We recently dined at Bistronomic, and were very pleased by the overall experience. Despite accidentally showing up an hour early for our reservation (long story), the staff was incredibly accommodating. When deciding if we should stay or go, I happened to mention to my dining partner (aka my fiancé) that it was his birthday and that we could go wherever he wanted. (And yes, it really was his birthday.) I didn’t say it for them to overhear, but they immediately took note. (Really, I didn’t.)
Fast forward to our actual dinner time, and the service was quick, polite and the waiter was filled with great suggestions, particularly with respect the right amount of food to order. There were many items on the menu that looked fantastic, but we managed to narrow down the choices and started with the grilled cheese of the day--camembert with truffle oil. The grilled cheese was very tasty, and I can’t believe that I’m about to type this, but there was TOO much oil. So much so, that some dripped off of the grilled cheese, onto my napkin and through onto my silk skirt. For our dinner courses, we ordered the chicken and the chicken/sweetbread terrine special. The special was definitely my favorite of the two. Although the chicken was delicious, the chicken/sweetbread terrine special came with a puree that was flavorful and complemented the dish well. Both the chicken and the terrine came with beautifully prepared mushrooms that are also available to order independently as a side. For our side, we ordered the spring vegetables which were fresh, bright and a great addition to our heavier meal choices.
We had planned on enjoying espressos for dessert, but the staff surprised us with a Baked Alaska with a little candle. We somehow found room for dessert in our very full stomachs to eat most of it. The Baked Alaska wasn’t served in a traditional style, instead, it was large scoops of ice cream, covered in caramel and slivered almonds, and topped off with a beautiful square piece of meringue. At the very end of the meal, the chef/owner walked around to each table to check on the customers and our dining experiences. I’m a sucker for those types of touches and attention.
Here’s the takeaway: I would definitely go back to Bistronomic to try various other dishes and to experience the exceptional service. If you’ve eaten at Bistronomic, I’d love to hear about your experience too.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Next
I had the pleasure of dining at Next a couple of weeks ago, and I would truly describe it as a pleasure…as well as a complete indulgence in cream and butter. For those who aren’t familiar with the meal or would like to see what we ate, someone from Metromix had a wonderful little photo essay which you can find here: Photo Essay. I tried to take photos, but I found that I was enjoying the dining experience too much to stop, as well as enjoying the wine pairing quite a bit.
Let me first start by saying that the service was fantastic. I was so eager to eat at the restaurant that I arrived 25 minutes early. The staff immediately seated me and poured, what seemed like, an endless glass of sparkling wine. The meal was long and I could describe each course in great detail, but I will simply give you my favorite highlights.
Although the appetizer included a quail egg with an anchovy served on top, a leek wrapped mushroom, a cracker with pork rillettes, a little piece of toast (very soft and delicious) with a foie gras filling and jam, and last, but certainly not least, a truffle topped egg custard in an egg shell. I think I could have eaten a whole bowl full of the egg custard. Well, perhaps if you put truffle on just about anything, I could eat a whole bowl full of it.
We were served a turtle consommé, but I press fast forward to bring you to the filet de sole daumond. Although my dinner date was a tad disappointed that he wasn’t afforded the opportunity to suck the crawfish head as the chefs created a beautiful crawfish mousse that we could easily spoon out and shovel into our gaping maws, we each cleaned our plates of the sole and crawfish served three ways with the side of freshly baked sourdough bread. The next dish was an underwhelming sous vide chicken, so I bring you to my favorite dish of the evening—pressed duck with a potato gratin. The duck was perfectly prepared using an antique duck press, and halfway through the course, we were not only brought a fresh little sourdough roll to sop up all of the goodness, but also a gravy boat filled with the savory duck sauce. Each potato in the gratin was a thin slice of creamy heaven. If the meal ended here, I would have been more than satisfied.
We both enjoyed the ice cream “bombe” for dessert. I realize that the preparation was probably anything but simple, but it seemed like a simple and refreshing way to finish the meal—coffee flavored ice-cream in a cocoa shell. But wait! There’s more! Just when we thought that our pants couldn’t expand anymore, we were served three “candy” treats which included a beet “gummy bear”, a pistachio nougat and a salted caramel square.
Although it was hard to obtain tickets to eat at Next, I will definitely try for a seat at the next round.
Let me first start by saying that the service was fantastic. I was so eager to eat at the restaurant that I arrived 25 minutes early. The staff immediately seated me and poured, what seemed like, an endless glass of sparkling wine. The meal was long and I could describe each course in great detail, but I will simply give you my favorite highlights.
Although the appetizer included a quail egg with an anchovy served on top, a leek wrapped mushroom, a cracker with pork rillettes, a little piece of toast (very soft and delicious) with a foie gras filling and jam, and last, but certainly not least, a truffle topped egg custard in an egg shell. I think I could have eaten a whole bowl full of the egg custard. Well, perhaps if you put truffle on just about anything, I could eat a whole bowl full of it.
We were served a turtle consommé, but I press fast forward to bring you to the filet de sole daumond. Although my dinner date was a tad disappointed that he wasn’t afforded the opportunity to suck the crawfish head as the chefs created a beautiful crawfish mousse that we could easily spoon out and shovel into our gaping maws, we each cleaned our plates of the sole and crawfish served three ways with the side of freshly baked sourdough bread. The next dish was an underwhelming sous vide chicken, so I bring you to my favorite dish of the evening—pressed duck with a potato gratin. The duck was perfectly prepared using an antique duck press, and halfway through the course, we were not only brought a fresh little sourdough roll to sop up all of the goodness, but also a gravy boat filled with the savory duck sauce. Each potato in the gratin was a thin slice of creamy heaven. If the meal ended here, I would have been more than satisfied.
We both enjoyed the ice cream “bombe” for dessert. I realize that the preparation was probably anything but simple, but it seemed like a simple and refreshing way to finish the meal—coffee flavored ice-cream in a cocoa shell. But wait! There’s more! Just when we thought that our pants couldn’t expand anymore, we were served three “candy” treats which included a beet “gummy bear”, a pistachio nougat and a salted caramel square.
Although it was hard to obtain tickets to eat at Next, I will definitely try for a seat at the next round.
Introduction
Welcome to the Hungry Esquire Blog! This blog started because of countless conversations with friends, family and colleagues about our favorite meals, restaurants and recipes. Let me also go on record here and say that I do not have culinary training—ok, only a little, but quite informally. The only thing that I truly have to offer here are my taste buds and my pure desire to eat and enjoy food.
This blog is intended to reflect a non-foodie’s experiences dining out, but hang on to your hats, loosen the notch on your belt and enjoy the ride—maybe we’ll all learn something along the way.
This blog is intended to reflect a non-foodie’s experiences dining out, but hang on to your hats, loosen the notch on your belt and enjoy the ride—maybe we’ll all learn something along the way.
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