rev:text
| - I'm trying not to let the popovers influence my overall review too much. I say this because the popovers were so heavenly that I could eat just a dozen of those (slathered in butter, of course) and make that my meal.
But on to the rest. We had two courses of appetizers, first was the lobster cobb salad (lots of lobster, avocado, cheese, it would be a decent meal for people with a normal appetite) and the crabcake (didn't get a taste, but it looked amazing). Then we split a grilled lobster as a second app. Lobster is lobster, you say? Au contraire! However they prepared it, this lobster was amazing. Oh wait, make it 3 apps because they started us with complimentary chicken pate (the best free app I've ever had). Then I had the aged ribeye (a special that night) with foie gras butter. The foie gras butter was a mistake for 2 reasons: 1) it was too rich, and the steak was decadent enough on its own; and 2) it was too salty. But the steak itself was superb, and I'd gladly order it again, without the butter. After his NY Strip (which he loved), my friend was too stuffed to even think about dessert, but I had to have a little sweet something. I ordered the pear frangipane tart, substituting brown butter ice cream for whatever they normally serve it with (the substitution was no problem at all). Man oh man, I've been to Paris five times and eaten my weight in pastries every time I go, and this dessert is one of the best I've ever had: just right sweetness, a crisp buttery crust, an almost creamy almond paste - simply perfection. The brown butter ice cream complemented the tart without overpowering it.
The setting is really beautiful. It was still warm enough to eat on the terrace, which offers a terrific view of the Camelback resort. The service was spot-on. Also, the liquor prices were pretty darn reasonable (Macallan 25 for $95? I was thisclose to ordering a double). I'm still trying to get over my traumatic visit to the ghastly-bad Stockyards steakhouse in May. BLT definitely boosted my image of Phoenix steakhouses.
|