We heard raves about this place.
Must be folks from Omaha or something, or anti-foodies. Food wasn't bad....it was fine, well-prepared. But it was not inventive in any way, very ho hum.
Bread: maybe the best part of the meal, warm and tasty
Cocktail: Green Dragon Mojito, fine
Appetizer: Ch didn't like his corn soup; my salad was good enough
Mains: CH not very impressed with his steak. My salmon with veggies was well-prepared. Nothing remarkable about it. Certainly not cravable.
Side of corn: meh.
Dessert: Very boring choices, circa 1985. Chocolate "Godiva" lava cake with vanilla bean ice cream was the least old-fashioned on the menu (ha!). It was fine. Wasn't oohing or ahing. But it was relatively tasty.
Service: A little too intrusive. It's better than being inattentive, but they always seemed to be fussing with things at the table. But good overall.
Bill: $$$$$$$$$
Table was comfy, had quiet conversation, so a nice evening. No need to go here or recommend it, though if someone else is paying and you're not craving exciting food it's not bad.
Showing posts with label fine dining. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fine dining. Show all posts
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Veladora Restaurant Review (Rancho Santa Fe)
Hit Veladora for a post-Valentine's Day dinner.
REMODEL: Beautiful. Feels like a secret getaway far away, not a few miles off the 5. Love the art. Tables are well-spaced. Totally different than its previous golf club look. Beautiful courtyard and lighting.
TABLES: Nice looking, but we agreed with folks on Yelp or Open Table who said they were not 100% comfortable. We were kind of too far from the table, had to lean forward.
SERVICE: Very friendly. Attentive at first, but then slower than we would expect at these prices.
FOOD: Very good, cutting-edge. Eric Bauer (formerly of Anthology) has gone crazy here with Chino produce and innnovative flavors.
BREAD
--Decent warm rolls, kind of interesting combo of EVOO-balsalmic-parmiagano reggiana
DRINKS
--Got a mocktail of organic strawberries, agave nectar and lime juice. Perfect! (and they only charged me $6 instead of what it would cost with alcohol - bonus!)
AMUSE-BOUCHE
--cute little deep-fried kale and parmesan soup (spoon of soup deep-fried = hollowed-out tasty fritter). Even CH liked it, and I don't think of him as a kale fan.
APPS
--CH got the carrot and squash soup with spiced mascarpone and some other yummy components. We both thought it was terrific. He saved me a few spoons.
--I got the market vegetable salad. In a sense it was more "boring" than his soup, which showed more cooking flair and a more complex flavor profile. HOWEVER, it was incredibly light, refreshing and tasty. The vegetables were all shown off beautifully. I ate every morsel up, including the crème fraîche, herb pesto and "beet soil" at the bottom. It was certainly tasty and virtuous. Would probably get the soup next time.
ENTREES
--Cute Husband got the cap steak ($45). He enjoyed it - said it was "very good." He substituted smoked carrots for the brussels and thought they were delicious. His plate was substantial.
--I got Squash Tortellini with Umami Consommé in an entree size. It was very tiny for $29. However, it was extremely tasty and innovative. Ate up every morsel.
DESSERT
--CH was not hungry, since he had a substantial soup and a large entree. I was starving, since I had a light appetizer and small entree. I bypassed a very yummy sounding ricotta cheesecake with salted caramel ice cream and chestnuts for a tarte tatin, which I was somehow more in the mood for. It was as I expected. Wasn't anything innovative (in fact, it wasn't as good as the strudel I had at Crush last week). BUT it was tasty, properly made. Warm stewed caramelized apples, with nice pastry, nice crispy thing, and good vanilla bean ice cream. I happily ate it up. On another night I'd be in the mood for something more innovative.
BONUS DESSERT
--Little plate of mignardaises: salted caramels and passion-fruit jelly. Jelly was fine. Caramels were excellent - too bad there were only 2 of them! We could have eaten more.
Will we return right away? Probably not. Not cheap, and would have liked more attentive service. But it's beautiful, and the food is very yummy and certainly innovative in places. It will be worth another visit in a while! (Am planning my next visit to Grant Grill, though, which still has my crown for the combo of FANTASTIC cocktails-elegant atmosphere-terrific service-very good food).
