A little bit of a different post today. Not reviewing a restaurant this time...I actually cooked this weekend! It all started with a snowstorm that delivered the biggest snow in November in 19 years! We managed to get out at the start of the snowstorm and made it to the grocery store. The roads were terrible, so we were glad to get back in the safe confines of our home.
Who doesn't remember school days when you were stuck at home on a snow day and mom would bake or make a more "extensive" meal? While my mom used to make home-made cinnamon rolls or beef and noodles, I picked a few recipes from the latest Cooks Illustrated magazine to keep me busy at home. I'll wait for her to make the cinnamon rolls and noodes sometime.
We started yesterday by baking chewy sugar cookies. They were ok, but I wouldn't make them over our family recipes going forward. They had a very metallic taste to them. Our baking powder is getting to its expiration date, maybe that was the issue? We also made roasted carrots. Those were simple but tasty. Just carrots, butter, and an oven. We paired that with a fancy Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Bake. :)
Today was the major cooking attempt. While waiting for football to start, I spent a couple of hours in the kitchen making a tasty Chicken Fricassee & Roasted Baby Red Potatoes lunch. Both recipes were pretty easy for even the experienced dining out person to navigate. The potatoes took the longest but were the easiest - just needed a 500 degree oven, baby red potatoes and olive oil - with a little salt, pepper, and thyme.
The chicken was more extensive in terms of ingredients and preparation but again...extremely doable. Chicken breasts, crimini mushrooms, onions, olive oil, butter, sour cream, egg yolk, chicken broth, garlic, white wine, nutmeg, tarragon, lemon juice. The end result was a browned chicken breast covered with a warm pan sauce with mushrooms. That paired with the roasted potatoes made for a nice comfort food meal on a snowy winter/fall day.
Now...let's hope we can get out after the football game and make it to the gym!!
Happy eating (and/or cooking)!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Piccolo Restaurant
The hubby, me and a friend of mine recently tried out Piccolo Restaurant in South Minneapolis. It had "been on the list" for all of us for awhile. We had an early reservation because that was the only option unless we wanted to eat super late. Upon walking into the restaurant I could see why reservations are hard to get - my family room is bigger than the dining room. The space is simply appointed with soft colors, small candles, and nothing cluttering the tables.
The restaurant lives up to its name in that it offers various small plates to share. We were advised to order 9 plates for the 3 of us. After looking at the menu we determined that we really only had to pick 4 plates that we did NOT want and then order the rest. Those we avoided included squid, clams, and veal neck.
Our first round of plates included the Duck "chorizo" with bread, olives and truffle vinaigrette, Compressed apple with pumpkin, fennel purée, sorrel and pimenton, and Tempura fried fresh fig with sheep’s milk cheese and Spanish olive oil tortas. All three were beautifully presented. The compressed apple was an interesting presentation of layered apple slices in the form of a rectangular block. It was topped with a pumpkin shaped dollop of the pumpkin. The fig plate was quite tasty...the combination of the sweetness of the fig paired with cheese is something I will always order from a menu.
The second course included Mortadella agnolotti with pistachios, lardo and Dijon mustard, Scrambled brown eggs with pickled pigs feet, truffle butter and parmigiano, and Butter poached Alaskan cod with celeryroot, king crab and white kimchee. So, where to start...the pasta purse agnolotti was soft and creamy with the pistachios giving it a bit of a crunch; though the pistachios were not as crunchy as is typical. Definitely worth ordering. The scrambled eggs with pigs feet was the one plate I was going to definitely avoid. But, the presentation was appealing...no hooves to be seen. I reluctantly took a bite and was surprised at how much of a non-event eating the pigs feet was. I still won't be the one at the butcher asking for pigs feet for a recipe, but the eggs and feet was actually quite good. I can't really describe the taste of the feet. The overall taste I got was of the truffle butter. The final plate was the Alaskan cod with kimchee. I didn't know what kimchee was and now I know I don't care for it. To me it seemed like sauerkraut which I'm not a fan of. The cod was the least favorite dish from the second course.
