Restaurant Reviews

Dinner on Saturday was my favorite meal of the weekend.  I chose Teatro Goldoni due to Washingtonian’s 100 Best Restaurants list and Art’s love of Italian food.  As an unexpected benefit, Teatro Goldoni was also within easy walking distance from our hotel, which is always a bonus!

Teatro Goldoni pretty much nailed it just by seating us.  For all five of the restaurants we ate in I requested a table with nice lighting.  The host at this restaurant was the only person who acknowledged this request and seated us at the table with “the best lighting in the house.”  It was a simple thing, but it meant a lot to me.  

The restaurant had a pleasant noise level and we were seated near the front window which is always an enjoyable experience in the city.  The service was attentive and friendly, I was never out of water.  

Our meal started with a nice bread basket and small plates of flavorful olive oil.  The darkest bread was an olive bread that Art enjoyed.  I’m not a fan of olives.  Then we got foccacia and rosemary bread.

Striscia di mozzarella di bufala Deconstructed buffalo mozzarella with cherry tomatoes mix, black olives, crispy capers, micro basil, balsamic vinegar gelatin cubes, extra virgin olive oil

This was a fascinating take on a tomato and mozzarella salad.  Yes, tomatoes are my favorite food during the summer so I tend to order them a lot in restaurants.  Have you noticed?  Buffalo mozzarella has such a different flavor profile from the regular stuff and I could really notice that in this salad.  The capers were cooked somehow, perhaps roasted?  They had a crisp and smoky flavor that was very unique.  The balsamic gelatin cubes were genius.  I picked out the olives.

Composta di melanzane e Pomodoro Roasted eggplant, farm raised goat cheese, organic yellow and red tomato terrine with Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, cracked black peppercorns crystallized salt, basil gelatin

Art ordered this terrine dish and I think his only complaint was that he would have preferred more basil.  He enjoyed all of the ingredients and felt that it came together nicely but probably isn’t something he’d order again.

Tonno in crosta con carciofi Seared Ahi tuna with a black pepper and anise dust and served over a ragu of artichoke hearts, black olives and tempura style zucchini blossoms stuffed with a foam of sweet fava beans

Lance teases me for always ordering fish in restaurants.  Art doesn’t like fish so I was never able to cook it at home until he started traveling for work which only started in the past year.  As a result, I’d tend to order fish often in restaurants because I love it and wasn’t getting it often enough otherwise!  

Lance should be proud of me, though, since this was the first time I had fish the entire trip and boy did I pick the right restaurant!  It was perfectly seared and rare in the middle.  The crust was very spicy and the anise was not at all overwhelming although it was noticeable.  The artichokes were tender and flavorful.  The zucchini blossoms were crispy and filled with a fantastic fava bean puree.  This was a scrumptious dish.

Risotto con funghi misti Italian rice with fresh mix mushrooms, tomato fillets and tempura like stuffed zucchini blossoms with fava beans puree

Art loves risotto and he had never had the pleasure of ordering it in a restaurant.  He, like me, has also always wanted to try zucchini blossoms.  He was pleased with the flavors and loved the zucchini blossoms but he found the rice to be a bit too al dente and chewy, almost crunchy at times.  This seems to be a common problem with restaurant risottos which is unfortunate.  He still polished off the dish so it couldn’t have been all bad!

Uova finte al Tegamino Vanilla pannacotta with orange gel yolks sunny side up with cocoa nibs, pistachio, and crispy tulip virtual bacon

I’m not sure what I can say about this dessert.  It was phenomenal.  The presentation was simply awesome.  The gel was great, the pannacotta was rich, and everything just worked perfectly together.  I am so glad I ordered this since I had some trepidation!

Torre di cioccolato all’ arancia Orange Gianduja chocolate tower in orange glaze and hazelnut spikes

Art’s dessert was yet another “Chocolate Thing” and, again, with citrus flavors.  He felt that the chocolate was very good quality but that the gel topping the tower was a bit unnecessary.

Sorbetti and Gelati Basil, lemon mascarpone, and peanut butter jam

We’re not usually in the habit of ordering an extra dessert but we were just so curious!  Both of us were most pleased with the lemon mascarpone sorbetti.  From there Art went for the basil and I just ate my pannacotta.  The peanut butter jam was lacking a pronounced peanut butter flavor and the jam flavor was sort of strange.

Clearly I was much more impressed with this meal than Art was, although he tried all of my dishes and did think they were great, so he thinks it was just his dishes that weren’t prepared quite perfectly.  He’s interested in going back some day which is a relief since I loved my meal.  I was surprised by the amount of molecular gastronomy going on since I was sort of expecting traditional Italian cuisine.  Instead, this was all new age and I think it worked very well!

Total price, no alcohol, including tip: $167.37

Teatro Goldoni
1989 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006

Reservations: 202.955.9494

For brunch on Saturday we went to Poste near the Spy Museum.  (It’s a great museum, by the way.)  This was another restaurant I found on Washingtonian’s 100 Best Restaurants list.  They don’t serve lunch on the weekends, only brunch.  