REMODEL: Beautiful. Feels like a secret getaway far away, not a few miles off the 5. Love the art. Tables are well-spaced. Totally different than its previous golf club look. Beautiful courtyard and lighting.
TABLES: Nice looking, but we agreed with folks on Yelp or Open Table who said they were not 100% comfortable. We were kind of too far from the table, had to lean forward.
SERVICE: Very friendly. Attentive at first, but then slower than we would expect at these prices.
FOOD: Very good, cutting-edge. Eric Bauer (formerly of Anthology) has gone crazy here with Chino produce and innnovative flavors.
BREAD
--Decent warm rolls, kind of interesting combo of EVOO-balsalmic-parmiagano reggiana
DRINKS
--Got a mocktail of organic strawberries, agave nectar and lime juice. Perfect! (and they only charged me $6 instead of what it would cost with alcohol - bonus!)
AMUSE-BOUCHE
--cute little deep-fried kale and parmesan soup (spoon of soup deep-fried = hollowed-out tasty fritter). Even CH liked it, and I don't think of him as a kale fan.
APPS
--CH got the carrot and squash soup with spiced mascarpone and some other yummy components. We both thought it was terrific. He saved me a few spoons.
--I got the market vegetable salad. In a sense it was more "boring" than his soup, which showed more cooking flair and a more complex flavor profile. HOWEVER, it was incredibly light, refreshing and tasty. The vegetables were all shown off beautifully. I ate every morsel up, including the crème fraîche, herb pesto and "beet soil" at the bottom. It was certainly tasty and virtuous. Would probably get the soup next time.
ENTREES
--Cute Husband got the cap steak ($45). He enjoyed it - said it was "very good." He substituted smoked carrots for the brussels and thought they were delicious. His plate was substantial.
--I got Squash Tortellini with Umami Consommé in an entree size. It was very tiny for $29. However, it was extremely tasty and innovative. Ate up every morsel.
DESSERT
--CH was not hungry, since he had a substantial soup and a large entree. I was starving, since I had a light appetizer and small entree. I bypassed a very yummy sounding ricotta cheesecake with salted caramel ice cream and chestnuts for a tarte tatin, which I was somehow more in the mood for. It was as I expected. Wasn't anything innovative (in fact, it wasn't as good as the strudel I had at Crush last week). BUT it was tasty, properly made. Warm stewed caramelized apples, with nice pastry, nice crispy thing, and good vanilla bean ice cream. I happily ate it up. On another night I'd be in the mood for something more innovative.
BONUS DESSERT
--Little plate of mignardaises: salted caramels and passion-fruit jelly. Jelly was fine. Caramels were excellent - too bad there were only 2 of them! We could have eaten more.
Will we return right away? Probably not. Not cheap, and would have liked more attentive service. But it's beautiful, and the food is very yummy and certainly innovative in places. It will be worth another visit in a while! (Am planning my next visit to Grant Grill, though, which still has my crown for the combo of FANTASTIC cocktails-elegant atmosphere-terrific service-very good food).
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Grant Grill (downtown):
Went to Grant Grille last week before a concert. They were busy with opera patrons but still were pros at getting us in and out without feeling rushed.
Grant Grill is a classy f***ing joint. This is why it is my favorite restaurant. We dressed pretty casually, next to folks in tuxedos and floor-length gowns. We were treated the same. Great service. Super bread. Fantabulous Jeff Josenhans cocktail (got holiday in Cambodai - cognac, lime, jasmine infusion), with him wandering the dining room playing manager so I could emote to him in person about how delish it was. We shared the big delicious salad. I got the albacore pastrami (minus the speck ham) - had forgotten I had ordered it before. Was delish. I would only replace the onions that are the only vegetable on the plate - who really wants to eat a plate of onions - would rather have something healthier and more substantial. CH liked his meat (can't remember what he got).
We didn't order dessert, but they brought us four tiny, perfect mini-chocolate cookies with our check.
Again, Ricardo Heredia and Alchemy still reign as my #1 place to get your culinary mind blown. But Grant Grill is indeed a classy f***ing joint, that joins a friendly unpretentious elegance with great food and RIDICULOUSLY tasty cocktails. (I am completely sober now so am waxing at the memory of how good it was, not still under the influence.....)
