Seattle Chef's Table Lark Restaurant

Last night Cindy and I joined our friends Rick and Karen for the 4th in the series of Seattle Chefs Table Dinners. This one held at Lark Restaurant. Six of Seattle's best chefs in a seasonal, one course per chef dinner. The food just keeps getting better and another good time was had by all. We started the evening with Hors d'Oeuvres and a White Port Cucumber Cooler provided by Lark. The cooler was very refreshing and light. A nice way to start. Unfortunately, the Hor's Deuvres were not flowing too freely so the only one Cindy and I saw in the half hour was the Frog Legs - as they say tastes just like chicken. It was very nice. Rick and Karen beat us there by a few minutes and they got all 3 of the Hors d'Oeuvres - especially liking the quail egg on brioche.

It is interesting how the physical layout and acoustics of each restaurant effects the whole vibe of the evening. This dinner was by far the most sedate - feeling more like eating in a busy but quiet restaurant than a communal food event. I like the noise and excitement better but others may well prefer the more private and quiet approach.

For the 3rd straight Chef's Table the highlights of the evening was the simple but exquisite offering of Holly Smith from Cafe Juanita vying closely with the sensuous beauty of the perfectly prepared more complex offering of Jason Wilson's Crush. The wine pairings were by far the best yet - each one a nice match and covering France, Italy, and the NW beautifully. The menu and comments follow:

Seattle Chefs Table 2009
Tuesday May 19, 2009

Hosted by Lark

Hors d’Oeuvres and White Port Cucumber Coolers
LARK – John Sundstrom
Quail egg on truffle buttered brioche, Frog’s legs Meuniere,
Hamachi Tartare with white asparagus

Menu
CAFE JUANITA – Holly Smith
Local Porcini sliced over Carne Cruda of Wagyu with lardo Crostini . wine pairing: Castello Di Tassarolo, Gavi, Italy. Utter simplicity! Raw slices of perfect fresh Porcini over a wonderful Wagyu tartare paired with a amazing simple crisp Crostini with some fresh lardo. Cindy does not do raw protein and she savored every bite! Ingredients and loving handling make genius look simple.

CRUSH – Jason Wilson
Mascarpone and fresh fine herb agnolotti with butter poached Maine Lobster, Favas, and Spring Carrots. wine pairing: 2007 Domaine Servin, Premiere Cuvee, Chablis, France. A complex flavor extravagenza perfectly prepared and presented. A major home run as usual for Jason.

ROVER’S - Thierry Rautureau
Halibut, Ramps, Truffle, Potato and Bacon. Wine pairing: 2006 Lemelson Vinewards Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon. Very subtle, minimalist seasonings and perfect French technique - just what one expects from Rover's.

TILTH – Maria Hines
Slow Cooked Pork Cheek, pig’s feet, sweet pea, and morel. wine pairing: 2006 Monte Aribaldo, Dolcetto D'Alba, Italy. Pork cheeks yummy - pork foot "cake" surprisingly yummy - peas not so great and didn't notice any morels. It was a very enjoyable dish.

HARVEST VINE – Joseba Jimenez de Jimenez
Venison loin braised in oil with black onions and cocoa nibs, in a chocolate, piment d’espelette
sauce with migas. wine pairing: 2007 Cadence, Coda, Red Mountain, Washington. The venison was excellent but the dish seemed more Fall than Spring.

LARK – John Sundstrom
Lillet soaked savarin cake with strawberries, rhubarb and buttermilk ice cream. wine pairing: 2005 Muscat Beaumes de Venise, France . WOW! Really excellent and simple - great taste, texture, and presentation.

Aloha from Maui: Part II

Dear Readers,

The Maui update continues.....
(In this review: Umalu Restaurant, Maui Ocean Center, Hula Girl Ice Cream, Feast at Lele)

Saturday, May 16th


A perfect Maui day. We began our morning at golden Kaanapali Beach (Sid checked out Black Rock, Miranda snoozed on the beach, we both baked our sun-starved northeastern selves in the sun).