Our third course was the "meat" course or "entree" portion of the meal. We enjoyed the Berkshire pork belly with mortadella, chestnuts, Brussels sprouts and truffle honey, Magret duck with artichoke and celery ragout, Iberican lomo and pickled cherries, and the Callister Farms chicken with "French" onions, smoked ham hocks, timanoix cheese and walnuts. All three of us agreed that this was the best course of the night. I'm not much into game, but the duck was surprisingly quite tasty and is one I would get again. The pork belly and chicken were also very good. The chicken had a nice brown crunchy crust and the timanoix cheese provided a creaminess with each bite.
My friend and I each ordered the chocolate and apple cider cake with coffee syrup and figs. The hubby ordered the cheese plate for dessert. We all were very happy with our selection. Great way to end the meal.
The only downside to this restaurant is the namesake plates. While so many restaurants offer ginormous portions, Piccolo's are almost too small. We did not do the fast food drive-thru on the way home, but we were hungry again later in the evening.
All in all, a great evening...good food, good conversation, and another restaurant "in the books."
Happy Eating!
The restaurant lives up to its name in that it offers various small plates to share. We were advised to order 9 plates for the 3 of us. After looking at the menu we determined that we really only had to pick 4 plates that we did NOT want and then order the rest. Those we avoided included squid, clams, and veal neck.
Our first round of plates included the Duck "chorizo" with bread, olives and truffle vinaigrette, Compressed apple with pumpkin, fennel purée, sorrel and pimenton, and Tempura fried fresh fig with sheep’s milk cheese and Spanish olive oil tortas. All three were beautifully presented. The compressed apple was an interesting presentation of layered apple slices in the form of a rectangular block. It was topped with a pumpkin shaped dollop of the pumpkin. The fig plate was quite tasty...the combination of the sweetness of the fig paired with cheese is something I will always order from a menu.
The second course included Mortadella agnolotti with pistachios, lardo and Dijon mustard, Scrambled brown eggs with pickled pigs feet, truffle butter and parmigiano, and Butter poached Alaskan cod with celeryroot, king crab and white kimchee. So, where to start...the pasta purse agnolotti was soft and creamy with the pistachios giving it a bit of a crunch; though the pistachios were not as crunchy as is typical. Definitely worth ordering. The scrambled eggs with pigs feet was the one plate I was going to definitely avoid. But, the presentation was appealing...no hooves to be seen. I reluctantly took a bite and was surprised at how much of a non-event eating the pigs feet was. I still won't be the one at the butcher asking for pigs feet for a recipe, but the eggs and feet was actually quite good. I can't really describe the taste of the feet. The overall taste I got was of the truffle butter. The final plate was the Alaskan cod with kimchee. I didn't know what kimchee was and now I know I don't care for it. To me it seemed like sauerkraut which I'm not a fan of. The cod was the least favorite dish from the second course.
Our third course was the "meat" course or "entree" portion of the meal. We enjoyed the Berkshire pork belly with mortadella, chestnuts, Brussels sprouts and truffle honey, Magret duck with artichoke and celery ragout, Iberican lomo and pickled cherries, and the Callister Farms chicken with "French" onions, smoked ham hocks, timanoix cheese and walnuts. All three of us agreed that this was the best course of the night. I'm not much into game, but the duck was surprisingly quite tasty and is one I would get again. The pork belly and chicken were also very good. The chicken had a nice brown crunchy crust and the timanoix cheese provided a creaminess with each bite.
My friend and I each ordered the chocolate and apple cider cake with coffee syrup and figs. The hubby ordered the cheese plate for dessert. We all were very happy with our selection. Great way to end the meal.
The only downside to this restaurant is the namesake plates. While so many restaurants offer ginormous portions, Piccolo's are almost too small. We did not do the fast food drive-thru on the way home, but we were hungry again later in the evening.
All in all, a great evening...good food, good conversation, and another restaurant "in the books."
Happy Eating!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Purple Sandpiper
You may be wondering...did Debbie take a cooking class, did she actually start eating at home, has she really not tried a new restaurant since June??? Never fear, although I do know how to cook, the hubby and I still choose to dine out frequently. Not sure why the blogging of such meals hasn't been happening. Maybe blogging is a cold weather sort of activity?
