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| - This place never lets me down! Have been here a number of times and it is just always a really great experience. Lively and can be very busy but the service and quality always comes through! My only negative on this visit was that the service seems to be just slightly less polished than it has been previously. Still great, but maybe slightly less refined and more relaxed. With that said, did the Chefs tasting menu with beverage pairing on this visit and it breaks down as follows!
Amuse Bouche - Scotch Egg - Berkshire pork sausage, red wine braised cabbage. Always a pleaser! Really a perfect Scotch Egg.
Pairing - Gaston Chiquet, Tradition, 1er Cru Brut
1st Course - Heirloom Tomato Salad - pomegranate, pistachio, buffalo mozzeralla, banyuls vinaigrette. This is just a simple and beautiful salad. Clean, light, refreshing and full of flavor!
Pairing - Robert Weil, Riesling, Tradition, Rheingau 2014
2nd Course - Scallop Risotto - Seared scallop, English Peas, Wasabi Crust. Awesome. Truly perfectly cooked and one of the best scallops I have tasted.
Pairing - Ayinger Brau Weisse, Hefeweizen, Germany. Yes a beer pairing and it worked supremely well!
3rd Course - Roasted Beef Wellington - Glazed root vegetables, potato puree, red wine demi-glace. What am I going to say about this. One of my favorite dishes in the world and this is always a great one!
Pairing - Antica, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2012
Dessert Course - Sticky Toffee Pudding - sweet date pudding cake, brown sugar toffee, brown butter ice cream. People lose their damn minds for the dessert...I mean they really go ape shit for it. Its good, I just don't have that love for it, Its too sweet and just too rich for the serving size for me. I would be happy with about 80 percent less but...I definitely seem to be in the minority. If you like sweet rich desserts, you will crap yourself for this one.
Pairing - Croft, Reserve Tawny Porto, Douro Valley
This is a really spectacular meal and a great way to get a variety of dishes at the restaurant. I feel its a really good value at $145 per person for the food and an additional $75 per person for the pairing.
The vast majority of "celebrity Chefs" are a complete joke and lack any sort of true skill. I will argue til the end of days that Ramsay is the exception and his higher end establishments prove it.
Happy eating!
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