Being on East Coast time, we got hungry early and began the long walk down the Ka'anapali Boardwalk to the poolside restaurant at the Hyatt, Umalu.
Though described in our guidebooks as amazingly good food (and the best of the myraid poolside eateries on this beach), we didn't have too high of expectations.



But we were pleasantly surprised--the food was, frankly, awesome. Our server was really friendly and tipped us off to the big portions, encouraging us to share an appetizer and an entree (and, in the process, saving us at least $30). We went for the Mixed Greens salad with Seared Ahi Tuna (dressed with a ginger citrus vinaigrette, candied pecans, and avocado).



For an entree we shared the fish tacos, which were absolutely delicious (the Mahi Mahi was beer battered and fried and served in soft flour tortillas with a chipotle mayo, lettuce, tomato, and a variety of hot sauce choices). The servings were, as advertised, huge. We could barely finish them, especially when washing them down with fruity drinks :)

After lunch we drove down to the Maui Ocean Center. This place seems seriously under-visited by tourists - it wasn't at all crowded. Its well-worth a trip. They have beautiful educational displays, awesome tanks full of Hawaiian sea life, touch pools, turtle pools (where you can see adults and babies alike), shark tanks, and a mind-blowing underwater tunnel (you are surrounded on three sides (including up) by sting rays, eagle rays, hammerhead sharks, reef sharks, and countless colorful fishes). It is incredible (a highlight included Sid getting to feed the Green Sea Turtles and watching a scuba diver feed the Eagle Rays from his hand while a unicorn fish swam around happily in the bubbles from his regulator).

Conveniently nearby is Hula Girl Ice Cream, which serves up scoops, shakes, ice cream sandwiches, and sundaes of the rightly-famous Roselani ice cream. We sampled the Kona Coffee Mudslide and the Chocolate Macadamia Nut - a perfect afternoon snack (watching them feed the turtles and rays at the Ocean Center was tiring work!).



After a short afternoon rest, we headed out for the evening's entertainment - dinner and a cultural show at the Feast at Lele in Lahaina. Even though we both like to avoid overly touristy events, its really a shame to come to Maui and not go to a luau. The ones at most of the resorts are pretty tacky, but a company in Lahaina runs two that are good: the Old Lahaina Luau (traditional with pig roast, buffet-style dining, and a hula show) and the Feast at Lele). We chose the Feast at Lele because it was a sit down dinner (at your own table rather than cheek-to-jowl with other diners) and because the hula show there featured dances from New Zealand and Samoa (including the Haka and Fire Knife dance).



The meal is served in four courses, one each for the cultural influences on Hawaii - Hawaii itself, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Samoa. The food was hit and miss (mostly miss, to be honest). The Kahlua pork served with the Hawaiian course was pretty good, as was the ceviche served with the Tahiti course and the steak from the Samoa course. Everything else ranged from just so-so to downright nasty. The service was also pretty limp (they seemed to have too few servers for too many tables). For $110 per person (including unlimited, and very tasty, drinks), the food should have been much better. The show, however, was great and more than made up for the mediocre eats. The performers were real pros, the dances were beautiful and perfectly choreographed, and the Fire Knife dance at the end was (literally) breathtaking.



Aloha until our next post!

Aloha from Maui!

Dear Readers,

Two of Between Courses' bloggers are on their long-awaited honeymoon in Maui!
You can expect the next several posts to be up-to-the minute reviews of Maui restaurants, lodgings, beaches, and activities (I'm writing this from our lanai on Kaanapali beach).

After 12 hours of flying time (piece of advice: avoid American Airlines...I have honestly never been on a plane with so little legroom in my entire life!), Sid and I arrived at Kahului airport in central Maui, commandeered our trusty rental car, and whisked ourselves away through the swaying cane fields, towering west Maui mountains, and expansive views of the south Pacific to our studio condo at the Aston Mahana Kaanapali.