Grant Grill is a classy f***ing joint. This is why it is my favorite restaurant. We dressed pretty casually, next to folks in tuxedos and floor-length gowns. We were treated the same. Great service. Super bread. Fantabulous Jeff Josenhans cocktail (got holiday in Cambodai - cognac, lime, jasmine infusion), with him wandering the dining room playing manager so I could emote to him in person about how delish it was. We shared the big delicious salad. I got the albacore pastrami (minus the speck ham) - had forgotten I had ordered it before. Was delish. I would only replace the onions that are the only vegetable on the plate - who really wants to eat a plate of onions - would rather have something healthier and more substantial. CH liked his meat (can't remember what he got).
We didn't order dessert, but they brought us four tiny, perfect mini-chocolate cookies with our check.
Again, Ricardo Heredia and Alchemy still reign as my #1 place to get your culinary mind blown. But Grant Grill is indeed a classy f***ing joint, that joins a friendly unpretentious elegance with great food and RIDICULOUSLY tasty cocktails. (I am completely sober now so am waxing at the memory of how good it was, not still under the influence.....)
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Round-Up of Recent Visits: A. R. Valentien, Bibby's Crepe Cafe, The Stadium
Now here's a group of restaurants that no one would put together:
--Fine Dining at A.R. Valentien (Lodge at Torrey Pines)
--Breakfast with Boy at Bibby's Crepe Cafe (La Jolla)
--Sports-Bar Dining at The Stadium (Encinitas)
But I've been to all three recently and don't have time for full reviews, so here goes:
A. R. VALENTIEN: Still good, but didn't seem nearly as good as it used to. Both CH and I thought so. Enjoyed my kabocha squash ravioli and crispy-skin arctic char. But the char was swimming in butter. It was tasty but not the light food that Chef Jeffrey Jackson used to serve. The veg. that came on the side used to be spectacularly light and tasty: lukewarm broccoli sauteed in garlic that honestly wasn't better than most cheap places in town. Wudn't nothing like the grilled farm-to-table veggies at Tender Greens, for a fraction of the price. Did love the yummy Jordan Chardonnay (if it's going to be $15 for a glass of wine, I want it to be a spectacular glass). And liked the free mini-desserts at the end. But this was our fave restaurant once upon a time. Definitely ain't anymore, can't see going back for a few years.
BIBBY'S CREPE CAFE: Decent place to bring ST, though it was mobbed: when ST went for a while on Cute Husband's lap, they took his own chair away because they needed it to use at other tables. Took a while for food to come and ST was in a bad mood, but when it came it was very good. REAL BUCKWHEAT CREPES, portions much larger than at Fabrison's in Little Italy. At the same time, I suspect that the crepes weren't 100% buckwheat. Even though Fabrison's crepe fillings are much less generous and well-priced and I was hungry after eating there, the crepe itself there was pure buckwheat pleasure and very delicious. The Bibby's crepe tasted less nutty, complex, etc. Buckwheat cheaters? But I would go back there if I was in the neighborhood. It wouldn't really satisfy a buckwheat craving, though!
STADIUM: Was very pleasantly surprised with this under-the-radar toddler-friendly place. Has a little kids' room with some toys and Cars the movie showing. Probably would work better if you went with more than 1 child, since ST didn't really want to stay in there by himself, which meant one of us was still sitting at the table alone. Food MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTED for a loud sports bar with screens everywhere. Very large menu; enjoyed my portabella mushroom sandwich with sweet potato french fries a lot, and there were many other veg choices I could have gotten. Great beer selection and very friendly, efficient service too. But CH (he of the unpredictable stomach) got a tummy ache afterwards so it may not get a return visit from us. Definitely worth a try with kids!
--Fine Dining at A.R. Valentien (Lodge at Torrey Pines)
--Breakfast with Boy at Bibby's Crepe Cafe (La Jolla)
--Sports-Bar Dining at The Stadium (Encinitas)
But I've been to all three recently and don't have time for full reviews, so here goes:
A. R. VALENTIEN: Still good, but didn't seem nearly as good as it used to. Both CH and I thought so. Enjoyed my kabocha squash ravioli and crispy-skin arctic char. But the char was swimming in butter. It was tasty but not the light food that Chef Jeffrey Jackson used to serve. The veg. that came on the side used to be spectacularly light and tasty: lukewarm broccoli sauteed in garlic that honestly wasn't better than most cheap places in town. Wudn't nothing like the grilled farm-to-table veggies at Tender Greens, for a fraction of the price. Did love the yummy Jordan Chardonnay (if it's going to be $15 for a glass of wine, I want it to be a spectacular glass). And liked the free mini-desserts at the end. But this was our fave restaurant once upon a time. Definitely ain't anymore, can't see going back for a few years.
