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| - Blown away by Chef Wiener again.
My wife and I went out for our anniversary last night. I heard that Chef W. had moved from Top of the Rock to Buck & Rider. We'd enjoyed our last two anniversaries at TOR and were always impressed so we figured we'd try his new place.
We showed up and were immediately seated. The place was buzzing, but not full-blown full...yet. Our server, Shea, greeted us immediately. Well, she was our main server, we were helped by no fewer than 6 separate people. Their service was perfect, in my opinion. They worked as a team but didn't "over-serve". Shea was very engaging and helpful. She spent considerable time explaining each treat that came out.
Our typical MO at places like this is to request a "Chef's Choice" dinner. Not only does it give the chef a chance to show off, but we're invariably going to be treated to the items they're most proud of...it's going to be good. Sure, you'll have favorites, and least favorites, but each item that shows up is going to be unique.
We never knew what was going to show up next. Course after course, of "off-the-menu" items kept rolling in. I wish I could remember the progression, or even every dish. But we had oysters, hush puppies, a trout dish, some "fried rice" that also had quinoa in it, scallop civiche, a piece of tender swordfish with a crisp crust, crab cakes, a massive ribeye and some of the best lemon meringue pie I think I've ever had. That meringue was so light and fluffy.
Anyway, a good hour and a half later we were stuffed! I wanted to take a nap I was so content. But unfortunately that behavior is frowned upon, so we took our leave. By the time we were walking out we noticed that the place was PACKED! There were a lot of people there but it never felt "crowded". The dining room has a great flow to it, especially when the patio is open.
We got the bill and I was pleasantly surprised. You'd think that an 8-course, chef's choice tasting dinner would break the bank. I mean, it's an anniversary so you're supposed to splurge, whatever that means to you. For us, we like to treat ourselves by visiting places where we know that the chef and his/her team are excited to be cooking for guests. Yea, I love me some delivery pizza now and then, but I have no illusion that the person that made that pizza is as passionate about a dining experience as much as a professional, chef-lead kitchen.
This dining experience was WAY more valuable than the bill would have suggested. In our opinion, this place is truly one of the most appealing dining experiences in the Valley.
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