I still have my Williamsburg posts and a slew of other backlog, but I’m skipping ahead for this momentous occasion: dinner at The Inn at Little Washington. I finally had occasion to go, and it being The Inn and all, I wanted to blog about it while it was still fresh in my mind. I had, of course, heard amazing things about this place for a long while, but its location (an hour and half drive into remote countryside) and price tag always suggested that this would be for special occasions only. Somehow though, one has to make the occasion, and that in itself becomes special. I think yesterday was the ideal time to go: taxes were done, old friends had been met, and the weather was gorgeous. Why not celebrate, just because?

The drive down was lovely, as we took a hilly two lane road through miles and miles of farmlands and vineyards (I’m sure we passed several farmer’s markets and wineries..) It was scenic and felt like we were really far out there, an escape from the city. We arrived a few minutes early, so we popped into the gift shop next door to the inn, and also walked around the patio behind the restaurant to admire the koi pond and tulip garden.

Fishies!

This was a cute gazebo. X)

The tulips were so colorful! The tables in the dining room were all adorned with fresh tulips as well.

We could’ve sat at this table by the garden, but we chose to sit inside. I would love to come back to have afternoon tea at this exact table, someday!

They were still “preparing the dining room” when we arrived for our dinner, so they escorted us to sit for a while in the “living room.” This was the light hanging above us. The living room was plush and decadent, but not too pretentious, which I loved. It was exquisite but still comfortable, an approachable kind of luxury. I found the dining room similarly decorated. There was a touch of whimsy to the decor that made you feel right at home.

All right, enough about the looks of the place. Onward to the food! There were two options for us: A la Carte, a four course dinner for $168, or the “Gastronaut’s Menu”, a ten course tasting menu for $208 (or $308 for wine pairing). We went for the a la carte, because 10 courses sounded like too much food, and besides – between the two of us, we could try up to eight different dishes of our choosing! By the way, the menus were personalized, and they were given to us to take home after the meal! So if you’re like me and take pictures of the menu, you don’t have to bother. ;)

Pictured at the top is my friend’s first course, chilled Maine lobster with citrus marinated hearts of palm, avocado and a peppercorn gastrique. Fabulous! Loved the different textures and flavors of this dish. There was a hint of vanilla in one of the sauces, which was quite interesting. You can go so wrong in mixing vanilla with savory dishes, but it really worked here.

Rewinding back to the amuse bouche courses: pork belly (always amazing), and chips and dip with caviar, chives and sour cream. Wow! Loved both of these. The chips and dip was especially refreshing to start.

Our second round of amuse, a cheese puff (love the pedestal) and local asparagus soup. This was possibly the best soup I’ve ever had in my life. The asparagus was so intense and fresh! I think the fact that it was warm rather than chilled just made it all the better.

My first course: carpaccio of herb crusted baby lamb with Caesar salad ice cream. I was so intrigued by the savory ice cream, I just had to give this a try. It was most definitely Caesar salad ice cream. XD I felt like I was trying something from Iron Chef! The chilled dressing in ice cream form was so much fun to have with a slice of the crisp lettuce. The carpaccio was tender and seasoned just right.

My friend got macaroni and cheese with Virgina country ham for her second course, which came highly recommended by our waiter. The accolades were definitely well deserved. This was unlike any mac and cheese I ever had. There was a hint of truffle, which made it a little more sophisticated, though the presentation itself certainly set it off as something pretty special already. The pasta had a nice bite to it, and the cheese was just rich enough.

For my second course, I chose grilled breast of young pigeon marinated in blueberry vinegar on a zucchini crêpe. Blueberries and gamey bird clearly make a winning combination. The pigeon was perfectly cooked, though you can’t really see the wonderful pink color it had from this angle. The only downside of this dish was the crêpe, which unfortunately got a little soggy under the sauce.

Main course: curry dusted veal sweetbreads with morels, Virginia country ham and pappardelle pasta. I only had a bite of this, since I was already pretty full by the time the main course came around… The sweetbreads had an amazing crispy crust, and the sauce was oozing in the flavor of morels. Amazing. Definitely a very rich finish.

