| rev:text
| - wow, wow, wow. words cannot accurately describe the heavenly experience I had tonight at Noca...
I was convinced to check the place out by Gabi K's review...and I was not disappointed, in the least.
Jamie and I made reservations(pretty necessary at a place where, at 6:00 on a Tuesday evening, it was jam-packed), and were greeted by the chef, who was friendly and accomodating and lead us to a nice half-booth in the back.
we started with the Foie Gras Tarchon(I've been dying to try foie gras since I was a kid watching the British show "Chef" lol)...it was better than anything I'd imagined...melt-in-your-mouth butteriness, a bit salty, and wonderfully creamy when spread on the crunchy-but-soft brioche toastinis...it came with a pineapple jam that was equally divine with the foie gras, and with the brioche...
we also had the Sweetbread Fricassee...the sauteed sweetbread morsels were tender and tasted almost like seafood...it was a delicious dish, but the overlying flavor was of the bacon infused throughout the sweetbread and greens...very good, but a little oily for me.
our server, Robert, suggested the Riesling(tasted like honey and citrus, with a lovely spike on the tip of the tongue) to pair with my foie gras, and my entree--the Day Scallops, and I thanked him heartily for the suggestion.
the Day Scallops were seared, the salt they were seasoned with seemed to showcase the inherent sweetness and butteriness of the scallops themselves...they were so tender and succulent, and perfect with the creamy mushroom risotto and bacon-sauteed broccoli rabe...during this course, I finished my Riesling and tried a glass of the Super Tuscan, a rich red wine that smelled of butter, with plump-fruit flavors, which grew subtly bitterer on the back of the tongue(I finished that wine with several bites of Jamie's tender, juicy Prime Beef Rib-Eye--I'd been craving steak for ages)
for dessert, we had the complimentary(vanilla-infused) cotton candy. the last time I had this lovely confection was 6 years ago, when my Dad took me to the Barnum & Bailey Circus...and maybe my memory serves me wrong, but Noca's may have been the best cotton candy I've ever had...it melts on your tongue in a matter of seconds, and it's impossible to stop eating...
Jamie had the 'Cookies and Milk'--malted vanilla shake with thick, soft, melty chocolate chip cookies(more like blondie brownies filled with chocolate)...I didn't try any, but he loved it.
and...I've been waiting for this part: I ordered the Cheesecake, Dissected(I think that's what it was called)...it may be the BEST dessert I've ever had...maybe even the best dish I've ever had...it consisted of 3 balls of what tasted suspiciously like sweet butter in cheesecake form(each about the size of a large gumball), surrounded by graham/pastry crispy crumbles(sweet, but salty)...the plate was drizzled generously with a lemon creme sauce, and dotted about were pure lime-vanilla gelees(each very small and PACKED with pure tang and flavor)...it was completely decadent, yet deceptively light...an experiment in flavors with every bite, and I will never forget it or get over it...it was heavenly, that's all there is to it. I paired it with the 20-year Tawny Port(simply because I'd never tried port lol)...it was seductively sweet at first taste, but was much too much like bourbon to suit my taste--burned all the way down. luckily it came in a tiny, delicate, stemmed dessert flute)
anyway, bottom line: Noca is a bit pricey, but worth every dollar---the service is friendly and helpful without being patronizing, the atmosphere is boisterous, yet cozy, and the food is...well, the food is to die for. we're heading back for Valentine's Day...making our reservations this week :)
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