as celebrators mingled in the early minutes of their party, but we were placed where no couple enjoying a romantic meal should have to be seated.
The party eventually settled into two distinct tables and the food that followed helped me forget about the slight, intended or not, that the maitre de had administered. A plate of foie gras and tuna came out that was nearly perfect. The sear on both the fish and the meat was excellently accomplished and the contrast in textures and flavors of the two principal components reset my appetite and appreciation for the restaurant. Chrissie, our resident foie gras expert, held this presentation in very high esteem.
The next dish was a beautiful soft shell crab. Normally I am not much of a fan of the soft shells. I find them more of a curiosity than a delicacy. These crabs were the perfect size to exploit the slight resistance the molted shell gives to the teeth. Barely bigger in body than a half dollar, the single crab on the plate was accompanied by asparagus and a puree whose origins I cannot recall.
A refresher course of passion fruit soup and sorbet was served to cleanse the palate before the main courses, two duck dishes in succession, one a confit of leg and the other a breast, were brought out. The breast was presented first with perfect skin and meat that was cooked just past medium rare and was incredibly succulent. I found myself very impressed by the kitchen's ability to put out perfect sears and crispy skins. The confit that followed was equally impressive. Chrissie and I both thought we would have rather seen the two dishes paired on a plate and followed by a meat course, but we understood what the chef was trying to expose in his back to back duck dishes.
To conclude our meal we both had the souffle. I ordered the Grand Marnier and Chrissie had the chocolate. Both were delicious, perfectly cooked, and incredibly decadent in both flavor and size.
High Points-
Low Points-
Will we go back? We will go back. Despite the few flaws in the front of the house, I found this meal to be one of the best prepared I've had in Westchester. In fact, had we not been seated in a triangle configuration with the two tables from the graduation party I probably would have overlooked parking my own car and the random ramblings of a waiter who might have explained what a duck is had I given him license. I think we will definitely try La Panetiere again in the fall or winter to see what the kitchen does with heartier fare.
La Panetiere is located at:
530 Milton Road
Rye, New York 10580
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Nobhill- Las Vegas
After renting a car just to drive to Rosemary's, we decided to take advantage of the dining options offered by the MGM Grand. In a perfect world we would have eaten at Joel Robouchon, but we had neither the attire nor the capital required to sit for his $250 six course or $385 16 course tasting menus. Not to be defeated, we walked further down the casino floor and explored Nobhill, one of two Michael Mina restaurants in the Grand.
They had no trouble taking our reservation for the next day or for honoring our table request for a private booth. The booths ran parallel to the bar and we were seated in a perfect one between the bar and dining room.
We already knew we were ordering the tasting menu, so our only real decision was about Chrissie's choice of drink. After some deliberation, Chrissie decided to order her first ever wine pairing. To spice things up, she ordered the standard sommelier's and I, for the sake of comparison, ordered the premium pairing. In general terms, I liked only one of wines noticeably more than Chrissie's and she preferred her own by a wide margin. I got the sense that two of my glasses were a bit oxidized, possibly left over from bottles opened during the weekend, but I couldn't tell enough to say something. There was no flaw detected at all in Chrissie's glasses.
The meal began with glasses of champagne and a caviar parfait. The parfait itself was huge, with a shallot-potato cake base, layers of creme fraiche and smoked salmon in the middle, and a frosting of caviar lining the top. The entire dish as a whole was great, but I would have preferred it to be deconstructed so I could better control the ratios of each mouthful. Chrissie did not finish hers because she wanted to save room for what most reviews said was a heavy meal.
The second dish was the signature lobster pot pie that began with a table service from beautiful copper pots. The lobster may have been a little tough, but Chrissie and I both though the dish was fine, but again, overwhelming in its size and composition. One could argue that a diner is definitely getting his money's worth, but we would both prefer to recoup our expenses in other ways than quantity.