Every room at the Mahana has an ocean view, and though they are not state of the art like some of the newer resorts down the beach, they are clean, comfortable, and well-appointed (another perk of being an older property is that they were built before zoning laws prohibited construction so close to the shoreline: the Mahana towers just feet away from the beach).

After settling in to our room, we drove down to Lahaina (about 15 minutes away) to grab some dinner and fight off jet lag. For a quick local dinner we opted for the Aloha Mixed Plate (located at the north end of Lahaina's Front Street). The food was unimpressive. The grilled meats and fishes (the specialty here) were flavorful but dry and cold. The fruity drinks were good, though, and the view could not be beat. Located beachside and facing west, Aloha Mixed Plate is an awesome place to watch the sun set.



Our bellies filled with mediocre food, we pushed on south in to Lahaina. Friday nights are "Art Night" in this old Hawaiian harbor town, so we strolled along and checked out the wild and sundry artistic efforts of Maui's artists. Frankly, some of the art was surprisingly good. Favorites included a gallery that sold antique European posters and a gallery that had montage photographs (such as a photo that combined images so that it looked like Venetian canals were running through a Paris cathedral).

By then, though, the 6 hour time change had caught up with us. It was light's out for these intrepid traveler.

Aloha until our next post!

Quick Spring Dinners to Know and Love

With the spring semester wrapping up, summer coming on, and too many fun things to do to stay cooped up inside cooking all day, I have been turning increasingly often to pork tenderloin as my go-to dinner meat (every time I try to cook vegetarian, I end up with a hungry husband!).



Pork tenderloin is relatively inexpensive, can be treated with any number of quick spice rubs or marinades, cooks very rapidly (about 15 minutes, following the instructions below), and is always tender, juicy, and flavorful. What's not to love?

Usually, I take a nice long tenderloin and quickly rub it with spices (which result in a tasty crust on the meat after cooking) or marinate the meat for about 15-20 minutes. Consider these ideas:
Rubs:
1. 5 Spice Powder, a little cinnamon, and a touch of cardamon
2. Hot smoked Spanish paprika, a little garlic powder, and some salt
3. Dried oregano, dried basil, a touch of crush fennel, salt and pepper
Marinades:
1. Olive oil, crushed red pepper, crushed garlic cloves, lemon zest, salt & pepper

Once the meat is ready to go, I heat a good skillet (I use All Clad stainless steel - don't use non-stick as you want a crust to develop) over high heat with some oil (grapeseed or canola, for example). I add the meat (cutting into two sections if it is too long for the pan) and sear it until both sides are golden and crusty (a few minutes per side). Then I put the pan into a preheated oven (usually around 450 degrees). Continue to roast the meat until a thermometer registers about 130-135 degrees (you want some slight pinkness in the center of the meat).

Carefully remove the pan from the oven and put the meat on a cutting board. Cover loosely with foil and let rest a few minutes. While the meat rests you can make a little pan sauce to drizzle over it by adding some water to the hot cooking pan (If you use the marinade recipe above, add some fresh squeezed lemon juice instead). Scrap up the bits on the pan's bottom and reduce the sauce slightly. Don't burn your hand on the hot-hot handle!

Slice the meat into medallions and drizzle with the pan sauce.



Now that its spring, I like to serve the pork tenderloin with as many lovely fresh things as possible. Last night we had it with a saute of crimini mushrooms (though if your store has any morels in, go for those!), chopped up ramps (spring's glory! - pictured here), and fresh thyme (saute in olive oil with plenty of salt and pepper). I garnished the saute with a salad of raw, fresh pea shoots tossed with lemon juice and olive oil. It was fabulous!



Another good side dish idea is shaved brussel sprouts. You can either shave them incredibly thin, toss them with a lemon-mustard vinaigrette, a bit of shaved parm, and some salt and pepper (a lovely, surprising raw salad) or slice them thicker and saute them in olive oil with fresh spring peas from the pod, ramps, jalapenos, or any other delightful spring veggies you like!