Poste is an open and airy sort of restaurant.  The kitchen is open to viewing and they’ve got a lot of outdoor seating.  The noise level was nice and quiet so we were easily able to make our plans for the rest of the day over brunch.  

As always, our meal started off with bread.  This basket included a croissant, a scone, and two different types of bread with dried fruits and nuts.  The swirl of butter was actually honey butter, a treat I haven’t had in entirely too long.

Croque Madame mornay sauce, sunny side up egg, pomme frites

I have wanted to try a Croque Madame since I first learned the words in French class.  I finally got my chance and was thrilled!  The toast was at least an inch thick, rich and buttery.  The egg was perfect and the sauce was delicious.  It reminded me vaguely of the sauce on top of the Chicken Crepes I make.  The fries were very similar to fast food fries.  Thin, crispy, and not super potatoey as a result.

nueske bacon

We felt compelled to order a side of bacon.  Enough said.

Bev’s Grass-Fed Beef Burger organic cheddar, dill pickle, frites with neuske bacon

Art wasn’t in a breakfast sort of mood, so he chose the burger.  It was very rare in the middle and he thought it was the closest thing to a homemade burger that he’s ever had in a restaurant.  Considering he adores homemade burgers, this is high praise.  The meat had a very clean taste and was very simple.  It was exactly what he wanted and he loved it.

Total price, no alcohol, including tip: $61.70

Poste
555–8th Street, NW
Washington DC 20004

Reservations:  202.783.6060

Update: It has come to my attention that TenPenh has closed :(

Friday morning started our first full day in DC.  We knew that we were going to do the Discover DC Safari with Segs in the City at 2:30pm, so we planned lunch for TenPenh at 1pm in order to be directly across the street from where the Segway tour began.  (On a side note, it was awesome and our tour guide, Adam, was full of interesting tidbits of information I’d never heard before.  It was a great way to cover quite a bit of ground in the city!)  We dined at TenPenh earlier in the year and I was eager to try out their lunch menu.  Art cheated a few months ago and went there with a coworker for lunch, so it wasn’t new to him anymore.   

We had a great table by some large windows, so I was able to get some good light for my photographs.  Apparently lunch is the best meal as far as lighting goes, too bad I can restrict myself to that meal!  

As a pre-meal munchy, we were given a bowl of steamed edamame in shells.  I’d never had these before and was pleasantly surprised with the flavor.  They’re a bit nutty!

Art and I both ordered a glass of lemonade with ginger.  While I found the drink to be entirely too tart and sweet, Art was happy enough to drink both our glasses.

Stir Fry Minced Chicken Lettuce Wraps Shiitake Mushrooms, Pine Nuts, Mustard Sambal

For an appetizer we shared these lettuce wraps.  The sauce was rich with peanut butter and just a little on the hot, spicy side of the spectrum.

Ahi Tuna Burger Wasabi Aioli, Pickled Ginger and Asian Slaw

My entrée was the Ahi Tuna Burger, rare.  It was, indeed, rare.  The slaw was very spicy as was the aioli.  I put all of it on top of my burger, sort of like a Rueben, and was in seventh heaven with all the flavors going crazy in my mouth.

TenPenh Vegetarian Pho Seasonal Vegetables, Tofu, Rice Noodles

Art was nursing a bit of a cold, so he opted for the Pho.  The smell was amazing when it was brought to the table and had accoutrements of basil, hoisin, jalapenos, and sriracha.  The taste was great, he was kind enough to share a taste with me, and it did wonders for his throat.  He tried to lick the bowl but was unsuccessful.

Saigon Cinnamon Sugar Dusted Donuts Dark Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding

We opted to share a dessert and the only one that really called to me was the donuts.  It’s the same dessert I had the last time I was at TenPenh, but some things are irresistible.  Warm, freshly made donuts are among those things.

With our check, we received two coconut bibingka.  These are a Phillipine sweet made from rice flour and other good stuff.  The taste was very reminiscent of coconut macaroons.  Which I love.  So I loved these too!

My second experience with TenPenh was as lovely as the first.  Even having been there two times, I’m still eager to go back for more.  

Total price, including tip: $55.99.

TenPenh Restaurant
1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Reservations:  202.393.4500

Art and I just got home from a long weekend mini-vacation in our nation’s capital.  We enjoyed being touristy and eating good food.  It’s amazing how many great places there are to eat and how close they are to home!  

I picked all of our restaurants with the help of Washingtonian’s 100 Best Restaurants list.  We were not disappointed at all with any of the choices.  It all started with a visit to Bistro Bis by Jeffrey Ruben.  

The décor was very relaxed and we both felt very comfortable.  I had requested a table with good lighting and wasn’t disappointed.  Our server was attentive and extremely knowledgeable which is always a bonus.  It’s nice to feel that the people serving you have actually eaten the food they’re serving!  