My main course was little lighter: miniature filet of code saute with lemon vodka sauce and lilliputian shrimp dumplings. Still, I had to take some of this home because I had to leave room for dessert! Loved this dish as well! The fish was delicate and light, pairing well with the pop of shrimp shumai-like dumplings. Loved the lemony creamy sauce.

Dessert course: called “A Spring Fling”, this is a miniature strawberry-rhubarb crisp with limoncello pudding cake and rhubarb frozen yogurt. Ooooh my goodness amazing. The pudding cake was fluffy and gorgeous! The crisp had a great crust and was piping hot on the inside, with just the right amount of sweet and tart. The rhubarb yogurt was surprising and fun!

I had the warm granny smith apple tart with buttermilk ice cream, which was phenomenal. They place the scoop of ice cream on top tableside, so I was able to see what the tart looked like before. The apples were arranged in such a way that it looked like the petals of a flower. Was sorry I didn’t take a photo beforehand. The tart had a very thin layered crust, which was a nice change from a lot of fruit tarts I’ve had, where the tart shell is like a dense, hard cookie. The plate had trails of cinnamon sugar, which was a nice sweet touch against the tartness of the apples. By the way, dessert comes with coffee or tea. x)

As the meal winded down, they brought us these precious Inn at Little Washington mini boxes! And inside…

There were cookies, chocolates and candied fruit. What a sweet way to end the perfect dinner!

Needless to say, I cannot wait to go back again. The Inn has an ever changing menu according to the seasons, so I’m sure the next time I have occasion to come, I’ll be amazed all over again. ♥

Some friends and I took a weekend trip down to Williamsburg, Virginia a few weeks ago, and I’m here to give you a full report on the food that was had! We took the train down on Friday night, then ventured out the following day for an early brunch. We stopped in to Blue Talon Bistro, located in historic downtown Williamsburg. Everything is pretty close together in the town, and there are lots of cute shops and restaurants just in that area.

The interior of Blue Talon was absolutely adorable, with warm blue, red, and yellow hues that made the place very nice and inviting. Of course, there were a number of rooster decorations propped up around the restaurant, and in the area where we sat, they had a pretty tin ceiling with a design pounded into it. The whole atmosphere was airy, country chic.

As for the food: pictured above is my dish, the Belgian waffles with smoked bacon and fruit compote. This was the best waffle I’ve had in forever! It was incredibly soft and light on the inside, but with just enough crispy on the outside. Loved the compote, which was made with blueberries and had a nice tartness to contrast with the syrup.

The rest after the jump:

I had to take a photo of the “historic tap water” and the adorable Blue Talon plates they provided. The water did taste quite good!

To drink (aside from the historic tap), I got a Parisian hot chocolate. This was extremely rich and decadent, like a melted down high quality chocolate bar. Very thick and creamy! Loved the home made marshmallow on top of it.

My friend got the cold brewed iced coffee, which came in this fabulous tall glass. It was really refreshing!

My other friend got a brunch classic, a mimosa. I think she got the traditional kind, though they had a number of varieties, including passion fruit and tangerine. She said it was pretty standard.

Sausage and grits casserole with poached eggs. Oh my god, this was amazing. The grits were made with Cheddar cheese, and were the creamiest, tastiest grits I’ve ever had! And I’ve had quite a few grits in DC (mostly with shrimp). This will be the standard by which I compare all grits in future. I loved it with the sausage. I think with the whole Smithfield pork thing, the Williamsburg area just boasts a lot of pork centric dishes! Results are pretty satisfying. Eggs might have been a touch over, but I actually prefer it that way.

Spicy black bean stew with Chorizo, ham, onion, garlic and two poached eggs. I didn’t taste this, but my friend seemed to enjoy it. =)

I so wish they had a place like this near me, because I’d be there in heartbeat every weekend! ♥

Eola has been on my list of places to try for a long while. It’s always on The Washingtonian top places to eat, but more than that my friends have consistently given praises for this place. And to me, that’s the best testament. Eola is described as modern American cuisine and as having a “cozy and unpretentious interior.” I suppose it fits the bill in that regard – the restaurant was small and charming. We sat upstairs where the lighting was decent (not too dark, though I still needed a lot of flash for my photos), and the ambiance was relaxed and homey. It was also relatively quiet, which is a rarity in DC. The downstairs seemed a little louder but it was hard to tell from the foyer.