I have had the good fortune to dine at many good restaurants this summer both locally as well as a recent trip out to New England. (Sidebar...I have now visited all 50 states with my last one being Vermont. Gorgeous!) I will not try and go back to capture the details of those visits, but will simply start anew.
The hubby and I were out running errands on a gorgeous fall day and found ourselves at a newly opened restaurant called Purple Sandpiper. We were there in time for a late lunch and found ourselves one of three tables in the restaurant. The location has been a couple of other restaurants before, so the interior is still reminiscent of the previous restaurants. I'm sure as the restaurant is open longer there will be additional changes to really make it their own.
They serve their breakfast menu until 3:00 as well as their lunch menu. The hubby went with one of their signature dishes and got the Lemon Ricotta hotcakes topped with fresh raspberries and blueberries. The one small bite that I was allowed was so incredibly delicious (any further and I would be sporting fork marks on my hands). He claims it was the best dish of 2010 thus far. Given our propensity for eating out, that says a great deal!
I went with a lunch option and had the Spicy Thai Chicken Wrap. It was very good as well. It was stuffed with fresh, crunchy vegetables and tender chicken. The peanut sauce was not overpowering and was nicely spiced. Key to the dish was the side of sweet potato fries! These wonderfully delicious fries were seasoned with smoked paprika and sea salt and served with a dipping sauce consisting of a cinnamon orange concoction. I would go back just for those!
We finished off the meal with dessert. The hubby went with the Peanut Butter Rice Crispie Square, Raspberry Puree, and Chocolate Dipped Chili Pepper. He seemed to enjoy it and the Chocolate Dipped Chili Pepper had a bit of a kick. I went with the Dark Chocolate, Hibiscus Caramel, Drunken Cherry Ice Cream. It was a flourless chocolate cake drizzled with caramel with a scoop of ice cream. The ice cream and caramel were great! I was less impressed with the chocolate cake as I really am not a fan of the flourless variety.
All in all, the meal was great and I'm looking forward to trying their dinner some evening. They have a 5 course tasting menu that changes frequently so that could be a future visit as well. The prices are very reasonable - always nice! I hope this restaurant takes traction in the city and people give it a try. Definitely worth it!
Oh...and I forgot to mention. They source their food locally so for the local food movement, a definite plus!
I have had the good fortune to dine at many good restaurants this summer both locally as well as a recent trip out to New England. (Sidebar...I have now visited all 50 states with my last one being Vermont. Gorgeous!) I will not try and go back to capture the details of those visits, but will simply start anew.
The hubby and I were out running errands on a gorgeous fall day and found ourselves at a newly opened restaurant called Purple Sandpiper. We were there in time for a late lunch and found ourselves one of three tables in the restaurant. The location has been a couple of other restaurants before, so the interior is still reminiscent of the previous restaurants. I'm sure as the restaurant is open longer there will be additional changes to really make it their own.
They serve their breakfast menu until 3:00 as well as their lunch menu. The hubby went with one of their signature dishes and got the Lemon Ricotta hotcakes topped with fresh raspberries and blueberries. The one small bite that I was allowed was so incredibly delicious (any further and I would be sporting fork marks on my hands). He claims it was the best dish of 2010 thus far. Given our propensity for eating out, that says a great deal!
I went with a lunch option and had the Spicy Thai Chicken Wrap. It was very good as well. It was stuffed with fresh, crunchy vegetables and tender chicken. The peanut sauce was not overpowering and was nicely spiced. Key to the dish was the side of sweet potato fries! These wonderfully delicious fries were seasoned with smoked paprika and sea salt and served with a dipping sauce consisting of a cinnamon orange concoction. I would go back just for those!
We finished off the meal with dessert. The hubby went with the Peanut Butter Rice Crispie Square, Raspberry Puree, and Chocolate Dipped Chili Pepper. He seemed to enjoy it and the Chocolate Dipped Chili Pepper had a bit of a kick. I went with the Dark Chocolate, Hibiscus Caramel, Drunken Cherry Ice Cream. It was a flourless chocolate cake drizzled with caramel with a scoop of ice cream. The ice cream and caramel were great! I was less impressed with the chocolate cake as I really am not a fan of the flourless variety.