I was beginning to get nervous because our next dish was essentially fried chicken served over mac and cheese, but this course turned out to be my favorite of the evening. Everything, from portion to texture, of this dish was perfectly executed. In fact, I could argue against my previous statements and suggest they provide more of the truffled macaroni and cheese. The chicken was exquisitely cooked and seasoned. The crust was delicate and thin. The truffle flavor of the macaroni, along with sauce, provided an earthy anchor for an ethereal plate. After the first two courses I was almost shocked by this dish.
The meal continued to progress beyond the competent, but uninspiring, first two courses with the Kobe beef main course. The meat was perfect and was served with seared foie gras that Chrissie deemed the best in texture and flavor since Gary Danko. She was so enamored by her foie gras that I was able to trade some of mine away with her so I could enjoy more of the beef. Presentation, flavor, and perfect cooking made the last two dishes the most successful of our Vegas trip.
By this point, Chrissie and I were both incredibly stuffed. We're not big dessert people. We would usually rather have another course over dessert, but the Banana Tarte Tatin at Nobhill was one of my favorite desserts ever. I could feel a layer fat growing beneath my chin as I ate, but I was powerless to not finish the plate.
High Points-
Low Points-
Would we go back? If we are ever in Las Vegas again I don't think we will return to Nobhill. The meal was very good, but for the price, there are other restaurants I'd like to experience. We had some great dishes, but for a week's salary I need to be awestruck to contemplate a return visit when there are so many other options. That said, I in no way regret the dinner and I would suggest to anyone in a similar situation that they try this restaurant.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Rosemary's Restaurant- Las Vegas
Chrissie and I just returned from a spring break trip to Las Vegas. In true A Man Has to Eat fashion, our trip centered more around food than casinos. Arriving late Sunday night, we walked from the Signature end of the MGM Grand to the pedestrian entrance on the strip. The round trip expedition to find two dollar bottles of water might have been a mile.
The next day we rented a car for the explicit purpose of driving to Rosemary's, a restaurant about six miles from the strip. After pricing cabs, we determined it would be make more sense to get a car and do some exploring, including a trip out to the Hoover Dam.
Armed with the Garmin unit that Chrissie got me for my birthday, we staked out the restaurant on the way back to the hotel. Set in a suburban strip mall, Rosemary's is one of the true pleasures of Las Vegas. Zaggat gave them a 29 and the Frommer's guide book touts it as the place to go if you truly appreciate food. That was all the prompting we needed to make our reservations two months in advance.
Arriving for a seven o'clock reservation, we found the restaurant beginning to fill up. The interior was much larger than the shopping center facade suggested and the tables were nicely spread apart, filling three rooms: one in the bar, another adjacent to the open kitchen, and a third, where we ate, that created a hypotenuse between the other two.
While Chrissie was washing up, the waitress presented the menus and told me she'd return as soon as Chrissie did to explain the eating options. Able to read for myself, I outlined the a la carte, three course, and chef's tasting menus to Chrissie before our waitress had a chance to return. We didn't rent a car and plan our day around a meal to miss anything, so we quickly decided that the tasting menu was in order.
The only two missteps of the evening revolved around drinks. Since I was getting the wine pairing with my meal, Chrissie decided to order a half bottle instead of getting wines by the glass. They were out of the one she wanted. Not a big deal.
My mistake was more troubling, but, after realizing what was going on, the waitress fixed everything. I wasn't going to have a martini that night, but the menu described the martinis as a four ounce pour of the premium liquor of your choice in a cocktail glass swirled with vermouth. I was powerless to resist the menu's advertising of classic portion and near Churchillian proportion. Unfortunately, there was an error somewhere along the line and the waitress returned with Chrissie's glass of wine and the glass of champagne meant to accompany my first course. I politely asked her if she had brought the champagne before the cocktail on purpose. For a moment she looked confused, and then she remembered that I had ordered a cocktail. The next couple of minutes where the only stressful ones of the evening. I worried if this was a forecast of what the rest of the evening would be like. The stress continued after she retrieved my drink because I now had a martini and a glass of champagne in front of me and I wasn't sure if kitchen understood that I was having a drink. A five course tasting menu involves careful orchestration between the front and back of the house. My apprehension was relieved when the waitress returned a few minutes later assuring us that the kitchen understood the pace of our meal and taking away my champagne with the promise of a freshened glass to go with the first course. It was a tough five minutes, but I made it (only partially tongue in cheek).
