Had dinner with chef Marcel and staff last night. We had a very nice evening…read more
Like other reviewers, I would strongly suggest reservations as the dining room is quite small. Go to their website and simply click away on you preferences. It's really easy and worth the expended effort.
The staff was very nice and accommodating. We arrived and were quickly seated. Water was brought to the table, but without ice. I asked for ice and pretty quickly received some. I would suggest always serving ice water! Warm tap water isn't very palatable to most folks.
First impressions of the dining room...
So, it's a fairly small room without carpet. No tablecloths or individual table lamps (this doesn't bother me, but some may find this type of dining without such refinements unacceptable). I believe in keeping costs down. Take the savings and use them for buying better ingredients. Oh, a plate of bread with an absolutely delicious compound butter was served when the water was served (a little amuse-bouche). The butter was a lemon, garlic, basil combination that was outstanding!!! Everyone loved it.
We split a bottle of wine (no cocktails, sorry). That was fine. They have a nice, simple wine and beer menu. We also ordered Appetizers.
If you try any of the apps, try the bang bang shrimp! Better than anything you'll get at the Japanese Steakhouse. Seriously, next time I go back, I'll probably order this for my entrée along with the Caesar salad, and more of that delicious bread! Our other app was the calamari. It was served with marinara, and perfectly cooked. Both great appetizer choices. For our entrées...
I ordered the halibut, and what an amazing job chef Marcel did with it! It was sauteed with some small diced vegetables and capers, served over polenta. Maybe a bit too done, but that's just me. I like my fish to be more on the rare side. I'm not faulting anyone for this because I never specified. It was still a great, creative and delicious meal.
Two of my dining partners ordered the chicken paillard. Unfortunately, they said these were overcooked and too dry to really enjoy. They both looked delicious though. Another person ordered the salmon and said it was delicious. Our 5th person ordered the mixed green salad with duck.
So this was something that really intrigued me as I love duck, and rarely see it. The salad greens/bean sprouts were very fresh, really nice. The duck was sliced very nicely, perfectly cooked, but cold. The temperature of the duck is intentional. I think it would be a better dish if served warm, but that's just me. It also lacked flavor. A nice Asian soy based dressing would have been perfect with this. Soy sauce, rice vinegar, scallions, garlic, ginger, sesame oil...
Anyway, we ended with a shared piece of carrot cake and coffee. The carrot cake was out of this world, and it has to be good for you since it's made out of a vegetable. The coffee is french press and should have steeped longer, but we all love strong coffee.
We'll definitely go back! Nice, hidden little spot with some great food and staff. Not too expensive, clean and an easy destination.