All in all, the meal was great and I'm looking forward to trying their dinner some evening. They have a 5 course tasting menu that changes frequently so that could be a future visit as well. The prices are very reasonable - always nice! I hope this restaurant takes traction in the city and people give it a try. Definitely worth it!
Oh...and I forgot to mention. They source their food locally so for the local food movement, a definite plus!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Minnesota Room - Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts
In our quest to find something different for a weekend dinner, we stumbled across the Minnesota Room. This restaurant is part of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts and is a restaurant that showcases the student's culinary (and restaurant) skills. We were excited to give it a try and it did not disappoint!
We arrived a few minutes prior to our reservation. Signs along the street and through the parking lot point the way to the back of the school. We made our way through the hallway to the restaurant and were promptly greeted by the hostess. There were probably a total of 6-7 tables occupied while we were there. We were one of the last to be seated for the evening.
Our server brought the menus and the wine list. While we looked over the drink menu, the server brought out a basket of bread and butter that was mixed with some type of herb. Both were very good. The server highlighted the wines that the chef would suggest with the evening's menu. I think this would have pleased Reservations for One had she been with me! I settled with a Chardonnay - the hubby stuck with water. The menu was a set 4 course dinner with 2 options for the main entree. We both chose the chicken entree versus the shrimp.
We started with an Amuse Bouche of crostini with pickled vegetables and goat cheese topped with a piece of pepperoni. At least that's what it seemed like to me. It was very tasty and did the job of the amuse - get our palate wanting more!
Next up was the soup course. A nice cream of asparagus and spinach soup with basil oil on top. The hubby enjoyed it a bit more than I did. I thought it was fine, though I thought it was missing something. I think it could have used a little salt. We also thought maybe something crunchy on top - like pine nuts? It was still very good, just seemed to be missing something.
The salad course was a nice mix of greens with both yellow and red beets, fennel and Gorgonzola crumbles on top. Again it might have been nice with some candied walnuts or something with a little crunch. I enjoyed the salad quite a bit - though I could have used a bit more Gorgonzola on the salad.
While we were eating, there was a table behind us that had a Bunsen burner set up and a bottle of Grand Marnier on the side. The chef master (instructor) was showing the students how to make Cafe Brulot. It was a coffee that had sugar, cinnamon, grand marnier, and possibly oranges. It was briefly set on fire and while adding the cinnamon the fire would spark - fun to watch. The chef brought around cups for all of us to try and it was sure tasty! I ended up finishing off the hubby's as well.
The main course was Chicken Breast served with a carrot and orange coulis, roasted red peppers and mushrooms served with a Madeira sauce. The mushroom/red pepper was uniquely presented as a roll of vegetables with a thin slice of mushroom being the "wrap" and the red pepper and possibly other vegetable being the filling. The chicken was nice and moist and the coulis sauce had the right amount of sweet to it to provide a nice balance with the chicken and the mushroom wrap. I can't comment on the Madeira sauce as I didn't really notice it. However, the menu said it was going to be on the dish. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't? All in all the main course was nicely done.
Dessert was a definite highlight of the meal. Flourless chocolate cake served with a berry coulis and honey whipped cream. I typically need flour in my cake, but this flourless cake was very good. The crust of the cake was just that...crusty. A nice crispness to the outside of the cake which paired well with the soft gooey middle. The honey whipped cream was a great addition to the dessert. It lightened up the heaviness of the cake.
Our experience at the Minnesota Room was great! We will definitely go back. It's quite the deal - a 4 course dinner for $21.50. All tips are given to a charity, so that was an added bonus. While we settled the bill, we were also asked to complete a survey card. High marks all around from me.
While the kitchen was staffed with a number of students, the chef who developed the menu was Chef Toufik Halimi. Nice job Chef Halimi!
Happy Eating!
We arrived a few minutes prior to our reservation. Signs along the street and through the parking lot point the way to the back of the school. We made our way through the hallway to the restaurant and were promptly greeted by the hostess. There were probably a total of 6-7 tables occupied while we were there. We were one of the last to be seated for the evening.
