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Restaurant Project: E
May. 30th, 2011 08:30 pmApologies for the delay, in case anyone noticed - the restaurant project is still going strong; we just wound up stuck on E for a while because, to be honest, we had a devil of a time actually getting to the darn restaurant.
E was sponsored in part by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
new_man, who had repeatedly recommended that we go to Eastern Standard. He had mentioned this as early as B, and when we finally worked our way this far into the alphabet, took steps to make sure that we followed his advice.
The biggest challenge in getting there was just that I'm not used to going to restaurants that are so popular that I need to make reservations a week in advance. Once we figured that out, though, and once life calmed down enough that we could actually plan that far in advance, we got moving and made it there fairly easily.
The restaurant itself was easier to get to than I had imagined, being right next door to the Kenmore T station. And it's beautiful, too. A little dark on the inside, but since the weather was gorgeous we decided to sit outside. This was an excellent choice; the canopy overhead meant that we were shaded and cool, but not itting in the dark, and the wall of plants kept the road noise away while still letting us people-watch to our hearts' content.
The food was okay. I'll admit I was a bit let down at first - the restaurant had been recommended to us in large part because they had an amazing selection of nonalcoholic cocktails (I refuse to say 'mocktails,' it's too cutesy and twee. I have enough of a problem being told that I'm not a Real Adult because I don't drink; I won't use demeaning words to draw attention to it). Unfortunately, their selection has apparently diminished significantly since that recommendation, and they only had 3 options. Still, I figured that I should try one of them as long as I was there. I ordered a Sophisticated Lady (again with the ridiculous names. It's not quite the Rooty Tooty Fresh & Fruity Breakfast, but still....), which was a combination of cucumber and cranberry juice. It was.... interesting. Ultimately, both cucumbers and cranberry juice are tasty, but I'm fairly certain those are flavors that should never blend. They do not enhance each other; they just combine in an entirely odd and not quite pleasant way.umbran was much luckier with his order of Abbey's Punch - orange, pineapple, and lime juice. It tasted mostly like pineapple, but was still very good. That said, neither one was quite as tasty as the mixed drinks that new_man himself makes for us.
The menu was interesting. I had a challenge figuring out what I wanted to eat, mostly because, while almost all of the food sounded delicious in theory, it was all heavy as anything. Baked pasta, steak, roasted chicken - all food that would be wonderful in February, but not quite appealing on an 80-degree summer day. Ultimately I wound up just ordering a salad and an appetizer, which actually turned out to be a good idea.
The mixed greens salad was very good. It was simple, just mixed greens, blanched almonds, oranges, and a vinaigrette, but it was nicely balanced, not too heavily dressed, and perfect for a hot, sunny day. I also ordered the salt cod fritters, which were good, if a little too heavy on the potato and light on the actual cod. They were, however, lighter than I would have imagined possible, and not at all greasy, and they came with a remoulade that was tangy and tasty. Not as spicy as it was advertised as being, but a nice complement for the fritters.
umbran ordered the Cubano, which has become one of his favorite dishes to test new restaurants with. I tasted a bite and thought it was very good; he is a bit more of a connoisseur than I am, though, and described it as being a little sweet (they used bread-and-butter pickles instead of dills) and a little light on the mustard. If we had one critique of the food overall, actually, it was that the seasoning was on the mild side. Understandable, though, for a place that prides itself most of all on its beverages.
Dessert was where the restaurant redeemed itself entirely, though. We ordered the profiteroles with wildflower honey ice cream and salted caramel chocolate sauce, and they were perfect. The ice cream was delicious, and actually tasted like honey more than anything else - it makes me want to try making ice cream at home with some of the varietal honeys we have, though I don't know if I could make anything quite that good. The pastry was amazing, and the texture was just right - and it was clear that they didn't preassemble and freeze the profiteroles; they weren't squishy like frozen/thawed pastry usually is. There were a couple of candied cherries in syrup that were delicious enough to make my eyes roll back in my head, and the caramel chocolate sauce.... they would have been delicious without it; with it everything was above and beyond awesome.
All in all, it was a pretty good experience/ I'm very glad to have tried the restaurant, and I'll definitely go back in the cooler weather, when I can order and enjoy their braised pork cheeks, or roast chicken and stuffing. And given how good the dessert was, if nothing else I *need* to try the butterscotch bread pudding.