It seems like there’s some confusion on Yelp, but Eola only offers a pre-fixe menu, so make sure you’re prepared to spend $61-$65 on a five course meal. The $61 is for the vegetarian or the offal menus. $65 is for the standard menu. Aside from the few chef’s bites in the beginning, you get a choice of about four items each from appetizer, pasta, main course, and dessert courses. My friend and I tried to mix it up as much as possible so we could taste a wide range things. =)

Pictured above is my main course – the Border Springs Farm lamb roast with farro, mustard greens, turnips and long lamb’s jus. I had it done medium rare, so it came out quite juicy and tender. I thought it was very good! I don’t think there was anything particularly remarkable about this dish, but was definitely satisfying. I liked the texture of the farro and the slightly tangy mustard greens.

The rest:

After we ordered, we got a bread basket with a side of lemon rosemary butter. I always love it when they include a special kind of butter with the bread. The butter was cold though, which was fine except…I love it when restaurants put in that extra thought to make butter a spreadable temperature.

First of the chef’s little bites was a plate of root veggie chips. Loved these! Very light and crispy, and full of flavor. Kind of like those exotic chips you get at Whole Foods, except more delicate.

Kumamoto oysters with orange, micro greens and creme fraiche. This was a little disappointing because it basically had no flavor. There was no briny saltiness I expect from oysters, and no citrus zest from the orange. Loved the presentation, though.

Confit of pig’s heart. I’d never had heart before, so there was a short hesitation for me before I put this in my mouth. It wasn’t bad, though I’m not rushing to try more pig’s hearts as result of it. It was tender, salty and not too scary.

Some kind of cheese (I didn’t jot it down) between a pastry of some kind (also didn’t write it down). The cheese had a kind of peppery kick to it, which was nice to wake up the taste buds.

Celeriac consomme with black olive oil. This was delicious! I was wary at first because it just looked like a shot of oil, but it was very subtle and smooth. I could have a bowl of this stuff!

Okay, I have to take a moment here to laugh at the person on Yelp who complained about the size of the portions for the chef’s bites. An amuse bouche is supposed to be one bite. Reading such whining reminded me of when I used to work as a barista and one ignorant customer berated our staff for daring to serve them espresso in such a small portion. Honestly, I wish people would understand what they’re ordering before complaining about being ripped off!

My friend’s appetizer: confit of Cedarbrook Farm pork belly with sunchoke, fermented radish puree, forbidden rice, mushroom glaze. I had a bite of this and it was delicious! I didn’t even notice the fermented radish puree, which I was certain would be overpowering. The pork belly was extremely fatty though.

Country style pork sausage with cannellini beans, swiss chard and long jus, my appetizer course. I liked it! The beans complimented it nicely, a softer texture and dripping in the jus.

Hand cut tagliatelle with beef cheeks, onion, potato and parmesan. This was good too, but just a little on the salty side for me. It was also very rich, as though it was cooked in butter. I think the portion size was good, considering the heaviness of the dish. (We both got this one, so no second pasta course picture!)

My friend’s main course: Pacific fluke with wheat berries, cauliflower puree, spicy apple-celeriac remoulade, and cumin froth. I’ve never been a fan of “froth” and this dish didn’t change my mind about it. It’s just kind of airy and pretentious and doesn’t add anything special texturally to the dish. I think sometimes it can be a nice thing to taste but I usually just prefer it be in a sauce or something. Only had a bite of this, and I thought it was good…nothing wild and amazing.

My friend’s dessert: rose scented panna cotta with stewed and candied citrus zest, powdered rose and cayenne glass. I liked the panna cotta! It was most certainly rose, which was intriguing. The cayenne glass was spicy (my friend thought maybe too spicy?) and the rose powder was very strong and kind of bizarre. I think it was an interesting concept, but there was way too much of it on the plate.

