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| - The food - everything was superbly done with great flavors that were sophisticated without being overly complicated. If you're a real foodie, you'll appreciate what they are doing, but somebody who just likes delicious food won't be confused. I hate when restaurants think complicated always means better - lots of technique to appreciate here, but they don't hit you over the head with it.
The best dishes I had were the bone marrow gnocchi and the foie gras with watermelon. The gnocchi had very deep flavor with the marrow but were also light - they didn't sit like lead in the stomach. I never would have thought watermelon went with foie gras but boy does it! I think they said the watermelon was compressed - which would make you think mashed but it wasn't mashed - intensely flavorful and delicious. As I think about it now, damn i wish I had some more tonight. Hope that dish sticks around.
Octopus dish was pretty awesome as well - this had smoked mashed potatoes (I think that's what the called them) that were perfect with the octopus and the whole thing looked cool enough I took a picture.
There was small dessert plate with a few things on it, but I was stuffed by that time and didn't touch it.
I had the 7 course with the wine pairing. I'm not usually a huge fan of of wine pairings, but decided to get it after talking to the bartender & seeing some unusual wines on the list. This was the best wine-food pairing I've ever had! Excellent job by whoever did it. They also pour just the right amount per course, so you're not trashed by the end of dinner, or sending back half-full glasses to keep up.
One criticism is the dining room is a bit too dark. The food should be a bit better lit - I would have taken more shots, but didn't want to disturb other tables. Also, nobody was sitting directly behind me, but the space looked tight enough that it might have been a bit close if there were somebody there.
Dinner here was truly excellent and deserves every bit of 5 stars. Wanted to try a new restaurant while in Toronto for the weekend and so glad I did - not to mention this dinner in D.C. would have been $200+ easy with the wine flight - I'll be back.
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