Finally, for a bit of starch, there is no beating oven-roasted potatoes! Take some nice Yukon golds (beautiful right now) and cut them into wedges. Toss the wedges with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Set them on a baking sheet (make sure the slices are not touching each other) and roast at 450 degrees until golden brown and puffy. Serve these with an aoili (I prepare mine the lazy way by taking good quality mayo and mixing it with the spices of my choice: usually either smoked paprika, a touch of olive oil and lemon juice or roasted garlic with a touch of olive oil and lemon juice).

Enjoy!

Attention to detail: Kiku Restaurant

Restaurant Name: Kiku
Location: 177 5th Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn

Given the dreary weather and dire economy lately, Sid and I have found ourselves less inclined to venture far from home when we eat out, so we've been trying to explore more of the restaurants in our own neighborhood. Kiku is the latest on the list.

I guess I should start by saying that if you don't live in Park Slope, or even in a 10-15 block radius of Kiku, it probably is not worth a special trip. There are plenty of good sushi restaurants in Brooklyn and Kiku - while good - is not anything extraordinary.

It is, however, a really lovely local option for very fresh sushi presented with attention to detail.

We began our meal with a truly unique starter: a Lobster and Tuna dumpling. The lobster was presented in salad form, mixed with avocado crunchy and spicy mayonnaise. The salad was then carefully wrapped in raw tuna, which was executed in the traditional Chinese dumpling style (round and pleated at the top). The overall presentation was really beautiful: two glistening red dumplings were set on large leaves (grape leaves, I think), garnished with long chives and served with jalapeno mango salad and seaweed salad. The flavor of the appetizer was fresh, spicy, crunchy, and creamy all at once. I was quite enamored.

For his entree, Sid chose a traditional 7 piece sushi plate with a tuna avocado roll. Again, presentation was artistic, the fish was perfectly cut and draped on the rice, and everything was fresh. I think I chose more poorly, unfortunately. I opted for the "Pepper Corn Shrimp", which I assumed with come with a spicy peppercorn sauce. However, it was instead served with a sort of ratatouille of red and green peppers and onions. The shrimp had been coated and lightly fried but the coating became soggy in the sauce. Overall this wasn't very flavorful and didn't have a great texture.

Another thing is Kiku's favor is the atmosphere and decor. Its a small, narrow space but still conveys a sense of calm and serenity.

Prices were reasonable. We spent $53 (including tip) for an appetizer and two (very substantial) entrees, plus tea.

We'll definitely be back and I hope that next time I select an entree more in line with the quality and flavor of the other dishes we tried.

Rover's Brunch - a Refined affair

This Sunday we decided to avoid the crowds and celebrate Mothers Day and my Birthday with the new grand baby, Lyla and her parents. Amy and Jeff treated us to the new Brunch offering at Rover's - definitely one of the best restaurants in Seattle. The brunch lived up to pretty much everything I expect from Rover's. It was elegant, refined, incredible service, outstanding food, and you pay for what you get. Our party was comprised of the new Mother, Amy, Jeff, Cindy, myself and Lyla. rover's has no highchairs so Lyla sat in an elegant Rover's chair, in her home booster seat, pushed up to the elegant white table clothed table. She was an angel, of course, and a good time was had by all.

We all started with Rover's house squeezed orange juice - in true Rover's tradition - it was pulp free and exquisite. We accompanied this with a couple of orders of Beignets with Preserved Apricot Coulis and Vanilla Cream and Coffee Cake with Candied Pecans and Honey Butter. Light, fluffy, yummy!

We then moved on to the main event:
I enjoyed Poached Eggs (not as runny as I would have preferred but beautiful and big)
served on toasted baguette with fingerling potato rissolé (cubed potato over caramelized onions) with meltingly delicious Braised Pork Belly, Sauteed Spinach and Harissa Hollandaise . A real winner.