The first course was a caviar dish that was everything a caviar dish should be. A delicate, beautiful, and light plate was presented with traditional components deconstructed in a fashion that made it artistic and easy to eat.
The next two courses highlighted the chef's New Orleans background. Course two was a barbecued shrimp dish served over a blue cheese slaw. It was incredibly interesting, but not very special. Course three was a crispy skinned fish served over a creole sauce boasting tiny rock shrimp. Again, it was tasty, but not special. There were other dishes on the menu I think would better highlight the chef's product. These choices, especially after the classic presentation of a caviar first course left me unable to discern a philosophy behind the tasting menu.
The meat course was anchored by two healthy sized lamb chops fired to a consistent medium rare. After the intense flavors of the previous two dishes, I found the lamb chops to be under seasoned. I don't think I would have felt that way had the menu followed a different progression.
High Points-
Low Points-
Would we go back? If we are ever in Vegas again we will certainly return, but I believe we will order the three course menu that allows you to choose your own dishes. There were aspects of the menu that I would have much preferred to explore over the chef's selections.
Rosemary's Restaurant is located at:
8125 West Sahara Avenue
Las Vegas, Nevada 89117
Monday, February 18, 2008
Xaviar's at Piermont
We hate going out to dinner on Valentine's Day because all of the people who don't usually go to restaurants invade and degrade my experience. I may be a curmudgeon, but I feel, on Valentine's Day, how an old regular must feel at his favorite pub on St. Patrick's Day with all of the drunk one timers crowded around his seat.
With that in mind, instead of going out on Valentine's Day, we had friends over. I roasted a chicken, sauteed a chiffonade of Brussel sprouts in bacon, prepared some wild rice, and ended the evening with a chocolate fondue. It could have been my favorite Valentine's Day in recent memory. We avoided the nitwits and enjoyed a nice meal with the people we love.
Which leads us to last night. Chrissie and I still wanted to celebrate our own personal Valentine's Day. We ate, not too long ago, at X2O, Peter Kelly's Yonkers restaurant, and had a great time. The food, the staff, and location were all spot on and the prices weren't nearly as high as I presumed they would have to be. To top off the evening, as we were leaving we walked through the bar to get a look at the view and I recognized Mr. Kelly, who was dining with a small group of people. I didn't want to be rude, so I merely gave him a nod of recognition. He immediately sprang from his chair, greeted me, and asked about dinner. I felt like he was a man who genuinely cared about his food and my enjoyment of it.
Our positive experience at X2O led us to seek reservations at Xaviar's for our belated Valentine's Day celebration. We wanted to go on Saturday night, but the seating times, six and nine, were either too early or too late for us, so we made a seven o'clock reservation for Sunday.
Upon arrival, we were seated and offered cocktails immediately. Before ordering I asked the waiter about wine pairings with dinner. He fliply told me that it could be done, but offered no information as he walked away. When he returned I ordered a cocktail and we asked about the chef's tasting menu. My questions were again met with gruff responses and minimal information. I was beginning to get upset. It's not like I was asking about substitutions, detailed ingredient lists, or specific cooking techniques employed. In fact, I was upselling myself and the waitstaff didn't seem to care one bit about my very simple needs.
That said, I can forgive a mediocre front of the house when good food begins coming my way from the back of the house. An amuse consisting of broiled salmon and avocado was presented. I found it very good. The fat of the avocado played wonderfully against the salmon.
After the initial presentation of food I persisted in finding out more about the chef's tasting menu. The waiter reluctantly agreed to tell me that it was ten courses and solely up to the discretion of the chef. He added that adjustments could be made for food allergies. We let him know that no modification would be necessary and I asked him to pair mine with wine.
