What a perfect time to try this restaurant. We went to celebrate my 25th birthday. (That number is still surreal to me). We met some friends for drinks first at the B.O.B. then proceeded to dinner with just the two of us. It was fairly dark in the dining room, so forgive the orange-tinted photography.
The first thing that caught my eye was their Cheese Menu. Anyone who knows me, knows that I could live on bread, wine, cheese, and fruit. One thing I loved about the cheese menu was the fact that they featured local cheese makers, as well as international varieties. Also, the cheese could be served with wine flights, and I was delighted to see wines I had never heard of before, such as the Malbec or the Macon Prisse. Because my dashing dinner partner is not one for strong cheeses like the buttermilk blue, we ordered a three cheese flight with wine. We opted for the Dancing Goat Creamery Chevré with a Pinot Grigio, the Beemster Aged Goat with the Macon Prisse, and the Taleggio with the Malbec. When the flight arrived, I immediatly made the decision to come back just for the cheese. My senses were seduced by each flavor and each pairing. The Chevré and Pinot were paired with strawberry preserves, the Aged Goat and Macon Prisse was paired with a citrus-blossom honey, and the Taleggio and Malbec were paired with an aged balsamic. I don't know who they have working for them as their wine master, but the pairings could not have been more precise or delicious. I'm not a fan of the drier varieties of wines, but I could drink these wines in this pairing state all night. Each pairing accented and complimented each other in perfect harmony.
I chose to go with the carrot ginger soup as my petite plate, and the dancing goat creamery agnolotti for my entree. My dinner partner chose the charred asparagus salad and the pan roasted halibut. I was a little wary about the soup, not being a fan of cooked carrots, but the joining of ginger and orange crème fraîche made me curious. I was not disappointed, the flavor was excellent. I was only slightly bothered by the texture, but again, I'm picky on textures. I also rather enjoyed the manchengo (sheep's milk cheese) on the charred asparagus salad.
The flavors of the agnolotti were very complex. (The waiter had to explain which group of pasta agnolotti belonged to, they are small raviolis, in this case, stuffed with goat cheese.) I did cheat a little and look up fiddleheads before we went to the restaurant though. I never knew that the curled up baby ferns my dad and I used to eat in the woods had a culinary function. These 'fiddleheads' were a bit more mature than the ones we used to eating, but they added quite the nice bit of fresh crunch to the dish. The leek and Parmesan broth was a nice mellow flavor to counteract the bite of the goat cheese.
I took just a bite of the pan seared halibut, but I can tell you it had a nice, blackened outside and the inside was juicy and delicious. The grapefruite beurre blanc (white butter) was an excellent flavor pairing, and not too overpowering.
They were quite busy while we were there, and we were sat inbetween a small (10 people or so) wedding party and a larger birthday party. The waiter apologized for the louder than usual din and explained that it wasn't usually so. He also offered us dessert on the house, which we accepted eagerly. We chose the custard dream, a compilation of yuzu panna cotta, matcha green tea créme brûlée, and toasted coconut pot de créme. Wow. It was amazing. My least favorite, yet still delicious was the pot de créme, and only because of it's more custard-like nature. It was the least dense of the three, yet still smooth. The coconut was not too overpowering, since my dinner partner enjoyed it and doesn't care much for coconut. The green-tea créme brûlée was refreshingly different from the standard fair, but my abosulte favorite was the yuzu panna cotta. Yuzu is a japanese citrus fruit that tasted similar to lemon. It was so dense and creamy and the finishing tang of yuzu was unbelievable. They even topped it with sugard yuzu peel. Yum!
This dining experience is one that I will not soon forget. I can't wait to go back for seconds!
I'm giving this restaurant five stars, out of five!
★★★★★
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