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| - I wanted to be wowed... I really did. Any why wouldn't I? Date night with my lady at a restaurant that has received rave reviews... I definitely gave this place the benefit of the doubt. But alas, my three star rating is quite generous.
I'll start with the good-- the ambiance was perfect, the decor was tasteful. We didn't get to enjoy the famous sunset view-- our reservations were at 8pm and it was raining, but even without the sunset, I thought the ambiance was tasteful and the staff was not pretentious. I loved the very open,spacious feel of the bar and dining areas and the variety of seating options/configurations in the bar area. The private booths facing the windows also seemed like a nice touch-- although we did not experience them as we were seated in the main dining room. Even though it was May, since it was rainy outside they had a gas fireplace going in the main dining room that added a nice coziness.
The food itself was okay-- inconsistent in quality and texture, but not inedible for the most part. We were there for Restaurant Week and selected a first course, entree, and dessert from the Restaurant Week menu. As a note, we were informed by our server that none of the items on the menu for Restaurant Week are available normally-- that these were special offerings only for this week. For my first course, I had the white asparagus salad. Not bad, but not remarkable in any way-- just standard salad with standard dressing. My partner had the roasted artichoke bisque which had a thin film on the top of it leading us to believe it had been sitting out for quite some time. She commented that it didn't taste fresh-- like it had possibly come from a pre-made mixture. In addition, it was loaded with pancetta-- which she said overpowered the subtle roasted artichoke taste with "meatiness". Ew. The dinner rolls that were brought to the table were hard, and stale tasting (not "crunchy")-- the dinner rolls served at school cafeterias and nursing homes are tastier. Seriously.
For our entrees, we both ordered the grilled steelhead salmon. And cue the inconsistencies.... My salmon was fairly overcooked and quite dry. To be fair, this is better than it being undercooked-- I'm normally a strict vegetarian, but I do enjoy fish occasionally even though it kind of creeps me out to eat an animal of any sort-- and rare/raw fish would have been a deal breaker for me. The seasoning was tasty and overall I did enjoy the fish. However, my partner's salmon came *very* rare-- like sushi rare. It was seared on the outside, but cool in the middle. Now I know it's typical for salmon to be served medium rare-- but this was RARE rare. Both of our potatoes were very undercooked and difficult to eat. The grilled campari tomatoes were the one delicious exception to the plate-- they were delicious, flavorful, and nicely presented. Finally, there was a disparity in the temperature of our meals-- mine was piping hot, while my partner's was lukewarm at best. Now mind you, we ordered the exact same entree that came out of the kitchen at the exact same time. So why the difference? My guess is that with it being Restaurant Week, the kitchen was pre-cooking these meals en masse and the attention to detail went by the wayside. Nonetheless, not an acceptable excuse--Restaurant Week should be an opportunity for restaurants to highlight their best dishes and talents in hopes of bringing in more business-- not to churn out subpar food that turns patrons off from ever visiting again to enjoy their standard menu.
We both had the chocolate pot de creme for desert and it was completely delectable-- no complaints there. The texture was smooth and creamy and the chocolate was flavorful without being too sweet or bitter. I wonder if it is a coincidence that the best part of the meal was the one part of the meal that it is acceptable to prepare ahead of time?!
All in all, it was not a horrible experience-- the ambiance and dessert were wonderful. I doubt I'd return again for dinner, but perhaps for cocktails and dessert.
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