Our meal started off with lovely little gougères.  The cheese tasted like asiago to me, but I might be wrong.  They were nice and light.

Gougères were followed by warm sliced bread with butter.

Salade de Tomates au Marché Market tomatoes with opal basil sorbet, shaved petit basque, micro basil and balsamic vinaigrette

And then came my salad, the clear winner of the meal.  The basil sorbet, which is in the middle, was phenomenal.  Everything else was great, but that basil sorbet was perfection.  Hindsight ²⁰⁄₂₀, I should have ordered this salad for every course of the meal.

Salade Frisée au Lardons Frisée lettuce with applewood smoked bacon, poached path valley farm egg and sherry vinaigrette

Art’s salad was also delicious!  He is slowly becoming a lover of poached eggs which is pretty astounding; he used to avoid any hint of runniness in eggs.  The bacon was great, nice thick slices cooked almost crisp.  The egg yolk combined with the vinaigrette to make a delicious dressing for the salad.

Lapin Chasseur Mustard crusted loin of rabbit with glazed carrots, sweet potato mousseline, herb spaetzle and tarragon rabbit

I ordered the rabbit from the specials.  It’s on the menu to try out for the restaurant’s fall menu and, having never had rabbit before, I decided to be adventurous and give it a go.  The taste was somewhere between chicken and steak, a bit more flavorful than chicken breast but in a way that was hard to put my finger on.  While I enjoyed the meat, I’m not sure I’d go out of my way to order rabbit again; I prefer fish, cow or lamb.  

In the top left corner of the plate, I had some wild mushrooms served in a cup made of Brussels sprout leaves.  The top right has the spaetzle and there are teeny roasted carrots in between the two.  In the middle you can see the mousseline with sweet potato crisps on the top.  I cleaned my plate.

Raviolis Ardenaise Artichoke stuffed pasta with crisp bayonne ham, oven dried tomatoes, arugula and caramelized onions

Art ordered the ravioli.  He loves artichoke and dried tomatoes, and, especially, ravioli.  This was all fantastic and he was kind enough to share one delicious bite with me.

Ratatouille Provençale

We ordered Ratatouille Provençale for the table and Art loved it.  I found it a bit to bell peppery and oily for my tastes, but I’ve never been a huge lover of ratatouille to being with.

Coconut Chiboust Coconut crème and almond génoise with milk chocolate crémeux, passion fruit coulis and fresh berries

I have very little idea what any of those words mean, but it was delicious.  It was rich, but not too much so.  The coconut flavor was very mild but present in every bite.  The thing on top is a dried slice of pineapple – wow.

Art’s dessert is not on the menu so I can’t post the name and description for it.  Our server referred to it as “The Chocolate Thing.”  The chocolate in the middle was very heavy and similar to fudge.  It was also orange flavored.  Surrounding it were supremes of grapefruit, grapefruit gellée topped with berry coulis, hazelnut powder, and candied orange rind.  All topped with a cherry and a praline thing.  Art loved it.

And then, because we don’t do these things every day, we had a cheese course.  We were given a print out of cheeses to choose from, picked three, and then they arrived with some accoutrements.  Sadly I forgot to take pictures of the entire plate before we started to eat; I guess we were just too excited!

Our first cheese, Hoch Ybrig (cow) from Switzerland, can be seen in picture above.  It’s the rich gold cheese that’s in the back row farthest away from the knob in front.  It’s described as “slightly granular in texture with full-flavored nuttiness.”

Our second cheese, Pecorino Tartufo (sheep) from Italy, is “semi-hard and speckled with pieces of shaved truffle.”  The truffle was very subtle and lovely.

This is the plate that all the cheeses arrived on, but I only remembered to take a picture of it when only the Rockie Sage (goat) from the USA was left.  This is a “young cheese aged with Colorado sage to give it a distinctive aroma and spiciness.”  While the sage was strong, stronger still was the rind which made it taste more like a blue cheese than anything else.  I’m not a lover of blue cheese, but it was mild enough that both Art and I were able to enjoy the taste.

The accoutrements included bread, crackers, apricot mustard, and pear puree.

This was a fantastic and satisfying meal.  The restaurant was very warm and inviting, nothing on the menu was “scary” for a person not accustomed to French dining.  

Total price, including tip, sodas for Art, and no alcohol: $162.83.

Bistro Bis
15 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

Reservations: 202.661.2700

Friday evening we headed to BLT Steak by Laurent Tourondel.  I’ve been interested in going here since last March while investigating restaurants for my birthday.  I was reminded of my interest while perusing Washingtonian’s 100 Best Restaurants list during trip planning.  

The restaurant is in a great location and was a very easy walk from the hotel.  The atmosphere was pretty laid-back and relaxed; the tables just had placemats, no tablecloths.  The chairs were comfortable and the noise level was low enough that we never had a problem with our conversation.  

Our meal started off with some house made chicken liver pâté and toasted bread.  If I think about pâté too much the idea sort of squicks me, so I tried not to think about it while trying it.  The pâté was great and had a very rich flavor.

