Category Archives: Tasting Menu

[lost meals] Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills NY

The lost meals entries consist of meals that occurred at various times throughout 2012 which, for any number of reasons, escaped my documentation – some due to a cross country move and a new job, some due to the Los … Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Bread Basket, Coffee, Dessert, Food, lost meals, New York, Pocantico Hills, Pork, Tasting Menu, Vacation

[lost meals] Vetri [2], Philadelphia PA

The lost meals entries consist of meals that occurred at various times throughout 2012 which, for any number of reasons, escaped my documentation – some due to a cross country move and a new job, some due to the Los … Continue reading →

Posted in Bread Basket, Dessert, Foie, Food, Gnocchi, Ice Cream, Italian, lost meals, Macaroon, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pork, Souffle, Tasting Menu, Truffle, Vacation, Vetri

[lost meals] Koo Zee Doo, Philadelphia PA

The lost meals entries consist of meals that occurred at various times throughout 2012 which, for any number of reasons, escaped my documentation – some due to a cross country move and a new job, some due to the Los … Continue reading →

Posted in Bread Basket, Bread Pudding, Coffee, Dessert, Food, Koo Zee Doo, lost meals, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pork, Tasting Menu

Blackfish, Conshohocken PA and Swann Lounge, Philadelphia PA

The Gist: http://www.blackfishrestaurant.com/ The Why: Located out in Conshohocken and featured on many of Philadelphia’s “best of” lists, Chip Roman’s Blackfish had been on my list of places to eat during previous visits, but with gourmands I trust deeming it … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackfish, Bread Basket, Coffee, Conshohocken, Dessert, Foie, Food, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Tasting Menu Tagged

Wit & Wisdom, Baltimore MD

The Gist: http://www.witandwisdombaltimore.com The Why: With dinner already accounted for at Woodberry Kitchen and a great game at Camden Yard wrapping up it seemed apropos to head out for dessert and with my admiration for Michael Mina restaurants no secret … Continue reading →

Posted in Baltimore, Coffee, Dessert, Foie, Food, Maryland, Michael Mina, Pork, Tasting Menu, Vacation, Wit & Wisdom

Rogue 24, Washington DC

The Gist: Taken directly from the website because I couldn’t possibly sum it up better myself, “Rogue 24 is all about the unexpected…to wildly imaginative dishes and the theater-like setup where the kitchen acts as a culinary stage. Rogue 24 … Continue reading →

Posted in Coffee, Crab, DC, Dessert, Foie, Food, Ice Cream, Macaroon, Pork, Rogue 24, Sushi, Tasting Menu, Truffle, Vacation, Vidalia 24, Washington

The Source, Washington DC

The Gist: http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/3941 The Why: While many seem to enjoy criticizing Wolfgang Puck and his multitude of restaurant concepts I personally have never had a bad meal at one of his restaurants; a memorable family trip to Spago before the … Continue reading →

Posted in Coffee, Crab, DC, Dessert, Food, Pork, Tasting Menu, The Source, Vacation, Washington

Sushi Taro, Washington DC

The Gist: http://sushitaro.com/ The Why: Steve Plotnicki loves it. RJ Cooper loves it. When palates you trust recommend a spot as “best in the city” or “best in the country” it is hard to ignore, particularly when the price is … Continue reading →

Posted in Crab, DC, Dessert, Food, Octopus, Sushi Taro, Tasting Menu, Vacation, Washington

The Ashby Inn, Paris VA

The Gist: http://www.ashbyinn.com/ The Why: RJ Cooper recommended it, along with Sushi Taro and Little Serow, as the spots I should not miss on this trip to DC. Considered by some to be every bit as lovely as another Inn … Continue reading →

Posted in Bread Basket, Bread Pudding, Food, Pork, Tasting Menu, The Ashby Inn, Vacation, Virginia

La Chronique, Montreal QC

The Gist: http://www.lachronique.qc.ca/ The Why: Recommended by a Montreal contact when I inquired about a classy/classic French restaurant where I could take my mother and aunt without breaking the bank, La Chronique struck me as a great place to start … Continue reading →

Posted in Bread Basket, Canada, Dessert, Foie, Food, Ice Cream, La Chronique, Montreal, Pork, Tasting Menu, Vacation