Cindy ordered the
Orange Brioche French Toast with Vermont Maple Syrup which had a great orange taste and the maple syrup was wonderful.

Jeff had the omelet, a Smoked Pork Loin, Caramelized Sweet Onion and Gruyere. We all wondered how they would include pork loin in an omelet but it was such a small element of the dish it was heard to tell. Other than that is was beautiful. A proper French approach to the dish and according to Jeff all around great.

Amy had Poached Eggs with Sautéed Mushrooms with Caramelized Onion and Herbed Hollandaise. she loved it.

We also ordered sides of house cured Bacon and house made duck and pork sausage. Both outstanding. I think the bacon was actually sous vide braised and then browned it was so melt in the mouth.

Lyla greatly enjoyed individual dry Cheerios doled out slowly by her mother to keep he amused. She pronounced them very enjoyable.

Overall a very high end experience - Spring Hill's Brunch food is as good or better but the refined atmosphere of Rover's cannot be beat.

A Neighborhood Steak House - Jak's Grill

So, I tend to get in something of a rut going to restaurants I know and love over and over. Not a bad strategy in my opinion. However, Cindy encourages me to try new, more affordable places and we have found a few gems doing that. Jaks Grill with outposts in West Seattle, Issaquah, and Laurelhurst is highly rated in Zagat's and elsewhere as an affordable, neighborhood steak house that has "very high quality beef - perfectly grilled". We have now tried both Laurelhust and West Seattle on casual outings and I am ready to weigh in on the subject. Jaks grill indeed uses high quality beef and does have reasonable restaurant prices for it. They do a great job cooking the beef if you like the "mid American - don't show me any blood approach". No matter how rare you order it my 2 experiences have been a bit past medium. The salads and side are also raved about in the likes of City Search - especially the garlic mashed potato's. While not horrible they are certainly nothing to rave about, especially the limp salad, unless you are comparing to Sizzler or some low end chain.

The atmosphere in Laurelhust is fine for a Steak House - in West Seattle it is definitely "ill conceived neighborhood 1980's". I have not seen Issaquah so have no comment there. Service was just ok in both places. The wine is not great this is more a beer kind of place. My overall conclusion is that if you want to go out to a neighborhood Steak place and have a midweek kind of normal meal I would recommend Jaks. It is wildly better than most low end steak chain places but it is certainly not in the class of food, service, ambiance of a high end Ruth Chris type chain or any better chef/owner food spot like Spring Hill. I know, I am a food snob - but there is a difference between ok and something to be excited about.

ZuZu Ramen

Restaurant Name: ZuZu Ramen
Location: 173 4th Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn

Finally, an affordable spot in our neighborhood that is actually worth eating at! This is a veritable Park Slope Miracle!

Zuzu Ramen is a nifty little place with an open kitchen, massively uncomfortable seating, and really great food.

So, first the good:
The food is really fresh with deep, layered flavors. They have about four or five different Ramen soups on offer. Between Sid and I, we tried the Hot & Sour Ramen with Shrimp and the Zuzu Ramen with slow-cooked pork. Both were great - lots of rich flavor, plenty of good stuff floating around in the tasty broth, perfectly cooked noodles....you get the idea.

They also have a bunch other dishes that they call "tasty morsels". The ones that we tried really were tasty but were definitely playing second-fiddle to the Ramen dishes. We had the Seared Pork Dumplings (good, but far from the best I have had) and the Mini Pork Buns with Braised Pork Shoulder. The "buns" were not buns, but little sandwiches that were, frankly, impossible to eat. Even trying to pick them up with your fingers was a dicey proposition. Soooo...while those tasted good, I probably won't order them again. The Ramen alone is plenty of food, though, so skip the "morsels" (which are not exactly small) unless you're really hungry.