BIBBY'S CREPE CAFE: Decent place to bring ST, though it was mobbed: when ST went for a while on Cute Husband's lap, they took his own chair away because they needed it to use at other tables. Took a while for food to come and ST was in a bad mood, but when it came it was very good. REAL BUCKWHEAT CREPES, portions much larger than at Fabrison's in Little Italy. At the same time, I suspect that the crepes weren't 100% buckwheat. Even though Fabrison's crepe fillings are much less generous and well-priced and I was hungry after eating there, the crepe itself there was pure buckwheat pleasure and very delicious. The Bibby's crepe tasted less nutty, complex, etc. Buckwheat cheaters? But I would go back there if I was in the neighborhood. It wouldn't really satisfy a buckwheat craving, though!
STADIUM: Was very pleasantly surprised with this under-the-radar toddler-friendly place. Has a little kids' room with some toys and Cars the movie showing. Probably would work better if you went with more than 1 child, since ST didn't really want to stay in there by himself, which meant one of us was still sitting at the table alone. Food MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTED for a loud sports bar with screens everywhere. Very large menu; enjoyed my portabella mushroom sandwich with sweet potato french fries a lot, and there were many other veg choices I could have gotten. Great beer selection and very friendly, efficient service too. But CH (he of the unpredictable stomach) got a tummy ache afterwards so it may not get a return visit from us. Definitely worth a try with kids!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Grant Grill (downtown)
Report on my birthday dinner this week at Grant Grill: AWESOME! NOT REMOTELY DISAPPOINTING! (last year at Roseville and George's in the past turned out to be less than ideal birthday choices - I hate choosing a "top" place for my birthday and then it doesn't live up to the hype).
ATMOSPHERE: Super-classy without being stuffy. Love the room - wood panels but comfy cream colored booths - glimpse of the street outside so it feels buzzy and urban. Thurs. nights there is live jazz in the bar. When we got there at 7:15 the bar was packed but we were the first patrons in the dining room, lots of privacy.
SERVICE: Terrific! Loved the waiter - took very good care of us. Promised me that if I didn't like my cocktail (was hesitating about what to order), he'd whisk it away and let me make another choice. Let me taste two different dessert wines too. He was very enthusiastic about the chef - told us just the right amount about his philosophy but not too much lecturing.
COCKTAIL: Awesome! Horton House = a kind of liquored egg cream. Chocolatey, cognacy, delectable....
BREAD: They take loving care in their daily baked bread, and it's like nowhere else in town. Totally flavor-rich, yeasty focaccia with herbs and EVOO, baked to order....served with butter and smoked salt. Definitely a signature of the restaurant.
APP: Loved my beet salad, scarfed it up. The Sweetie (he gets not to be the Dad on date nights) had a delicious farmer's green salad (thought it was too heavily dressed for me, but perfect for him - but I loved the dressing and the delicious roasted veggies with it)
ENTREE: The Sweetie loved his steak; I ate some of his potatoes au gratin (not his thing). My local California sea bass was lukewarm at first; they took it away and brought it back not hot but at least warm. Flavors were delicious - cubed sauteed sweet potatoes, grapefruit (they're doing a citrus theme this time of year across the menu), olives, lime keffir broth. Yum!
DESSERT: The only disappointing part of the meal. Chocolate pain perdu was pretty dry. But they brought a complimentary piece of chocolate hazelnut brittle>
BONSUES: It's pricey but restaurant.com can at least save you $23 if you get a $25 certif. for $2 on sale. Plus Sue Palmer (of SP and her Red Hot Orchestra) happened to be one of the patrons in the bar, and the band made her and her trombone player get up and do a song. Had to get out of my seat and go watch them - that was some red hot jazz right there!
DOWNSIDE: Felt totally overstuffed after, not like at Jai. Food sat in my stomach a bit all night. The Sweetie didn't have this problem....But the experience was an absolute 9.5 out of 10 - just perfect for a special birthday out, and a whole lot better than other places.
