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| - Doctor Dopey took me to Toca by Tom Brodi at the Ritz-Carlton for my birthday. The menu looked so intriguing - how could I resist?
We arrive around 5:45PM to a relatively empty restaurant - it was still early and they had just opened at 5:30PM. We were seated promptly, and offered water (still or sparkling). Then our drink orders were promptly taken. I ordered the Chili-Lychee Collins and Doctor D ordered a Grey Goose & Tonic. The lychee cocktail was quite refreshing and rather interesting as it contained maple-glazed chili peppers, lime leaves, and a pomegranate-poached lotus root. It was refreshing and not too sweet.
The bread basket was brought with some butter. A nice, crusty bread - and it was warm too!
For starters I ordered Foie Gras - if there is foie gras on the menu I almost always order it. Doctor D ordered the Fancy Fish and Chips made with Lobster instead of fish. I was thoroughly disappointed with my foie gras. What a waste of a duck's life to have it so ill-prepared. I would expect a dining establishment such as Toca to at least know how to cook a foie gras properly. The outside was not seared right, and the inside, while still soft and creamy was not a melt-in-your-mouth. It was served with poached rhubarb and housemade cotton candy. I don't discourage culinary creativity - but this combination just seemed crazy weird to me! This was a "trying too hard" dish. The Fancy Fish & Chips were amazing - we substituted the frites with the Kennebec Frites (w/ Thunder Oak Gouda) . This was definitely a redemption for my ill-prepared appetizer. The lobster just melted in your mouth with a light batter and served with a tartar sauce. The fries were delicious and sprinkled with gouda cheese flakes.
For mains I ordered the Lamb Saddle. The moment it arrived at my table I could smell the gamey-ness of the lamb. However, when I actually ate it, it was surprisingly not gamey - though Doctor D begged to differ. It was not what I would call tender, though it was not overcooked. The gnocchi was a little overcooked (e.g. mushier than al dente), but I loved the spiced carrots.
However, once again, Doctor D prevails in menu selection as his Pan-Seared East Coast Scallops were absolutely amazing! I was blown away just by the sheer size of the scallops. I had never seen such big ones in my life (that's what she said!). They were seared perfectly, and served with a fava bean purée and sour cream w/ abitibi caviar. I felt the scallops were best consumed on their own, net of the accompaniments to truly taste the flavour stemming from the natural juices of the scallops.
Verdict:
The crowd is definitely older. Mostly form the "old boys club" of financial district workers. Definitely not a hip nor trendy place to go. The service was great - they had ample wait staff, and everyone was polite. The bill came to $196 w/ tax and tip so it ain't cheap. For that price point I expected more. The foie gras was a real disappointment for me. I would probably come back to Toca again sometime in the future for a special occasion but it definitely fell short of my expectations.
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