My dessert: steamed meyer lemon ginger pudding with boubon anglaise, clove chantilly. Lovely! I liked this one a lot. The pudding had a soft cake like consistency and it paired well with the anglaise (wish there was more of it). The chantilly was smooth and fab.

In all, a very good meal and I would most certainly be back again in the future when the menu changes. (And I understand it changes frequently).

One last thing though before I finish: If you ever come here on a busy night, make sure you eat up your courses within 3 hours. My friend and I overstayed our 3 hours by just a few minutes and the floor manager came by to kick us out! I was a bit gobsmacked, to be honest. On the one hand, I do understand that they need to turn the tables around, but…when I end up spending close to $100 on a dinner (includes one drink, tax and tip), I don’t expect to be kicked out of the place before I’m ready to go! I thought it was extremely tacky of them. And to think, when the manager stopped by, I initially thought it was to thank us for coming. Hahah! Boy, was I wrong…

My friend T had been talking up a storm about Honey Pig forever. A few months back, we finally took him up on it and drove out to Annandale with a group of hungry meat lovers to get our Korean BBQ on! The place is apparently open 24-7 (except Mondays 2am-11am) and you can almost always find some kind of crowd in there whatever hour of the day. The decor is pretty bare bones, almost industrial looking with cement floors and sheet metal panels on the walls. You can tell they’ve just forgone the extra frills and you just go there for the good eats.

We were seated fairly quickly upon arrival, which was surprising since I’d expected to wait a while. (We did have a reservation, but I had heard that sometimes you still have to wait). We ordered an obscene amount of food to share with the table and sat back to wait for it all to roll in.

Pictured above is the seafood pancake, which was pretty tasty. Imagine a scallion pancake but with all kinds of savory seafood chunks like shrimp and squid. It came with a dipping sauce and i thought it was a great thing to nibble on as the meat was being cooked.

The rest under the cut:

We got a bottle of soju for the table. I’ve always been wary of trying soju because it sounds so much like “shochu” – Japanese potato liquor. And I’ve always hated shochu. It’s got a very pungent smell and taste that I abhor. But I tried some soju and it’s actually much more like sake than shochu. Crisp and non-offensive. ;)

Banchan, or Korean style side dishes, came courtesy with the meal. There was kimchi, pickled cucumbers with beansprouts, and a bunch of other stuff I don’t even remember but it was all very good.

A simple salad with leafy greens and onions, with a splash of vinaigrette. Also part of the banchan.

Steamed dumpling casserole, which I believe was made with pork. I liked the flavors in this a lot. A few of my friends found the texture of the meat rather unappetizing though. It’s that strange slightly ground soft consistency they have in some kebob dishes.

Kalbi! Aaah, these beef short ribs were excellent. The waiter comes by and cooks it right in front of you (there’s a grill in the middle of the table), cutting it up in nice slices. Mmm…I want some again. We also got spicy pork belly but the photo came out very blurry so I won’t be posting that here.

I don’t remember exactly what this was called, but it had seafood in it, and some veggies. No one was really enthusiastic about this dish, which was sad because it came out last. We ended on a down note, but even that wasn’t enough to dampen our foodie spirits!

Afterward, we stopped in at Shilla Korean Bakery (across the street), where they sell all kinds of pastries, cakes, breads, and – strangely enough – shave ice.

In all, a fabulous foray into the rarely ventured territory of Virginia (for me, anyway!)

Okay! I’m going to start posting some of my restaurant pics from 2010 that I never got around to, so do bear with me as I bumble through with my faded memories. A few months ago, I finally got around to trying Sushi Taro in Dupont Circle. I know it’s been a while since they changed over their interior design and menu concept, but I hadn’t actually dined there since the switch. I was really curious to see how they would fare, since I’d heard quite a few mixed reviews. I personally loved the former Sushi Taro, so I was a bit sad that they’d changed, but still hopeful that their new menu would delight.

I walked in and the interior was remarkably different from before. The former homey look with the tatami mats was gone, replaced by a very natural, wooden design with a fresh and modern feel. I liked it, actually! And it was well lit, which isn’t something you can say for a lot of restaurants in DC. (And this is one of my pet peeves…why so dark, DC restaurants? I’d like to see my food too!)