Yeah - this time my research paid off and the place was better than expected!!!!
Next on our list....Bite....stay tuned, dear readers!
ATMOSPHERE: Super-classy without being stuffy. Love the room - wood panels but comfy cream colored booths - glimpse of the street outside so it feels buzzy and urban. Thurs. nights there is live jazz in the bar. When we got there at 7:15 the bar was packed but we were the first patrons in the dining room, lots of privacy.
SERVICE: Terrific! Loved the waiter - took very good care of us. Promised me that if I didn't like my cocktail (was hesitating about what to order), he'd whisk it away and let me make another choice. Let me taste two different dessert wines too. He was very enthusiastic about the chef - told us just the right amount about his philosophy but not too much lecturing.
COCKTAIL: Awesome! Horton House = a kind of liquored egg cream. Chocolatey, cognacy, delectable....
BREAD: They take loving care in their daily baked bread, and it's like nowhere else in town. Totally flavor-rich, yeasty focaccia with herbs and EVOO, baked to order....served with butter and smoked salt. Definitely a signature of the restaurant.
APP: Loved my beet salad, scarfed it up. The Sweetie (he gets not to be the Dad on date nights) had a delicious farmer's green salad (thought it was too heavily dressed for me, but perfect for him - but I loved the dressing and the delicious roasted veggies with it)
ENTREE: The Sweetie loved his steak; I ate some of his potatoes au gratin (not his thing). My local California sea bass was lukewarm at first; they took it away and brought it back not hot but at least warm. Flavors were delicious - cubed sauteed sweet potatoes, grapefruit (they're doing a citrus theme this time of year across the menu), olives, lime keffir broth. Yum!
DESSERT: The only disappointing part of the meal. Chocolate pain perdu was pretty dry. But they brought a complimentary piece of chocolate hazelnut brittle>
BONSUES: It's pricey but restaurant.com can at least save you $23 if you get a $25 certif. for $2 on sale. Plus Sue Palmer (of SP and her Red Hot Orchestra) happened to be one of the patrons in the bar, and the band made her and her trombone player get up and do a song. Had to get out of my seat and go watch them - that was some red hot jazz right there!
DOWNSIDE: Felt totally overstuffed after, not like at Jai. Food sat in my stomach a bit all night. The Sweetie didn't have this problem....But the experience was an absolute 9.5 out of 10 - just perfect for a special birthday out, and a whole lot better than other places.
Yeah - this time my research paid off and the place was better than expected!!!!
Next on our list....Bite....stay tuned, dear readers!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Blanca (Solana Beach)
So this is not a new visit, but since Mr. Manvite wants to know what I think of Blanca let me post quickly.
Jason Neroni: genius (though a testy one, according to news articles). LOVED his food. The chestnut agnolotti were little pillows of heaven.
Service: Ill-informed and inefficient. Slow. On top of this, they lecture you about the chef (after asking already if you know about him)...that's the most time they spend at your table. WOULD NOT GO AND EAT IN THAT DINING ROOM AGAIN. Naomi Wise had a better experience with her server (rvwd in Reader a few weeks ago).
Recommendation: Before he leaves town (and if other people are getting service like we did, how can they be successful?), HIGHTAIL IT OVER TO HAPPY HOUR. That way you can eat his delicious food and not have to deal with the servers - presumably the bartender will be too busy to lecture you, and you'll be in a prime position to get alcohol while you're waiting for food (my wine did not arrive until after my appetizer at a table).
Jason Neroni: genius (though a testy one, according to news articles). LOVED his food. The chestnut agnolotti were little pillows of heaven.
Service: Ill-informed and inefficient. Slow. On top of this, they lecture you about the chef (after asking already if you know about him)...that's the most time they spend at your table. WOULD NOT GO AND EAT IN THAT DINING ROOM AGAIN. Naomi Wise had a better experience with her server (rvwd in Reader a few weeks ago).
Recommendation: Before he leaves town (and if other people are getting service like we did, how can they be successful?), HIGHTAIL IT OVER TO HAPPY HOUR. That way you can eat his delicious food and not have to deal with the servers - presumably the bartender will be too busy to lecture you, and you'll be in a prime position to get alcohol while you're waiting for food (my wine did not arrive until after my appetizer at a table).
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