They only have beer and sake (even though it is a Ramen house, I just have a hard time loving anywhere that doesn't offer wine). Even more distressing, this place is not open for lunch (which I understand, given the location, but still think is quite unfortunate, as this would be the perfect lunch place).

Another drawback is the seating. The place is small and most (in fact, all of it, I believe) is at counters. So, the seats are all stools. And these are no ordinary stools. They are beautiful burnished wooden stools with perfect, comfy contours. What, you might ask, is the problem, then? Well, alas, the stools are so high that they are literally only about a foot from the tabletop. This means that you are perched high above the table and have to stoop down uncomfortably to slurp up all the lovely soup. Not a pleasant experience. There is also nowhere to hang your purse or coat.

But, in the end, its all about the food. And Zuzu Ramen has damn fine food.

It Ain't No Hype - Al Di La is Sublime

Restaurant Name: Al di La Trattoria
Location: 248 5th Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn

I reviewed Al di La several months ago, when the weather was cold and the world cruelly dark with winter. Since then, we have been back many times (this is, hands down, my favorite restaurant in the slope).

Now that spring is nearly upon us (though shyly), I wanted to chime in on Al di La again - if only to sing raptures about their salads (tendrils of pea shoots twinned around fresh favas, ramps lying in tender repose on baby spinach, nutty faro nestled with spring beets).

Our most recent trip was with our friends Boulos and Sayumi and I wanted to share some of the lovely photos that Boulos took of the food:


Warm Faro Salad



Spring Salad


Gnocchi with Pork Shoulder Ragu

My original post on Al di La (from Feb. 2009) follows:

Ever since my husband and I moved to Brooklyn about seven months ago, the word on the street has been that Al di La Trattoria's goodness is all hype. So, we held off on eating there for quite awhile. Then, a few months ago, they started serving lunch....so we went. And it was good. Damn good. Our hopes were raised.

And then, tonight, we finally made it in to Al di La for dinner. And it was so good that I wanted to cry. But, of course, its a tiny little place and crying would be inappropriate, so I held back the tears and just kept on eatin'.

Seriously, though, the buzz surrounding this bitty little northern Italian eatery, with its faded walls, rustic (read tippy and antique) tables, uneven heating, and peeling ceiling, had over-rated written all over it. But it isn't overrated - not at all. Its fabulous. The food here is really and truly great, classic, northern Italian.

The menu is pretty short: a few options each from starters, primi (pasta) and secundi (meats) and desserts. But you don't need lots of choices when everything is good. And they have wonderful specials, too.

We started out with a salad off the specials list, a "winter white" salad of shaved raw vegetables (including fennel, Jerusalem artichokes, salsify, leeks, etc.) with a champagne vinaigrette and a mild blue cheese. It was crunchy and slightly tart and slightly salty and very good.

My entree was one of the specials, a house-made gnocchi with heritage pork shoulder ragu and lovely melty goat cheese. The gnocchi were so tender I could hardly believe it - they were quite honestly perfect and definitely the best gnocchi I've ever had (including in Italy). My husband went for a classic dish off of the regular menu - spaghetti con vongole. I hate clams and he actually had to fend off my wandering fork a few times. The spaghetti was cooked just so and seasoned with that timelessly good marriage of wine, garlic, and spicy red pepper.

For dessert we shared the ricotta fritters. These were served so fabulously hot that it was hard to gobble them up quite as fast as I wanted to without incurring injury. They came with a dish of whipped cream and a pot of melted bittersweet chocolate for dipping. Not too sweet, salty from the fryer, and so, so, so good.

We opted for wines by the glass, but they had plenty of good bottle offerings, too. Everything seemed reasonable (given the usual restaurant markups).

After our two experiences here, one thing we noticed is that the lunch menu is not any cheaper than dinner (and has fewer offerings). So, its not necessarily a bargain to come for a midday meal. Although, it probably is much easier to get a table (expect roughly a 45 minute wait on weekend evenings - no reservations are taken here). Given the wait, though, we were pleased that they didn't rush us or try to hurry and turn over the table. I was impressed with the attentive-yet-relaxed service.

