I've been interested in trying Haute Dish since I first heard about it opening and saw that one of their signature items was Tater Tot Hotdish (casserole for those of you south of here!). The hubby, Reservations for One, and I hit it up this weekend for a little pre-Christmas dinner.
The restaurant is in a narrow but very long space. We were escorted by the bar and the front dining room to the back area right by the kitchen. We felt like we might as well have been sitting by the stove with how hot it was in the back room. I was ok, but the hubby and RFO complained about it a bit.
I started out with a glass of La Core Salice - a red wine of some varietal. It was the cheapest on the menu and unfortunately tasted like it as well. I'm sure the second glass would have been fine...the second glass always tastes better! I passed and stuck with water. The hubby ordered a Crispen Hard Cider which is a fermented apple cider beverage served over ice. He has enjoyed it before and it didn't disappoint this time as well.
The three of us shared the Mac & Cheese which was made with large pasta noodles, king crab meat, tallegio cheese, and of course...truffle. It had a bit of a kick with perhaps cayenne or something along those lines. It was very good. I also tried their "Soup of the Moment" which was some sort of pumpkin or squash soup with a super tasty homemade tater tot stuffed with duck confit. I could have had another tot or two with the soup.
The hubby was considering between the Brussel Sprouts Casserole or the Flavor Country Burger. The server said the burger was the best she's had so he went with her recommendation. I'm not sure what all was on his burger, but I believe it included cheese and bacon. He wouldn't let me get close enough to it to really see. It was very good according to him. The burger was served with salt and vinegar fries. He did share his fries with RFO and me - thankfully!
RFO and I both went with the Tater Tot Haute Dish. This dish is a deconstructed hot dish with each ingredient separated but served together. The dish included short ribs, baby green beans, porcini bechamel and tater tots. The short ribs were like a good pot roast - so tender and tasty. RFO said this was one reason she could never be a vegetarian. It was that good! The green beans were crisp and fresh. The tater tots. Well, they had a center of bechamel that just made every bite a delicious, creamy experience. Our only complaint was there were simply not enough tots. So good! While there were other items on the menu that looked appealing too, I would have a hard time going back and not getting the Tater Tot Haute Dish again. So. Good!
We ended our dinner with dessert. RFO and I both had carrot cake and the hubby had the Tapioca dessert. Our carrot cake included kumquats, coriander, and parsnip. It was served with some sort of ice cream that was very tasty. The tapioca was presented with chocolate, sesame, and coconut. It is hard to describe, but it had a piece of chocolate cake, spoonfuls of tapioca on the side and some coconut crisps. He thought it was very good but...RFO and I determined that fork marks on our hands were not a good idea so we did not try to take a bite of his dessert. RFO also enjoyed a French Press decaf coffee with her dessert.
We had a good evening and would definitely go back and try it again!
With all of the snow on the ground, valet parking was the way to go. A little pricey, but worth not having to drive around looking for a spot and trying to walk over snow piles.
Happy Eating!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Pizzeria Lola
The area has seen a surge in new pizza places to try - not a bad trend for those of us who like to try new restaurants and could eat pizza every day of the week! First up...Pizzeria Lola!
Pizzeria Lola has only been open a couple of weeks and we heard the lines to get in can be long. We were the early birds and managed to walk right in and grab a two top. Good thing...within 30 minutes of our arrival the wait was 30-45 minutes.
It's a small restaurant minimally decorated around a huge wood fired oven. There is a bar area toward the back of the restaurant which was packed with people waiting for a table. Not a ton of room, but at least they will always be full. It's in a great neighborhood with lots of families nearby so I think there will always be a lot of children around. Definitely kid friendly.
I was impressed with their list of local tap beers. I went with Fulton's Lonely Blonde Ale - super good! Can't wait until Fulton is in bottles! Just a nice refreshing end to the week.
The pizzas are about a plate size 10-12 inches and we were told 2 pizzas would be good to share if we weren't getting anything else. We went with that advice since we couldn't agree on what we wanted. I got the special which included fig, Gorgonzola cheese, and guanciale. Guanciale was described as something similar to prosciutto. It was thinner, crispier and more translucent than prosciutto. It was very good and the pizza was a hit with both of us!
The hubby went with The Boise which included potato, fontina, caramelized onion and rosemary. It was also very good, but I think I won with the special. I'll be glad to go back and try other options soon!
We finished with dessert. I had the ice cream sandwich which was homemade ice cream between two chocolate chip cookies. So. Good. The hubby just had a dish of vanilla ice cream with cocoa nibs. It was good, but a little pricey for a dish of ice cream.
All in all we were very pleased with the restaurant. They have a few kinks to work out in their service - the hubby had to wait a long time for a refill of his soda, even though the waiter had asked him twice if he wanted one. They also had some booths that weren't turned very quickly. They could have seated parties and then brought out the plates and silverware. Instead, the bar area was packed when some of those people could have at least been sitting in a booth getting closer to the yummy goodness of the pizza. These kinks can get worked out and I think Pizzeria Lola will do a killer business.
Pizzeria Lola has only been open a couple of weeks and we heard the lines to get in can be long. We were the early birds and managed to walk right in and grab a two top. Good thing...within 30 minutes of our arrival the wait was 30-45 minutes.
It's a small restaurant minimally decorated around a huge wood fired oven. There is a bar area toward the back of the restaurant which was packed with people waiting for a table. Not a ton of room, but at least they will always be full. It's in a great neighborhood with lots of families nearby so I think there will always be a lot of children around. Definitely kid friendly.
I was impressed with their list of local tap beers. I went with Fulton's Lonely Blonde Ale - super good! Can't wait until Fulton is in bottles! Just a nice refreshing end to the week.
The pizzas are about a plate size 10-12 inches and we were told 2 pizzas would be good to share if we weren't getting anything else. We went with that advice since we couldn't agree on what we wanted. I got the special which included fig, Gorgonzola cheese, and guanciale. Guanciale was described as something similar to prosciutto. It was thinner, crispier and more translucent than prosciutto. It was very good and the pizza was a hit with both of us!
The hubby went with The Boise which included potato, fontina, caramelized onion and rosemary. It was also very good, but I think I won with the special. I'll be glad to go back and try other options soon!
We finished with dessert. I had the ice cream sandwich which was homemade ice cream between two chocolate chip cookies. So. Good. The hubby just had a dish of vanilla ice cream with cocoa nibs. It was good, but a little pricey for a dish of ice cream.
All in all we were very pleased with the restaurant. They have a few kinks to work out in their service - the hubby had to wait a long time for a refill of his soda, even though the waiter had asked him twice if he wanted one. They also had some booths that weren't turned very quickly. They could have seated parties and then brought out the plates and silverware. Instead, the bar area was packed when some of those people could have at least been sitting in a booth getting closer to the yummy goodness of the pizza. These kinks can get worked out and I think Pizzeria Lola will do a killer business.
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