And then the popovers came.  Freshly made, with gruyere cheese, and that little card in the picture had the recipe.  They were light, eggy, and perfectly puffed.

Tuna Tartare / Avocado / Soy-Lime Dressing

For the second night in a row, my appetizer was the star of my meal.  It was served on a plate set on ice.  The soy-lime dressing had a hint of wasabi.  I wish they had given me a spoon instead of a fork to eat this with since I had a hard time getting all of the dressing up with a fork.  In the cup on the right you can see some of the waffle potato chips peeking out.

Butternut Squash Ravioli / Candied Walnuts / Foie Gras / Sage

Art continued his ravioli trend and ordered this special.  He’d never had a good foie experience but I assured him that, when done correctly, foie just melts away into deliciousness.  This was definitely done right.  The foie was rich and buttery, the ravioli were perfect, and Art enjoyed reinforcing his newfound love of butternut squash.

American Wagyu Skirt Steak / Horseradish Sauce

Since I was at a steak place, I felt obligated to order steak.  I have recently discovered a love of skirt steak, so I opted for their Wagyu Skirt.  Every steak comes with a choice of one of nine sauces and, being in a spicy mood, I went with the horseradish.  The steak was extremely flavorful; it was topped with tarragon and some crouton bits.  The horseradish paired very well with the steak.  I like skirt steaks.  They’re similar to flank steak and have a nice meaty flavor.  Both of our steaks were sliced into manageable pieces which was a nice touch.  It’s hard to cut a steak in one of those cast iron serving dishes!

Adobo Marinated Wagyu Flank / Oregano Lime Vinaigrette

This was one of the evening’s specials and, when our server told us about it, Art had no other options.  He loves southwestern flavors and this really hit the spot.  The meat had a great chipotle flavor and was topped with a compound butter and some thyme.  The sauce was extremely flavorful and Art found that a little went quite a long way.  I thought the little plastic cows to indicate degree of doneness were a cute little touch.

Stuffed Mushroom Caps / Potato Skins

We ordered two sides to share and, while both were tasty, neither were awe-inspiring.  The potato skins were served with crème fraîche which was a nice touch.  The stuffed mushroom caps were a bit soggy and not as flavorful as I would have liked them to be.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse / Banana Ice Cream

My dessert was ridiculously rich.  So much so that I was only able to eat about half before giving up.  The ice cream tasted of fresh, not quite ripe, banana.  Just the way everyone in my family aside from me likes them.  The peanut butter and chocolate flavors in the mousse were both strong, I enjoyed it quite a bit, and I would have been content with a portion half the size!  It was topped with a praline flower.

Carrot Cake / Ginger Ice Cream

Art is quite the lover of carrot cake and he was very thrilled with this dessert.  Unlike the ginger ice cream I’ve made in the paste, this one had a very subtle flavor.  The carrot cake was full of great flavors and he ate every bite.

And with our dessert we were given a pair of these little chocolate caramel pastry things.  I have no idea what they are; I just know they were also very rich.  I had one bite of mine and Art was happy to eat the rest!

Overall I enjoyed our BLT Steak experience.  Our waiter was knowledgeable and friendly and the service was perfect.  When either of us got up from the table a server would immediately come over to fold our napkin correctly.  The recipe card for the popovers was also a very nice touch.  

My only disappointment was our seating.  I had requested a table with nice lighting for photography in my reservation and, while there were clearly open tables for two with better lighting in the restaurant, we were not seated at one of them.  This made me sad and resulted in me needing to use a flash while taking pictures – a solution that is never the optimal one.  

Aside from that minor point of contention, everything was fantastic and I’d be happy to dine here again!

Total price, no alcohol, including tip: $207.08

BLT Steak
1625 Eye Street NW
Washington, DC 20006

Reservations:  202.689.8999

Art, Lance, and I just had the pleasure of dining at Brabo in Old Town Alexandria.  From start to finish the experience was a pleasure.  I found the restaurant through the internet – we knew we wanted something in Alexandria since it’s a fairly easy drive from our home and doesn’t require an hour on the Metro.  Brabo was rated fairly well on a few sites, so after running it by Art and Lance we decided that it would be a great location for our August celebrations. 

It’s located on King Street and has complimentary valet parking which made it quite a cinch to access.  The décor was nice and simple, the seating was comfortable and my request for good lighting in the reservation got us a great table by the front windows with plenty of natural light.  We started dinner around 6:15pm and it wasn’t until dessert that the light started to run out. 

Southern Pennsylvania Tomato Gazpacho Avocado Tomato Relish

After quite a bit of deliberation, and input from our server, I chose the Gazpacho for my started.  The presentation was fantastic – it was served in a bowl with just the avocado tomato relish in the center and the gazpacho was then poured around it from a small carafe.  The aroma of the gazpacho struck me immediately and it was all uphill from there.  I wanted to lick my bowl when I had finished.  The baby croutons on top were fantastically crispy and it was served with wasabi crème fraîche which added a great spiciness to everything.

