Haute Dish

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!