You can order from the menu or ask for the omakase kaiseki-style tasting menu for $80. (You can get it with the wine (sake?) pairing $138). Kaiseki is traditionally a seasonal meal, so this particular menu – from October – reflected what was fresh from the market at the time. If they’re doing it right, you won’t see the same menu now if you stop in for their kaiseki. By the way, if you get the tasting menu on a Tuesday, you get a free bottle of Sushi Taro sake (normally $30), which is what we did!

Pictured above is actually the second course – the “signature dish” of goma (sesame) tofu with uni (sea urchin). I love fresh tofu. I’m used to the grocery store kind, but a homemade tofu is creamy and delicious in ways that you could never imagine tofu could taste like. Apparently my mom used to make tofu fresh, back when I was a kid and you couldn’t just go to the supermarket for a ready-made block of this stuff.

The rest of the meal under the cut!

The first course (apertif), fig wine. A refreshing palate cleanser to start! Love how elegant this looked.

Third course (oshinogi, the rice dish) is matsutake rice with blue crab. Matsutake is my favorite mushroom ever. (It’s also extremely expensive to get any of this stuff fresh). I love matsutake infused rice! It’s got that earthy and savory flavor that I adore and it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I think this was a pretty great dish, though perhaps the matsutake could’ve been a bit more aromatic.

Fourth course (sashimi) was as you see, a platter of fresh raw fish. You can supplement with “premium” sashimi for an extra $15, but we didn’t do that.

The fifth course (soup) came in this adorable teapot with a cup. You pour the broth into the cup, and sip on that while picking out the meaty bits from the teapot with your chopsticks. This is a style of service called “dobin mushi,” which means it’s steam boiled in an earthenware pot. They served soup like this back before the switch over, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. This one was a hamo (conger pike) and matsutake mushroom. Delicious! Loved the squeeze of lime for a bright acidity.

Here’s the inside of the pot.

Sixth course (hassun) was this awesome platter of seasonal goodies. I don’t even remember most of what was there, but rest assured that it was all amazing. (I should’ve taken notes, but ah…I was too busy STUFFING MY FACE).

Seventh course (yakimono) was a sanma pike mackerel, prepared in a “houraku-yaki” manner. Which I believe refers to the vessel it’s cooked it. It’s a bit hard to see it from this photo, but it’s a lidded pot that had a block of salt with what looked like dried buckwheat noodles.

By the way, I’m not sure why I keep shooting all these photos at weird angles. I’m probably trying to get as much of the dish in the frame as possible, but I think it’s a problem when I’m giving myself a cramp in my neck when I go through these in Photoshop. XD

Next up, eighth course (shabu shabu). Every one of us got our very own little pan of broth and fiery mini-stove to cook with. I love activity food! I usually think of beef and veggies for traditional shabu shabu, but this one was just for oysters.

Aren’t they gorgeous? Such pearly looking perfection! I almost didn’t want to cook them, because I prefer raw oysters, but i figured I should consume it the way the chef intended.

Another weird angle shot. You can see the dipping sauce, salt dip, and the little cute scoop used to sweep up the oysters.

Ninth course (sushi). You get a choice of 3 nigiri from a selected list, or for $10 extra, you can pick 5 from the entire nigiri menu.

Maki was another option, I think. But I don’t exactly remember if it replaced a nigiri..

For the tenth and final course (dessert), you got to choose from a selection of three: kuro goma (black sesame) ice cream, hoji-cha (roasted green tea) pudding, or locolat cake. I got the tea pudding, pictured here. Fabulous! Not too sweet, and I do love tea flavored desserts. It was a nice touch to use houji tea instead of the traditional green.

Here’s the black sesame ice cream. It tends to taste like peanut butter, but less sweet. I like it.

In all, this was a fabulous meal! I don’t remember too much about my kaiseki meal at Makoto, but I remember being less than impressed by that one. This was also miles above the dinner I’d had earlier that month right next door at the famed and totally overpriced Komi. (I won’t be doing a post on Komi – chiefly because they don’t allow you to take pictures!) I would love to go back for another kaiseki meal, winter version. X)

Aaah, ramen! Nothing like a hot and tasty bowl of the good stuff when you have a salt craving. I finally got to try Ren’s Ramen a little while ago, after hearing that it reopened in Wheaton. The place is located in a tiny strip mall on a side street. (The parking lot is pretty small, so it’s better to park on the street).