Meanwhile, I am still on the lookout for a restaurant with a good selection of nonalcoholic mixed drinks, though I think that may be a bit of a unicorn hunt. And it is time to move forward - any recommendations for F?
E was sponsored in part by
new_man, who had repeatedly recommended that we go to Eastern Standard. He had mentioned this as early as B, and when we finally worked our way this far into the alphabet, took steps to make sure that we followed his advice.The biggest challenge in getting there was just that I'm not used to going to restaurants that are so popular that I need to make reservations a week in advance. Once we figured that out, though, and once life calmed down enough that we could actually plan that far in advance, we got moving and made it there fairly easily.
The restaurant itself was easier to get to than I had imagined, being right next door to the Kenmore T station. And it's beautiful, too. A little dark on the inside, but since the weather was gorgeous we decided to sit outside. This was an excellent choice; the canopy overhead meant that we were shaded and cool, but not itting in the dark, and the wall of plants kept the road noise away while still letting us people-watch to our hearts' content.
The food was okay. I'll admit I was a bit let down at first - the restaurant had been recommended to us in large part because they had an amazing selection of nonalcoholic cocktails (I refuse to say 'mocktails,' it's too cutesy and twee. I have enough of a problem being told that I'm not a Real Adult because I don't drink; I won't use demeaning words to draw attention to it). Unfortunately, their selection has apparently diminished significantly since that recommendation, and they only had 3 options. Still, I figured that I should try one of them as long as I was there. I ordered a Sophisticated Lady (again with the ridiculous names. It's not quite the Rooty Tooty Fresh & Fruity Breakfast, but still....), which was a combination of cucumber and cranberry juice. It was.... interesting. Ultimately, both cucumbers and cranberry juice are tasty, but I'm fairly certain those are flavors that should never blend. They do not enhance each other; they just combine in an entirely odd and not quite pleasant way.
umbran was much luckier with his order of Abbey's Punch - orange, pineapple, and lime juice. It tasted mostly like pineapple, but was still very good. That said, neither one was quite as tasty as the mixed drinks that new_man himself makes for us.The menu was interesting. I had a challenge figuring out what I wanted to eat, mostly because, while almost all of the food sounded delicious in theory, it was all heavy as anything. Baked pasta, steak, roasted chicken - all food that would be wonderful in February, but not quite appealing on an 80-degree summer day. Ultimately I wound up just ordering a salad and an appetizer, which actually turned out to be a good idea.
The mixed greens salad was very good. It was simple, just mixed greens, blanched almonds, oranges, and a vinaigrette, but it was nicely balanced, not too heavily dressed, and perfect for a hot, sunny day. I also ordered the salt cod fritters, which were good, if a little too heavy on the potato and light on the actual cod. They were, however, lighter than I would have imagined possible, and not at all greasy, and they came with a remoulade that was tangy and tasty. Not as spicy as it was advertised as being, but a nice complement for the fritters.
umbran ordered the Cubano, which has become one of his favorite dishes to test new restaurants with. I tasted a bite and thought it was very good; he is a bit more of a connoisseur than I am, though, and described it as being a little sweet (they used bread-and-butter pickles instead of dills) and a little light on the mustard. If we had one critique of the food overall, actually, it was that the seasoning was on the mild side. Understandable, though, for a place that prides itself most of all on its beverages.Dessert was where the restaurant redeemed itself entirely, though. We ordered the profiteroles with wildflower honey ice cream and salted caramel chocolate sauce, and they were perfect. The ice cream was delicious, and actually tasted like honey more than anything else - it makes me want to try making ice cream at home with some of the varietal honeys we have, though I don't know if I could make anything quite that good. The pastry was amazing, and the texture was just right - and it was clear that they didn't preassemble and freeze the profiteroles; they weren't squishy like frozen/thawed pastry usually is. There were a couple of candied cherries in syrup that were delicious enough to make my eyes roll back in my head, and the caramel chocolate sauce.... they would have been delicious without it; with it everything was above and beyond awesome.
All in all, it was a pretty good experience/ I'm very glad to have tried the restaurant, and I'll definitely go back in the cooler weather, when I can order and enjoy their braised pork cheeks, or roast chicken and stuffing. And given how good the dessert was, if nothing else I *need* to try the butterscotch bread pudding.
Meanwhile, I am still on the lookout for a restaurant with a good selection of nonalcoholic mixed drinks, though I think that may be a bit of a unicorn hunt. And it is time to move forward - any recommendations for F?