We also got toasty warm baguette slices which were served with butter that had a few kinds of salt sprinkled on top.  I just wanted to show the gazpacho first, but the bread was served shortly after we sat down.

Hamachi Crudo Sweet Soy, Ginger Milk, Yuzu

I admit, I ordered this for the table to share solely due to wondering what hamachi tastes like after watching so much Top Chef.  Crudo is, apparently, very similar to sashimi.  The hamachi had a nice flavor, similar to other fatty fishes, but a bit fishier finish than tuna has.  We all tried it and even Art found it passable.  The sauce was sweet and complimented the fish well.

Pipe Dreams Farms Mixed Green Salad Raw and Braised Local Path Valley Vegetables, Lemon Vinaigrette

Lance ordered this salad.  While I didn’t get to taste it, it appeared to be very nicely dressed.  Each piece of lettuce had a nice bit of shine, just right.  The carrots, beets, and radishes all appeared to have been cut with a peeler or mandolin.  It was fresh, crunchy, and just the right amount of salad.

Parma Ham Wrapped Roulade of Caesar Salad Parmesan Tuile

Art had a hard time deciding which starter to order since many of them tickled his fancy.  He went with the Caesar and was not disappointed.  He was even kind enough to share with me one of the soft boiled quail eggs!  The presentation of this dish was great.  The lettuce was served wrapped in Parma ham, the dressing and croutons are on either side with the egg halves, and the Parmesan tuile on top was nice and crispy.  Every restaurant has a Caesar salad and every restaurant has their own take on that salad, this was a unique one and it succeeded.

Seared Chesapeake Rockfish Potato Gnocchi, Baby Artichokes, Wild Mushrooms

I had a very hard time choosing an entrée for myself.  I was only able to make a decision by telling myself that I was going to enjoy Brabo so much that I would want to return.  I ended up going with the rockfish because it’s a fish I don’t recall having before, it’s the Maryland state fish, and I love artichokes and well prepared gnocchi.  I was not disappointed at all!  The greens on the top are (I think) baby arugula.  The gnocchi were light and the artichokes melted in my mouth.  The fish is a mild white fish and didn’t have a strong fishy flavor at all.  Everything on my plate came together perfectly.

Grilled Lamb Tenderloins White Bean Puree, Ratatouille, Cumin Madeira Sauce

Art probably deliberated longer than I did over entrée choice.  I believe he made the right choice because he made such exclamations as “you must make ratatouille in the future” and “this is the best lamb I’ve ever had” and “I want to like the plate!”  I’d say his dish was a resounding success and, because he rocks, he gave me a taste.  It was pretty much perfect and the lamb was prepared fantastically rare.

Fell’s Point Bistro Filet Belgian Frites, Roasted Shallot Cabernet Sauce

For Lance, the entrée choice was an easy one.  He loves cow.  He loves filet… it’s what he orders most often when we go out and I can’t blame him at all.  He certainly got a winner at Brabo.  The filet was a beautiful medium rare and he said that the sauce reminded him of the stroganoff of his youth.  It didn’t have quite the same sear as you’d find at a steakhouse, since the filet was served sauced.  Since Lance also rocks, I got to taste the filet as well and it was wonderfully tender.  I guess I’ll have to try to figure out how to replicate the sauce at some point.  The fries were also lovely and served with…

… mayo.  They were Belgian frites after all, it’s only proper.  Three different kinds of mayonnaise no less.  Sadly I forgot to try them!

Fricassee of Irwin’s Mushrooms

Art ordered these as a side to share.  It was a nice blend of wild mushrooms with garlic and parsley.  Tasty and well prepared.

Dessert was a very hard choice.  The list of ice creams and sorbets our server gave us was fantastic and I would have been happy to have tried all of them.  The cheese plate would have been lovely to split as well.  The tart, brûlée, and mousse are their most popular desserts.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Terrine White, Milk and Dark Chocolate Mousse, Burnt Orange Cardamom Sauce, Pistachio Tuile

Both Art and Lance decided to go with the mousse.  Both of them found it tasty, Art loved the Orange Cardamom Sauce.  I tasted a bit of Lance’s mousse and I think it would have hit the spot if I had been in a chocolate mood.  Lance would like everyone to know that “terrine” means “in a bucket,” so now you know.

Tahitian Vanilla Crème brûlée Fresh Berry Compote

But I wasn’t in a chocolate mood, so I went with the Crème brûlée instead.  Between you and me, loyal readers, I think I made the right choice.  It was creamy and rich; I could see all the vanilla bean seeds through the dish.  The top was caramelized wonderfully and the serving size was just what I wanted.  I’m not a huge berry fan but I fished a strawberry out of the compote and it was tasty enough.  It couldn’t compare to the awesomeness of the brûlée though, so I just stuck with that.