The ramen comes in one size, ranging from $10~11. Slightly pricy for ramen if you ask me, but it’s not like there’s a plethora of ramen shops to choose from in this area, so I guess it’s a markup for the novelty of it. They have the classic choices of miso, shoyu (soy sauce), and shio (salt) in addition to things like tonshio (I’m guessing it’s a mix of tonkotsu – pork bone stock – and salt), and a spicy variety.

I got the tonshio, which came with bean sprouts, pork, bamboo shoots, and scallions. I ordered corn for an extra 75 cents. In all, I think it was really tasty, though for this price point, I’m not sure about how often I’d come. I actually felt a bit ill afterward too, but perhaps it was just that I haven’t too much oily foods in a while.

Ren’s is cash only, and no reservations, so you might have to wait a few minutes to be seated!

I love Pinkberry. I think the froyo trend is kind of overrated, but I have to make an exception for this place, because their frozen yogurt is the bomb. It’s not too mouth puckeringly tart, and it still tastes like it’s not a thousand calories. (I don’t actually know though – I’ve never checked the data). I work near one, which is pretty dangerous. Thankfully it’s been a little too cold lately so I haven’t been showing up there every week.

My favorite is the mango, and though they always have an ample selection of toppings to choose from, I usually only get two items: the mochi and the homemade gummy bears. The mochi doesn’t really taste like much but I love the chewy texture of it. The gummy bears are quite possibly the best I’ve ever had, and they’re coated in a crust of sugar.

I also love that these come in a ‘mini’ size, which is usually just the right amount for me when I need a quick sugar fix!

Okay, so totally belated, but I really wanted to post these pics from Thanksgiving because it was an amazing time with lots of great food, and it would be a shame to let these linger away on my hard drive.

Hosted by my favorite foodie pair N & I, Turkey Day 2011 was bound to be a dazzling affair and it did not disappoint. Pictured above is the turkey that was purchased from an (Amish?) farm somewhere, and shipped fresh and express. I thought it came out really well, succulent and perfect. (Sorry it’s at a weird angle…it was hard to get it all in one shot!)

The rest of the feast after the jump:

I made a roasted beet and clementine salad with arugula and sherry vinaigrette. This was actually pretty labor intensive for a salad. What took the most amount of time was peeling every single sliver of orange. I thought it came out pretty tasty though, if I can say so myself. xD;;

Corn souffle, but the hostess. Aah, airy and amazing! I love corn, so of course this was one of my favorite dishes. If I were ambitious enough, I would ask for the recipe.

What’s a Thanksgiving dinner without a great cranberry sauce? This was the homemade version, though they also had the canned variety.

Brussels sprouts hash, also by the hostess. I love brussels sprouts, for their slight bitterness.

Another hostess-made dish, the leek mac and cheese, always amazing!! Love, love, love this recipe.

Someone brought mashed potatoes, and they were creamy and fab.

Pearl onions! Nice and sweet.

Candied sweet potatoes, also brought in by a guest~

Vegetarian stuffing! And I remember this because they put a green pot holder behind it to distinguish it from the non-vegetarian.

…which would be this one.

Desserts were also had, though I didn’t get a chance to take pictures of them. =( There was pie, ice cream, cupcakes…and most importantly – sticky toffee pudding! In all, a wonderful meal and a lovely Thanksgiving spent around fabulous people. ♥

Woot, an update! I’ve decided to just start with a more recent meal, since slogging through the folders of old food pics is getting a little daunting… And by recent I mean last night’s dinner! This must be some kind of record for me. (^__~)v

I admit I haven’t really dined much in the Silver Spring area, which by my own cursory observation, is mostly filled with chain restaurants that don’t warrant a special visit or blog posting. I’m not so confident that this is actually the case. There are probably a number of nice little places in the city that I’ve never heard of, and I was recently introduced to two such places within the course of a few weeks. One was 8407 Kitchen Bar across the street from the Metro station. I unfortunately didn’t take any pictures of that meal so there won’t be a post about it, but it was very good (and I hope to make another visit soon). The other place was Jackie’s Restaurant, which is the one I went to last night.