Our server brought the menus and the wine list. While we looked over the drink menu, the server brought out a basket of bread and butter that was mixed with some type of herb. Both were very good. The server highlighted the wines that the chef would suggest with the evening's menu. I think this would have pleased Reservations for One had she been with me! I settled with a Chardonnay - the hubby stuck with water. The menu was a set 4 course dinner with 2 options for the main entree. We both chose the chicken entree versus the shrimp.
We started with an Amuse Bouche of crostini with pickled vegetables and goat cheese topped with a piece of pepperoni. At least that's what it seemed like to me. It was very tasty and did the job of the amuse - get our palate wanting more!
Next up was the soup course. A nice cream of asparagus and spinach soup with basil oil on top. The hubby enjoyed it a bit more than I did. I thought it was fine, though I thought it was missing something. I think it could have used a little salt. We also thought maybe something crunchy on top - like pine nuts? It was still very good, just seemed to be missing something.
The salad course was a nice mix of greens with both yellow and red beets, fennel and Gorgonzola crumbles on top. Again it might have been nice with some candied walnuts or something with a little crunch. I enjoyed the salad quite a bit - though I could have used a bit more Gorgonzola on the salad.
While we were eating, there was a table behind us that had a Bunsen burner set up and a bottle of Grand Marnier on the side. The chef master (instructor) was showing the students how to make Cafe Brulot. It was a coffee that had sugar, cinnamon, grand marnier, and possibly oranges. It was briefly set on fire and while adding the cinnamon the fire would spark - fun to watch. The chef brought around cups for all of us to try and it was sure tasty! I ended up finishing off the hubby's as well.
The main course was Chicken Breast served with a carrot and orange coulis, roasted red peppers and mushrooms served with a Madeira sauce. The mushroom/red pepper was uniquely presented as a roll of vegetables with a thin slice of mushroom being the "wrap" and the red pepper and possibly other vegetable being the filling. The chicken was nice and moist and the coulis sauce had the right amount of sweet to it to provide a nice balance with the chicken and the mushroom wrap. I can't comment on the Madeira sauce as I didn't really notice it. However, the menu said it was going to be on the dish. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't? All in all the main course was nicely done.
Dessert was a definite highlight of the meal. Flourless chocolate cake served with a berry coulis and honey whipped cream. I typically need flour in my cake, but this flourless cake was very good. The crust of the cake was just that...crusty. A nice crispness to the outside of the cake which paired well with the soft gooey middle. The honey whipped cream was a great addition to the dessert. It lightened up the heaviness of the cake.
Our experience at the Minnesota Room was great! We will definitely go back. It's quite the deal - a 4 course dinner for $21.50. All tips are given to a charity, so that was an added bonus. While we settled the bill, we were also asked to complete a survey card. High marks all around from me.
While the kitchen was staffed with a number of students, the chef who developed the menu was Chef Toufik Halimi. Nice job Chef Halimi!
Happy Eating!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sidetrip: The Ribeye
I was in Champaign, Illinois recently and visited The Ribeye Steakhouse with my parents. What a great Sunday evening deal they have! For $32 you can get a steak dinner for two with a 1/2 carafe of house wine. The deal includes a 16 ounce Ribeye that you can split however you want it. My dad had 10 ounces and I had 6 ounces. With our steaks we had a baked potato and of course the salad bar. My mom went with the salad bar only. The waitress was thoughtful and brought 3 glasses for the wine and so we all had red wine with dinner.
The salad bar was good and seemed fresh even though we were towards the end of the night. They also had a number of cold salads along with the regular lettuce salad fixings. You definitely can make a meal of the salad bar, but when you come to a steakhouse...why wouldn't you get steak? (No offense to my mom!)
My steak was good - although there was quite a bit of fat that I had to eat around. Normally it wouldn't be a big deal, but I went with a smaller cut and so would have liked just a bit more meat and less fat. The flavor was great though and it was served on a sizzling platter along with my potato. The potato was good, although I had to keep adding salt to it. I don't think that is a preparation issue at all, just my own taste buds craving salt I guess.
The house wine was fine. I was driving though, so I only had one glass early in the meal.