Overall, this was a great dining experience.  Art was giddy like a schoolboy afterward and had nothing but praise for the meal.  Lance and I were also thrilled but maybe a bit less vocal!  The service was great, our server was attentive but didn’t hover, she was also knowledgeable about the food and able to answer all of the questions we had for her.  I was thrilled that they accommodated my request for a table with good lighting for photography.  I’m happy to say that we will be going back, so I’ll be able to try all those dishes I had to pass up on our first visit. 

After the meal we walked next door to The Butcher’s Block where Brabo sells many of the raw materials used in the dishes they prepare.  I came home with four lovely duck breasts which just counts as the icing on the whole Brabo experience. 

Total price, including tip, 4 bottles of cola, a double espresso, and no alcohol: $225.63.

BRABO Restaurant
1600 King Street
Alexandria, Virginia

Reservations: 703.894.3440

For our second night in Indianapolis, we had hoped to eat at Fogo de Chao with friends. Those plans fell through, so we ended up going to Morton’s the Steakhouse which was just down the street from Fogo. Of the four places we went to while in Indianapolis, Morton’s was the only disappointment.

The bread was a nice, large loaf of onion bread. It was toasty warm and served with good butter.

We both ordered salads. Lance got the Center Cut Iceberg salad which is their version of “the wedge.” It was a quarter head of iceberg, with thousand island, blue cheese, tomatoes, bacon and egg.

My salad was a chopped salad with lettuce, egg, tomato, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, and maybe some other things as well. My salad was definitely the best part of my meal. I wish I could remember everything that was in it!

For our entrees Lance ordered the Double Cut Filet Mignon and I ordered the Sesame Encrusted Yellowfin Tuna. Both were overcooked which made for sad diners.

My tuna was grey throughout instead of the rare to medium rare I ordered. Sigh.

We also ordered Lyonnaise Potatoes which, sadly, were also overcooked to the point where they tasted burnt.

For dessert, Lance ordered the “Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake” which was nothing more exciting than the molten chocolate cake every restaurant seems to serve these days. I had the Double Chocolate Mousse which was amazingly rich and delicious. I’d given up on pictures by that point due to the lighting.

The service was fine, but nothing to write home about. Our waiter was friendly but seemed rushed due to the restaurant closing.

I’m not sure if other Morton’s are better, but I don’t see myself rushing to find out anytime soon.

Total price, including tip with no alcohol: Unclear.

Morton’s the Steakhouse
41 East Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Reservations: (317) 229-4700

Every year I have the pleasure of going to GenCon in Indianapolis, IN and, every year, I eat at some pretty great restaurants.  This year started off with a visit to 14 West with the recommendation of both Urbanspoon and the hotel concierge.  While the lighting was poor, which seems to be a trend in Indianapolis and a bummer for me, the food was delicious and surprisingly inexpensive.  The service was attentive and the overall experience is one I’d be happy to repeat in future years.  

Due to the lighting, these posts won’t be quite as photo-heavy as previous restaurant articles have been.  I have come to the conclusion that, when making a reservation and being seated, I should just request a table with adequate lighting.  

Our meal began with house made pretzel rolls and a choice of herbed butter, mustard, and regular butter.  The rolls were fantastic and fresh.

From there we had salads.  Lance ordered the spinach salad which was topped with a perfectly poached egg, feta cheese, crispy pancetta, balsamic vinaigrette, and red onion.  The egg yolk mixed with the vinaigrette to form a great dressing for the salad.  This is one of those techniques I’d love to try at home some time.

I had the Caesar salad which included a parmesan crisp and homemade croutons.  It was also fantastic.  

For our entrees, Lance had the Chicken which, sadly, isn’t on the menu on the restaurant’s website, and I didn’t take notes during dinner!  I believe it was served with mashed potatoes.  The bite I had was nice and tender.  It’s also worth noting that most all of their meats were from local farms which is a huge plus in my book.  The picture of his dish didn’t turn out at all.

I ordered the Crispy Duck Confit which was served with goat cheese and mushroom crepes and a cherry glaze.  Lance thought my portion was a bit small, but I found it to be just perfect.  The duck was crispy, amazingly flavorful, and the crepes were a fantastic pairing.

For dessert we opted to split the Chocolate Mousse Cake.  It was a hollowed out pound cake filled with rich chocolate mousse and served with a ball of toffee coated vanilla ice cream.

This was a great dining experience and I’d strongly consider going again next year.  The service was spot on, we were never left wanting for drinks or anything else.  The only downside of the whole meal was the lack of lighting.  

Total price, including tip with no alcohol: Unclear.  

14 West
14 West Maryland Street
Indianapolis, IN

Reservations: (317) 636-1414

On Wednesday evening, Lance and I had the pleasure of dining at Le Cirque in the Bellagio.  Las Vegas is one of the few cities in the US that has Michelin rated restaurants and, while planning our meals for the trip, eating in one was a goal of ours.  We had initially planned to eat at Picasso but, after seeing their menu, it didn’t appeal to us as much as it should have.  We switched our reservation to Le Cirque and there is no question that we made the right choice.  I think it’s safe to say that it was the best meal of my life until now.  

