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| - Bank vault, anyone?!
Yes, there's a bank vault in the basement for group events. You have to walk through the kitchen to get to the dinning space, which was a little disorienting at first, but was a cool experience in the end, as you could see how your food is being prepared and talk to the chefs. The bar section in the back was a little small for the group of people we had (about 50 people) and the acoustics were deafening at times with the marble covered walls. However, once the sauteed mushroom and truffle crustinis started showing up, I couldn't notice anything else but the flavour explosion that was happening in my mouth. After the first one, I literally chased down the server for a second and third. The glass of delicious red Cote de Rhone helped also.
Dinner would not be overshadowed by cocktail hour. The salad was a bit of a bore, but it was perfectly dressed and light...as good contrast to the appetizers. It decided on the Grilled Tasmanian Salmon with warm quinoa salad, fava beans and fennel. This dish was perfect! Four days later, and I'm still dreaming of it! The salmon was perfectly medium, retaining all that is amazing about fish. Meaty and lush, almost melted in my mouth. The fava and fennel complimented the fish well, balancing the fattiness. I was a bit skeptical about the quinoa salad, but it was well cooked with just enough moisture. For dessert I had the coconut cream pie with key lime fruit cavier. I would have love for the coconut cream part to be thicker and more custard like, however the key lime fruit cavier added pops of interest and freshness that made for plenty of delightful mouthfuls.
Not only was the food deserving of 5 stars, the service was deserving of eight! My wine glass never got to below half full and my server was also able to recommend a delicious chardonnay to accompany my salmon main. Everyone was professional, but friendly and a little cheeky at times. Qualities I love in a wait staff because it makes them feel like people instead of robots going through the motions.
This is my first time to Cleveland, and if all the restaurants here are even half the quality and deliciousness of Crop, then why aren't we talking about Cleveland more?!
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