We decided to skip dessert at the restaurant. We were pretty full and knew there were ice cream/frozen custard options on the way home if we decided to go for dessert.
Definitely worth a visit if you are in Champaign - especially on a Sunday evening!
Happy Eating!
The salad bar was good and seemed fresh even though we were towards the end of the night. They also had a number of cold salads along with the regular lettuce salad fixings. You definitely can make a meal of the salad bar, but when you come to a steakhouse...why wouldn't you get steak? (No offense to my mom!)
My steak was good - although there was quite a bit of fat that I had to eat around. Normally it wouldn't be a big deal, but I went with a smaller cut and so would have liked just a bit more meat and less fat. The flavor was great though and it was served on a sizzling platter along with my potato. The potato was good, although I had to keep adding salt to it. I don't think that is a preparation issue at all, just my own taste buds craving salt I guess.
The house wine was fine. I was driving though, so I only had one glass early in the meal.
We decided to skip dessert at the restaurant. We were pretty full and knew there were ice cream/frozen custard options on the way home if we decided to go for dessert.
Definitely worth a visit if you are in Champaign - especially on a Sunday evening!
Happy Eating!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Tosca
The hubby and I found ourselves recently in the area of Tosca. We had not visited the restaurant since our chef Adam Vickerman left. We thought since we were near there, we would give it a try.
We had the same table as we always get - must be their "first seating" table. The dining room is rather narrow, so one person is on a bench and the other in a chair. The dining room has hard wood floors and are kind of noisy - especially when wait staff walk quickly through the dining room. It's not really that annoying, just noticeable.
We both ordered a local beer - Liftbridge's Farm Girl. Such a nice, refreshing beer! And we were given a bread basket. The bread was good, but the crust was too crusty for me!
I then ordered the starter of scallops on a bed of polenta and ramps. The dish was presented and while it was very plate appealing, there was a definite fishy smell that was pretty powerful. I was leary about trying the scallops because of the smell, but I'm glad I did! They were nice and crisp on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. Very good! The polenta was fine to me, but the hubby who is a polenta expert - or so he thinks - didn't care for the polenta dish. The ramps were fine - although their kitchen knives need a bit of a sharpening. I was complaining throughout the meal of not being able to cut my ramps.
Our entrees arrived - the hubby had the green orchetti with spicy tomato confit, basil and black pepper mascarpone. He also had a side of the swiss chard with shallot, garlic, and balsamic. Orchetti is an ear shaped pasta - just in case you were wondering.
I had the ravioli with spinach and cheese. It seemed to have the spinach pieces incorporated into the pasta - although it could have been a sauce. Whatever it was, it was very good!
We skipped dessert at the restaurant and instead went for the best ice cream in the cities! Sebastian Joe's. We both had raspberry chocolate chip ice cream in a waffle cone. Yum!!
The dinner was good, but I missed Adam Vickerman in the kitchen.
Happy Eating!
We had the same table as we always get - must be their "first seating" table. The dining room is rather narrow, so one person is on a bench and the other in a chair. The dining room has hard wood floors and are kind of noisy - especially when wait staff walk quickly through the dining room. It's not really that annoying, just noticeable.
We both ordered a local beer - Liftbridge's Farm Girl. Such a nice, refreshing beer! And we were given a bread basket. The bread was good, but the crust was too crusty for me!
I then ordered the starter of scallops on a bed of polenta and ramps. The dish was presented and while it was very plate appealing, there was a definite fishy smell that was pretty powerful. I was leary about trying the scallops because of the smell, but I'm glad I did! They were nice and crisp on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. Very good! The polenta was fine to me, but the hubby who is a polenta expert - or so he thinks - didn't care for the polenta dish. The ramps were fine - although their kitchen knives need a bit of a sharpening. I was complaining throughout the meal of not being able to cut my ramps.
Our entrees arrived - the hubby had the green orchetti with spicy tomato confit, basil and black pepper mascarpone. He also had a side of the swiss chard with shallot, garlic, and balsamic. Orchetti is an ear shaped pasta - just in case you were wondering.
I had the ravioli with spinach and cheese. It seemed to have the spinach pieces incorporated into the pasta - although it could have been a sauce. Whatever it was, it was very good!