The restaurant itself was on the small side, there were only 19 tables.  One side of the restaurant had windows that looked out over the Bellagio’s fountain display.  The rest of the walls had circus themed artwork, and the ceiling was stylized like a circus tent.

I found the plates to be quite pretty, so I took pictures of those as well.  

The menu presented us both with some hard choices.  Lance opted for an appetizer, main course, and dessert, but after careful consideration, I went with the degustation menu.  This was a 5 course meal that included an amuse-bouche, “pre-dessert” and dessert.  

But first, we got rolls.  Lots and lots of rolls.  Starting at the bottom and going up, the options were French rolls, olive rolls, something that I can’t recall, bacon and onion rolls, and pretzel rolls.  Between the two of us, we tried everything except the middle bread.  Each was perfect.  The butter on the table was stamped with the Le Cirque logo.

We each received an amuse-bouche.  Lance’s was a fresh gazpacho and mine was an oyster topped with caviar.  I was envious of the gazpacho since I’m not a huge shellfish fan and oyster is especially shellfishy.  It was tolerable with a bread chaser.  I’m sure an oyster lover would have enjoyed it much more than I did!  

Our first courses were served at the same time.  Lance ordered the Petit Mesclun de Salade which was organic mixed greens, heirloom tomatoes, and Crotin de Chavignol which is a type of cheese.  Shaved fennel tops the entire thing off.  The tomatoes are thinly sliced and wrapped around the salad in a beautiful and colourful presentation.

My first course was the Lobster Salad “Le Cirque.”  I really needed better lighting for these pictures because none of them do the food justice.  This salad was wrapped in thinly sliced cucumber and, hidden within the cucumber, was a mixture of greens, diced haricot verts, avocado, cucumber, and three chunks of lobster.  The salad was extremely light and refreshing.  I would have never thought to combine all of those ingredients, but it worked perfectly.

Then Lance got to watch me eat for a few courses.  This is Sautéed Foie Gras, Candied Cherry, Peach, Late Harvest “Verjus.”  It’s served on top of brioche and, sadly, I had a taste before I remembered I needed to take a picture!  I’ve only had foie gras once before and I was not very impressed.  This, however, was amazing.  It melted in my mouth like butter.  The verjus is a reduction of grape juice and I had to fight the urge to lick the plate when I was finished.

Next I had Pesto Risotto with Diver Sea Scallops, Tomato and Basil.  It also has pine nuts scattered on the top.  Phenomenal.  Eating this made me want to rush home and figure out how to make pesto risotto in the privacy of my own home.

Our next course was served at the same time.  Lance had Poulet Rôti Contiser à la Truffe Noire which was roasted organic chicken, summer truffle and long macaroni noodles with a foie gras sauce that filled the pasta.  It had mushrooms and some tomato on the top.  While you can’t tell from the picture, on the right side was light meat and the left side was dark meat.  The chicken was amazingly moist and Lance declared it the best of his life.  He generously shared a taste with me and it was pretty fantastic.  The skin was nice and crispy as well.

I got the Paupiette of Seabass with Braised Leeks and Pinot Noir Sauce.  I’m pretty sure this is one of those dishes that I’ve seen on Top Chef.  It’s sea bass wrapped in a very thin layer of potato that is then cooked somehow to get nice and crispy.  Beneath the bass were braised leeks and a rich pinot noir sauce.  Sea bass, like foie, is something I’ve eaten before and haven’t been impressed with.  I now understand why so many people love it, when prepared correctly, it’s just awesome.

My next course, and the only one for which I had a choice, was Colorado Lamb Loin, Cocoa Nibs, Peas Mousseline, and Potato “Souffle.”  The other option was Kobe steak but, having had it the night before and being a lover of lamb, this was an easy decision to make.  The potato thing on top was hollow and crispy.  The shadow on the right side of the plate was the cocoa nibs.  The green underneath the lamb was the peas mousseline and you can see white mushrooms between the lamb and peas.  The lamb was medium rare and absolutely delicious.  Again, I wanted to lick the plate to get all of the rich sauce.  But I behaved.

Ah, dessert.  Lance and I both received the dessert menu and made our choices.  Then I was informed that I would be getting a “pre-dessert.”  I tried to talk my waiter out of it but he insisted that I try so I capitulated.  I was getting fairly full at that point, you see.  I am so glad the waiter won because this was yet another outstanding dish.  The glass is surrounded with lime cotton candy.  The layers are, from top to bottom, blood orange foam, panna cotta, and then blood orange gelee which you can just barely see at the bottom.  Between the foam and panna cotta was a dollop of meyer lemon sorbet.  This might have been the best dessert in my life.  I might attempt to cook panna cotta myself in the future.

Our “main” desserts were served together.  Lance got the Fraise Pochée à La Vanille, Crème au Yuzu, Streusel Croquant.  This was a vanilla poached strawberry with yuzu cream and vanilla ice cream.  It was served in this amazing bowl made of ice that kept the dessert chilled while you ate and melted if you left your spoon resting on it for too long.