With a shared starter and dessert, two entrees, and two glasses of wine, our dinner came to $90 with tip - not bad at all considering the general fabulouslness of the food.

Harvest Vine - Seattle Chef's Dinner Series

Last night Jeff, his college roommate Murray, Rick Wallace, and I went on a "man-date" to the Seattle Chef's Table dinner at The Harvest Vine. Six of Seattle's best Chef Owners. A great time was had by all and it was a fabulous dinner. One of our servers was was Nancy Leson - Seattle Times Food Critic which was also kind of neat. As soon as I figure out how to transfer them from my cell phone I will add some pictures to this post. The menu follows but let me say a few words first. The evening started with an hour of convivial Hors d"oeuvres and Cava presented by the host Restaurant in extremely generous proportions. Since Harvest Vine is essentially a Tapas Restaurant this was quite enjoyable; Let me just say Iberico Ham YUM! Also the Foie Gras bonbon's covered with rice krispies on a stick were cute, very tasty and will be added to my personal repertoire.

The six course meal - each conceived and prepared by one of the six Chef's (with lots of camaraderie and help from each other and their sous chefs) was totally awesome. There was the option of either a 4 or 6 flight wine pairing. The Wines were all excellent especially the final wine a 1979 Don PX Bogegas toro Albala Sweet Port. the others in order were a 2006 Martin Coday Albarino Rias Baixas 2006, a Torres Muscato Esmeraldo 2007, a Lorinoh Rioja 2004, a Casal Nove Godilo 07, a Celeste Tempernillo, and the Port.

Seattle Chefs Table 2009

Tuesday April 14

Hors d’Oeuvres, Cava and pinot sherry
HARVEST VINE – Joseba Jimenez de Jiminez
Prawn croquettes, Iberico Ham with baguette slices, and bonbon d’foie gras with rice crisps. YUM, YUM, and YUM!

LARK – John Sundstrom
Geoduck ceviche with wild watercress, radish and Bergamot lime oil. A surprisingly (to me at least as Geoduck doesn't sound so wonderful) beautiful, tasty, and tender cervich "salad" which was eaten to the last bite by everyone.

CAFE JUANITA – Holly Smith
Guinea Fowl and Foie Gras Tortellini en Ginger Brodo. This was by far the simplest and either the best or second best dish of the evening. A half dozen perfect, handmade tortellini stuffed with Guineas Fowl and Foie Gras swimming in a wonderful "double stock" of fowl and rabbit stocks that was infused at the last minute with a grating of Ginger root. WOW!

CRUSH – Jason Wilson
Hawaiian Mero Sea Bass, Sweetbreads, Preserved Lemon, Vadouvan & Ramps. this was the other really standout dish - Jason famous for his meat dish's is a genius with seafood. The vadouvan is a French version (mild as the French are dreadfully afraid of hot spices) of curry sauce. Everything about this complex put together dish was both beautiful, perfectly prepared, and delicious - perhaps the best fish dish I have ever been served.

ROVER’S - Thierry Rautureau, The Chef In The Hat!!!
Smoked Goose and Foie Gras, Parsnip, Beet and Coriander Nage. A very, intense and flavorful broth with smoked goose breast slices topped with two huge slabs of melt in your mouth seared Foie Gras - wonderful beets in the broth as well. Really good.

TILTH – Maria Hines
Grass Fed Lamb Loin, chick pea cake, Nicoise olive. a simple 3 ingredient tiered, vertical dish - not my favorite as the olives were a bit "olivey" for me - and vertical is not my favorite presentation as it is hard to eat. However, as I worked my way thru the dish it kept growing on me until I noticed I had cleaned (and I mean not necessary to go thru the dishwasher) my plate.