We skipped dessert at the restaurant and instead went for the best ice cream in the cities! Sebastian Joe's. We both had raspberry chocolate chip ice cream in a waffle cone. Yum!!
The dinner was good, but I missed Adam Vickerman in the kitchen.
Happy Eating!
Craftsman
Reservations for One and I recently visited Craftsman. I had been there a few times before, but it was RFO's first visit. We were the second reservation to arrive and so we had an opportunity to look around the restaurant without "staring" at people. The restaurant is nicely appointed with light wood flooring, arts and crafts style chairs and tables, and soft lighting. A great atmosphere for any occasion. They have an outdoor patio, but that evening was slightly chilly so we stayed inside. We may go back this summer as the patio looks very cozy - trellis overhangs, stone pavers, lots of greenery.
We started out by ordering a glass of red wine (pretty typical of a dining occasion for RFO and myself). We then ordered an appetizer of beet and chevre terrine with micro arugula and corn meal crackers. This was a nice way to start the meal - we used it as a spread with the crisp crackers.
For a main entree I went with the potato gnocchi with ramps and creme fraiche. Anything with ramps tends to draw my attention to them. The gnocchi was very good and the creme fraiche added a lightness to the entree to balance out the potatoey gnocchi. I of course am not saying the dish was "light" - anything with the word creme cannot be by definition "light." I was happy with my choice.
RFO asked our server questions regarding a few of the items on the menu. After almost selling her on the trout, another server mentioned it was 86'd. In the restaurant business this means they no longer have it that night. We were amused at that since we were the second table to order. Did the first table order the trout and they really only had one? Maybe they just didn't have it at all that day and our server didn't know until the other server overheard him. Anyway, kind of funny! RFO ended up going with the grilled lamb leg with chickpea stew. She seemed to enjoy the dish for the most part.
The best part of the meal in my opinion were the desserts. RFO had some sort of fruit crisp with a scoop of Izzy's Ice Cream. I had 3 scoops of Izzy's Ice Cream as my dessert. Unfortunately I can't find descriptions of the ice cream on their website and can't remember exactly what I had. I know one of them was the salted caramel - this came with RFO's dessert as well. It was very good! I also had one that had oreos and mocha flavoring.
I think Craftsman is always worth a try. I think after this experience I might save the money and go with their sandwiches instead of entrees. I've had their burgers before and they are extremely good. I almost got one that evening, but decided to do the entree instead.
Happy Eating!
We started out by ordering a glass of red wine (pretty typical of a dining occasion for RFO and myself). We then ordered an appetizer of beet and chevre terrine with micro arugula and corn meal crackers. This was a nice way to start the meal - we used it as a spread with the crisp crackers.
For a main entree I went with the potato gnocchi with ramps and creme fraiche. Anything with ramps tends to draw my attention to them. The gnocchi was very good and the creme fraiche added a lightness to the entree to balance out the potatoey gnocchi. I of course am not saying the dish was "light" - anything with the word creme cannot be by definition "light." I was happy with my choice.
RFO asked our server questions regarding a few of the items on the menu. After almost selling her on the trout, another server mentioned it was 86'd. In the restaurant business this means they no longer have it that night. We were amused at that since we were the second table to order. Did the first table order the trout and they really only had one? Maybe they just didn't have it at all that day and our server didn't know until the other server overheard him. Anyway, kind of funny! RFO ended up going with the grilled lamb leg with chickpea stew. She seemed to enjoy the dish for the most part.
The best part of the meal in my opinion were the desserts. RFO had some sort of fruit crisp with a scoop of Izzy's Ice Cream. I had 3 scoops of Izzy's Ice Cream as my dessert. Unfortunately I can't find descriptions of the ice cream on their website and can't remember exactly what I had. I know one of them was the salted caramel - this came with RFO's dessert as well. It was very good! I also had one that had oreos and mocha flavoring.
I think Craftsman is always worth a try. I think after this experience I might save the money and go with their sandwiches instead of entrees. I've had their burgers before and they are extremely good. I almost got one that evening, but decided to do the entree instead.
Happy Eating!
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