I think Jackie’s has been around for a while, because I’ve been seeing it for a long time from my train window as it pulls into Silver Spring station. I’d never actually been inside it until yesterday though! The interior is pretty cute, and very pink, with kind of retro looking chairs and comfortable booths stuffed with throw pillows. The lighting was pink as well, which was an interesting contrast to the rustic stone walls and almost warehouse like windows. I liked the open kitchen, but hated the ceiling. It’s one of those ceilings that are open, so you can see all the wires and pipes that should normally be covered up. I know people leave it there as a design element but I have always despised this look, as it feels very unfinished and I frankly think it’s very ugly.

Moving on to the food! I was kind of intrigued by the menu, which offered things that aren’t all that commonly seen in area restaurants, like wild boar and pheasant. I was curious about the pheasant, so I was glad when my friend ordered it. Pictured above: Pheasant ragout with black trumpet mushrooms over trofie pasta and pecorino toscano. I had a bite of it, and it was as the waitress described – like a hardy stew. It’s definitely a gamey bird, probably a good choice for a stew to bring out its rich flavors. I thought the pasta was interesting, as it had a dense texture to it. There were actually a few bones it this dish though, which I’m guessing was a mistake.

The rest:

I got a hot apple cider. Nothing particularly remarkable, but it sure warmed me up on a cold night!

I got their lentil soup, which had nice onion crispy things. I don’t actually remember what it was, but there was definitely chunks of some fruit in there as well, which was…interesting. The lentils themselves were actually rather bland.

I had the pan roasted rockfish with pork belly and peewee potatoes, brussels sprouts and citrus beurre blanc. The fish was light and fabulous, perfectly cooked with a crispy sear on the skin. Loved the brussels sprouts, which retained some great texture and color. (I’ve never had brussels sprouts so green before!) Pork belly, you can never go wrong with, in my opinion. Loved the bright citrus sauce as well.

After dinner, we popped in to the Sidebar next door for a cocktail. They have a really great drink menu there, and I had a champagne cocktail with elderflower that was pink and fabulous. X) It’s a nice little lounge and they have a pool table in the back that you can use for free (so long as you’re paying for something else). They have an intriguing list of $25 cocktails that use some rare liquors in the mix, if you’re interested in that sort of thing. =)

WOW. Okay, so I’m an utter blog failure. After being away for so long, it gets harder and harder to come back, haha. However, I do have a whole lot of stuff on my computer that I can post, if only I remember the meals themselves. And with the year coming to an end and all, it seems as good a time as any to start again. Hopefully I’ll be posting more regularly for 2012…or at least that’s the plan. ♥

Meanwhile, I hope everyone has been having a great holiday and Christmas! It always feels a bit anti-climatic when Christmas falls on a weekend. It’s a day off ANYWAY so it doesn’t feel special at all. And tomorrow is back to the grind, which is no fun at all. The week between Christmas and New Year is kind of a drag, too. I didn’t really do anything too special this year. Being Japanese means Christmas is just about presents, more or less. (We’re more New Year’s people, and even that has been more and more low-key in my family in recent years). But I always try to get a log cake since it’s any excuse for seasonal sweets is a good one.

I got it from Les Delices bakery again this year. Last year’s Bûche de Noël was from there as well, and I had been a bit disappointed by the mildness of the praline cake. I decided to go with the classic chocolate this year, and it was definitely much better! The vanilla cake was very moist and soft, and the chocolate mousse icing whipped and wonderful. Not too sweet, which seems to be a pretty consistent trait with the bakery items at Les Delices.

More pics under the cut, including a poached pear tart, also from the same bakery:

The decorations are a bit large and maybe somewhat crazy but it’s festive and colorful!

Red wine poached pear tart! I thought this was very good, but definitely on the less sweet side. The wine poaching left the pears a little on the tart (haha) side, but not too bad.

One more~

Merry Christmas, everyone!