Our meal began and I knew we were in for trouble when the first dish came out. For some reason I cannot fathom, the chef sent out a creamy spaghetti with crab meat. There was nothing delicate or introductory about this dish. Chrissie mentioned that it would not have been out of place at the Italian place down the street from our condo. To make matters worse, my wine pairing came halfway through the plate, which was large and took some time to eat. Adding insult to the timing of the wine, the waiter left my empty cocktail on the table and didn't bother to ask my wife if she needed another glass of wine as we began the meal. I got so annoyed that I eventually summoned the waiter, as he finished at a nearby table, and asked him to bring my wife another drink and to remove the cocktail glass that now stood next to an empty wine glass (our table had begun to look like we were using stemware as chess pieces).
The table was cleared, Chrissie's drink was refreshed, and I was ready, once again, to embrace optimism. Our next course came out, although the waiter presented it ambiguously as something special from the chef that was not a course. Confused, we ate what was a delicious scallop morsel served in a ceramic soup spoon. It turns out that the scallop was a course, but we only figured that out after counting at the end of the evening.
Our next plate was a yellow tail sashimi served with pear and a delicate foam. Had I not shown restraint, I could have easily finished the dish before my wine came. I was served a small glass of cold Sake. The dish should have been good, but we could not figure out if the chocolate flavor was a combination we were not sophisticated enough to appreciate or if someone had made a mistake in the kitchen.
Our first three dishes came out in rapid succession. We sat and waited a while for the next course. This would be a recurrent theme through the evening. The pace was incredibly random and seemed to have nothing to do with what was coming next or what the previous dish had been.
Our wait was rewarded by a piece of fish, I believe it was snapper, that was cruncy on top and buttery and moist on the bottom. Our reward was short lived when the starch the fish was served on tasted incredibly similar to the cream sauce from the spaghetti course that randomly began our meal.
By this point I was starting to give up on the evening. Our next presentation was a foie gras foam. It was tasty, but if I am eating foie gras, I want to experience the texture and this was taken away from me. This was followed by a chicken dish that was literally some slices of chicken. It was well cooked and the sauce was fantastic, but we are talking about the kitchen of a man who won on Iron Chef and has the only 29 in the Westchester Zagat. I can't imagine why the chef decided to send out sliced chicken to represent himself on his tasting menu. Much of our meal felt as if the chef sent out whatever he had left over after preparing someone else's dish.
By the time the lamb dish came I was excited to have something tastefully presented that made sense in the order of plates. The conclusion of the meal began with a very nice apple sorbet and was followed by a sampling of four desserts.
Through dinner we were served by no fewer than three waiters, only one of whom was in any way polite, informative, or appropriate. The others ranged from distant to rude, simply putting down plates without the fanfare associated with an unknown tasting menu. Only the one competent waiter spent any time at our table side explaining the dishes and wines in any detail and with any enthusiasm. I can imagine asking my staff to be incredibly formal, but if that is the case they should not break character to insult my wife by commenting on how much food she ate.
High points- Everything was cooked well and the sauces were very flavorful (though it seemed we saw a few of them, with minor adjustments, more than once). The wines were paired very well and were on par for the price of the pairing (although I can't imagine why they were continually served well after the food).
Low points- The tasting menu made very little sense and was not of a quality I would expect from a restaurant this highly decorated. The front of the house was crass and I was actually insulted at some points by the presentations from the bar and kitchen. To put how negative my feelings are into perspective, we've eaten tasting menus at Gary Danko in San Francisco, Etoile at Chandon in Napa, Le Bernardin and Jean-Georges in Manhattan, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Equus in Westchester. Not every dish we've ever eaten has been perfect. Not every waiter has been helpful and kind. I'll even say that some meals have been more disappointing than sublime, but this is the first time we ever left a great restaurant and didn't at least understand the philosophy and respect the attempt.
Will we go back?
Judging the restaurant through the lens of one evening makes me question all of the accolades Xaviar's has received. Was last night a random convergence of events that singularly could be overlooked, but collectively left me very angry, or is Xaviar's simply overrated by Zagat readers who have a higher tolerance for mediocrity than they should and a press who is afraid of looking out of touch? I'll have to say that, until I hear differently from a source I trust, Xaviar's is officially on the list. Although Xaviar's is currently banned, I would not hesitate to return to X2O.
Xaviar's is located at:
506 Piermont Avenue
Piermont, NY 10968
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