We went out to celebrate our anniversary last night. I wanted to go to L'Etoile but Rhonda wanted to go to Tornado. She won. I am glad she won. I am still recovering from a food coma. It was absolutely amazing!
It is an old fashioned supper club. Not a lot of lighting, very intimate. The only complaint I had was the busier they got the louder it got. There was a table of politicians across the room and they were really loud. Everyone was trying to talk over them.
I am a big fan of the nightly specials. Usually the chef puts a lot of their talent behind them. The waiter we had was great. As he was going through the specials you could tell he tried each of them and was very passionate about how good they were. I ordered the appetiser special and the main course special.
We started with crab cakes made with king crab. I thought I have had good crab cakes before but these were to die for. Crispy on the outside and moist and creamy on the inside. The sauce sealed the deal. It was a rich sauce but you only needed a little to get the appropriate flavors. Too bad it was a special. If they were on the menu I would go back for them...It gets better.
Rhonda ordered an 8 oz filet with a baked potato. I ordered the braised lamb shanks. The waiter described them perfectly. As my fork went into the meat it fell apart and went into the gravy, you could see how moist the meat was. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as my taste buds exploded in flavor with the first bite. I gave a fork full to Rhonda and she had the same reaction. I love her to death and many times I have traded entrees with her because she liked mine better, not tonight. I am keeping this one. The lamb shank was served with elephant ear mushrooms and I choose brussel sprouts for a veg. I felt selfish about keeping the meat so I gave the mushrooms to Rhonda. She loved them.
Rhonda is big on dessert. I always joke with her that she has two stomachs, one is specifically for dessert. I was way too full to get one. When the waiter came back and told us about the options, he paused and said the pineapple upside down cake was really good and his favorite. Once he said that I had to get it. He wasn't wrong up to this point. When it came out it was pretty big. I didn't know how I was going to finish it. Rhonda ordered the custard and it was pretty small. I knew she would help me. I was in heaven after the first bite. It was hot, not too sweet and gooey. Rhonda finished her dessert then ate about half of mine. I was glad because I wouldn't have been able to finish it.
Once we finished, the food coma set in. I still feel full 12 hours later. I couldn't believe how great the food was. The waiter was amazing and you could tell he liked his job. The way he described the food would make any chef feel proud. The prices seemed high when we had the menus but the quality of food and the amounts given are well worth the cost. We had multiple drinks and a ton of food and the bill was a little over $125. We expected that and would have paid a lot more. Knowing how great the meal was, we will be going back more often.
The restaurant was full for a Tuesday. I suggest you make reservations. I also suggest picking something besides steak. Their steaks are good but try other items especially the specials. Chefs put their heart and talents into them so you know they will be great.