HARVEST VINE – Joseba Jimenez de Jimenez
Dessert Gateau Basque of black cherries and foie with tiger nuts ice cream. A very nice, flaky (I assume the foie gras was the "meat butter") buttery almond cookie served with a very nutty flavored but smooth tiger nut ( a tuber not a nut) ice cream.

It was a great dinner - Can't wait for the next one at Lark next month.

I will definitely be returning to The Harvest Vine as well - of the 6 Restaurants participating I have been to each at least 5 times but this was my first time at Harvest Vine.

Old Reliable - Stone Park Cafe

Restaurant Name: Stone Park Cafe

Location: 324 5th Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn

My husband and I have eaten at Stone Park Cafe a number of times now and I find that our experiences there are falling into a clearly identifiable pattern.

Stone Park is just so....reliable.

Here's what we've found to expect:

1. Something will inevitably go awry with the service. I don't mean to imply that the service is bad, inattentive, or even indifferent. Instead, it seems that out of earnest, well-meaning actions, something inevitably goes haywire. On our most recent visit, the person working our table switched halfway through the meal (for no apparent reason). After taking away our entree plates, the waiter put down a new set of silverware and disappeared. After fifteen minutes of waiting, we finally waved him down to request dessert menus. He was aghast - he had thought we were waiting on another course we had already ordered. Totally typical of this place.

2. 90% of the food you order will be very good - nice, tasty, hot, fresh...but nothing spectacular, nothing truly memorable. 10% of the food will provide you with a delightful, unexpected brush with greatness. On our most recent visit we had a flavorful (but certainly not transcendent) burger, an inventively-conceived but only moderately well-executed "Knuckle Sandwich" (lobster knuckles served as a mini-burger/slider), a perfectly average piece of cheesecake and THE MOST fabulous, fresh salad of raw shaved Brussels sprouts tossed in a lemony, lightly mustard-y dressing with tiny knobs of parmiggiano cheese. The salad was simply out of this world. This is classic Stone Park.

So, if you're looking for a reliable meal with one or two hidden gems lurking behind plates of "just fine".....head down 5th avenue towards the park!

Bon Appetit!

Musings on Dim Sum Go-Go

Restaurant Name: Dim Sum Go-Go
Location: 5 East Broadway, New York City

To offer full disclosure upfront, I must begin by saying that I am at once attracted to and repelled by dim sum. The concept of morsels, fresh and bursting with unfamiliar flavors (here unexpectedly briny, there unexpectedly sweet), encased in wrappings that both conceal and beckon is something simultaneously irresistible and terrifying. What lies inside: the freshest shrimp or the scariest chicken feet?

And then, of course, there is the cart. That mobile concession stand of mysterious foods, lurking in their wrappings, adamantly refusing to reveal themselves in any language. Eat me and find out, they declare.

In the spirit of pushing my culinary boundaries, I first visited Dim Sum Go-Go with a group of knowledgeable diners and allowed them to order for me. Chicken feet enrobed in savory sauce, tripe quivering in the bowl with glistening sauce caught in its frills, shark fin lurking in innocuous-looking wrappers - all were presented to me without explanation or comment. I ate, nervously, and left unsure if I had enjoyed the experience or not.

Several months later, I returned to Dim Sum Go-Go and ordered all the things I really wanted: crisp, plump, shrimp dumplings, steamed pork buns the consistency of a perfect souffle (or maybe whipped marshmallow creme), fat, sticky rice noodles draped around thin slices of beef and swimming in a dark sweet-salty sauce. Everything was fresh, bright, and just right.

At Dim Sum Go-Go there are no carts. Instead you make selections off of a card of choices. They will bring you as little or as much as want in endless courses until you have sat at a sunny table by the window for three hours without even realizing it. Everything comes out fresh and hot, nothing languishes on a cart touring the room unwanted. And then...the best part of all: your bill arrives and the three hour feast tops out at around $15 a person.

To end on a practical note: Dim Sum Go-Go gets pretty crowded around noon or 1pm on the weekends. Reservations are, however, accepted - so call ahead.