Atelier, Ottawa ON

The Gist: http://www.atelierrestaurant.ca/ The Why: A trained Sommelier who later transitioned to cooking only to work under the tutelage of Grant Achatz, Marc Lepine’s Atelier was the primary reason for a brief stop in Ottawa en route to Montreal from … Continue reading →

Posted in Atelier, Bread Basket, Canada, Crab, Dessert, Ice Cream, Ottawa, Pork, Tasting Menu, Truffle, Vacation

Splendido, Toronto ON

The Gist: Perhaps Toronto’s finest ‘fine dining’ restaurant, Splendido had always fancied itself as a contemporary restaurant strongly focused on locally sourced seasonal produce but with the departure of patriarch David Lee to focus on Nota Bene and subsequent sale … Continue reading →

Posted in Bread Basket, Canada, Crab, Dessert, Foie, Food, Ice Cream, Pork, Splendido, Tasting Menu, Toronto

Next “El Bulli” and The Aviary [3], Chicago IL

The Gist: Achatz and Beran paying tribute to Adria at what is undoubtedly the most anticipated restaurant “opening” of 2012; 29 dishes taken from the El Bulli repertoire stretching from 1987 to 2010 and focusing on the growth and development … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Coffee, Crab, Dessert, Foie, Food, Ice Cream, Illinois, Next, Pork, Tasting Menu, The Aviary, Truffle, Vacation

EL Ideas, Chicago IL

The Gist: “Elevated Ideas,” a dining concept from the least likely of chefs – Phillip Foss, a man who didn’t even think to take up cooking until after high school, yet oddly a man who has cooked not only in … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Coffee, Dessert, EL Ideas, Foie, Food, Ice Cream, Illinois, Lobster, Pork, Sweetbreads, Tasting Menu, Vacation

Eleven Madison Park [3], New York NY

My final day in New York would take me back to Eleven Madison Park for the third time. Rarely one to revisit restaurants it says a lot about my feelings for a place when I do so, let alone more … Continue reading →

Posted in Bread Basket, Coffee, Dessert, Eleven Madison Park, Foie, Food, Ice Cream, Lobster, New York, Tasting Menu, Truffle, Vacation

Annisa, New York NY

  …three years ago when I was raving about Nancy Olsen’s bread pudding at Gramercy Tavern a friend of mine told me best version of the dish they’d ever had was at Anita Lo’s Annisa – a chef and restaurant … Continue reading →

Posted in Annisa, Bread Basket, Bread Pudding, Foie, Food, New York, Tasting Menu, Vacation

wd~50, New York NY

…molecular gastronomy, modernist cuisine, deconstructivist cooking – no matter what you call it, it is here to stay – and I’m glad. Sure there are times when spherification, centrifugation, foams, transglutaminase, and hydrocolloids are overused to the benefit of nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in Bread Basket, Coffee, Dessert, Foie, Food, New York, Pork, Tasting Menu, Vacation, wd~50

Per Se [2], New York NY

When I started planning this trip to New York the number one destination on my list was a return to Per Se; with stellar extended tasting menus at both The French Laundry under Corey Lee and Per Se under Jonathan … Continue reading →

Posted in Bread Basket, Breakfast, Coffee, Crab, Dessert, Foie, Food, Ice Cream, Macaroon, New York, Pancakes, Per Se, Pork, Sushi, Tasting Menu, Truffle

Brushstroke, New York NY

…believe it or not, planning a trip to New York is far more difficult than planning a trip to someplace new – as a matter of fact, of all the places I travel yearly I almost always have the most … Continue reading →

Posted in Bouley, Brushstroke, Crab, Dessert, Food, Ice Cream, Lobster, New York, Pork, Sushi, Tasting Menu, Truffle, Vacation

The Willow’s Inn, Bellingham WA

Despite being named “one of ten restaurants worth a plane ride” by the New York Times we took a boat – a $35 round-trip-take-your-car-with-you-ferry to be precise – to visit Willow’s Inn on Lummi Island. Known to many locals and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bellingham, Bread Basket, Coffee, Dessert, Food, Seattle, Tasting Menu, The Willow's Inn, Vacation, Washington