My dessert was a humongous bowl of pineapple sorbet.  After all of the rich food I wanted something light and palate cleansing.  I had no idea that there would be so much of it!  I ate about a scoop and a half and the two shortbread rounds that you can see peeking out from underneath the bowl.

We also got a plate of petit fours.  There was a marshmallow in the middle but Lance ate it before I could take the picture.  I can’t vouch for their tastiness since I was too full to attempt to eat any of them.

This meal was amazing.  The service was perfect although I’m sure we made the sommelier sad by sticking with water only.  Once the waiter saw me pull out my notepad to take notes during the meal, he asked me if I wanted a copy of the degustation menu to take my notes on.  How awesome was that?  Our water glasses were always full and all the staff at the restaurant was attentive to our needs.  

The silverware was also amazing.  Each course came with 2-3 new pieces of silverware and, if necessary, an explanation of why I was getting each piece.  (A knife for risotto?  Apparently it was to cut the scallop.)  

If I ever have the chance to eat at Le Cirque again, I will, without hesitation.  The food was fantastic, the service was flawless, and it was a very comfortable experience overall.  I’ve talked with many people who fear fine dining because they worry they’ll feel out of place.  This was a very easy and comfortable meal, it left us both feeling completely satisfied.  

Total price, including tip: $311.48

Le Cirque
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV

Reservations: (866) 259-7111

Oh Delmonico, we had such high hopes for you and you let us down gloriously.  I wish we had opted to eat at B&B Ristorante across the hallway instead of using up a precious meal at Delmonico.   

Lance and I had the pleasure of eating at Emeril’s Tchoup Chop in Orlando back in early 2007.  We’d both been pleased with our meals and I figured we’d get another great meal at Emeril’s Delmonico Steakhouse while we were in Vegas.  

At the start of the meal, our servers introduced themselves, we requested our typical glasses of water, and proceeded to peruse the menu.  Everything was off to a good start and we ordered our salads, steaks, and sides.  Sides are served family style and sized to feed 2-3 people.  

I started my meal with the vine ripened heirloom tomato salad with red onion, mozzarella cheese, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  When tomatoes are in season, I just can’t get enough of them so tomatoes tend to be my standard first course in some form.  The salad was delicious if a little bit drippy.

Lance ordered a salad from the specials of the day and it was called Emeril’s green salad.  In addition to the mixed greens, it had sundried tomatoes, pepper jack cheese, and creole croutons.  It was a well dressed, nice salad.

Our steak course followed.  Lance ordered filet mignon which came with a nice dollop of herbed butter.

I ordered the bone in rib steak which is, apparently, the house specialty.  Both steaks were fine and done to our liking.  The rib steak was extremely flavorful and Lance helped me to finish off the last few bites.

One of our sides was roasted fingerling potatoes and whole garlic with fresh herbs.  These were pretty, garlicky, and tender.

Our second side was sautéed garlic mushrooms.  This was a mixture of wild mushrooms with butter and garlic and also tasty with our steaks.

It was during our main course that we noticed something was amiss.  For both our salads and main course, we hadn’t seen our servers after they delivered our food.  No one checked in to make sure everything was satisfactory; no one refilled our waters, nothing.  We briefly wondered if our lack of alcohol intake made us below the staff’s notice.  For whatever reason, we didn’t see our servers again until well after we were finished with our main course.  This was extremely disappointing and surprising.  There was another long wait to be able to order desserts, but we did, hoping that dessert would redeem the meal. 

On a slight tangent, the silverware looked like something Uri Geller had gotten to.  A few Matrix comments were also made.

Lance ordered the chocolate brioche bread pudding with Hawaiian vintage chocolate ice cream and warm chocolate fudge.  The bread pudding was moist and soft, the ice cream was dark, slightly bitter, and rich.  It was a very rich dessert overall and extremely delicious.  The combinations of warm and cold worked very well together.

I ordered the pecan pie with an oatmeal shortbread crust, vanilla bean ice cream, and caramel sauce.  The crust for this was very tasty but I’m not sure that, as a whole, it was better than the pecan pie I make for my family every year at Thanksgiving.  It was good, but I wasn’t blown away.

We were then ignored some more by the staff before getting our bill and leaving.  Perhaps the staff was just having a bad night?  The restaurant certainly wasn’t full and there wasn’t smoke pouring from the kitchen, so we saw nothing that would give us cause to believe our service should have been so inattentive.  Members of the waitstaff were frequently hanging around in a corner of the room together, so it’s unclear what exactly was going on.  

This meal, which was our last one in Vegas, was a letdown.  We’ll probably give other Emeril restaurants chances in the future, but we will not be revisiting Delmonico anytime soon.  Or ever.  

Total price, including a below-average tip: $217.10

Delmonico Steakhouse
The Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Reservations: (702) 414-3737