New Year's Eve 2011 - In Season

In keeping with the tradition we started last year, we picked our favorite restaurant of the year for our New Year's Eve dinner.  We just got back from a fabulous meal at In Season restaurant.  We tend to take the early reservations so we can get in and back home before the crazies get on the roads.  This year we were extra glad as it is raining and soon will be switching over to snow.

 

We arrived a few minutes prior to our reservation and were immediately seated.  We went with the 7 course tasting menu but passed on the wine pairings.  Though I did have a nice glass of Pinot Noir with my first few courses.  The menu was as follows:

• Jorstad Creek Oyster with Preserved Lemon and Sauternes
• Beet Cured Salmon with Quinoa, Blood Orange and Fennel Pollen 
• Black Truffle Risotto 
• Pork Belly “Monte Cristo” with Honeycrisp Apple 
• Monkfish with Salsify, Sauce Romesco and Black Olive Oil 
• Braised Veal Cheek with Aligote Potatoes and Sauce Perigord 
• Vanilla Panna Cotta with Grapefruit Consomme

The oyster was a first for both the hubby and me.  It was actually pretty good.  I'm not sure I would order it on my own, but it was definitely good.

If I were to rank order the food starting with the best, I would go with the Salmon, Veal, Risotto, Pork Belly, Panna Cotta, Monkfish, and the Oyster.  The salmon was a very interesting crisp, fresh dish.  Good news is that we were told it will be on their menu starting in the new year.  Definitely my favorite of the evening.  The veal cheek was awesome.  Braised and very tender - no knife needed.  The rest of the meal was good too - no plates went back with food left on them. 

The hubby would rank the food a bit differently.  His ranking starts with the Panna Cotta and follows with Salmon, Pork Belly, Oyster, Veal, Risotto, and Monkfish.  He would rate the Monkfish higher, but the entire dish was not as good as the rest of the menu. 

This was a great choice for our NYE dinner and solidified in my mind that this was indeed our "restaurant of the year." 

May 2012 bring you new dining experiences!

Happy eating! 

2011 In Review

Last year about this time I did a review of our 2010 restaurants.  For 2011, we actually kept a running list of our restaurants as we went so it is easier to look back at the hits and misses of our restaurant journey. 

With 2 days left in 2011, our tally of new restaurants for 2011 stands at 79 for me and the hubby at 76.  I'm guessing there will be some effort to add another before the calendar turns to 2012. 
There were definite hits and misses out of the list.  Adding a new restaurant doesn't always mean it's a good one!  Below are a few highlights from the year (of note - those in italics are not new this year - still holding on to the "best" title from 2010):

Best overall solo dining experience - 11 Madison Park in New York City

Best overall dining experience - Capital Grille

Best burger - Victory 44

Best donuts - Yo-Yo Donuts

Best breakfast sandwich - Cocoa & Fig's fried egg sandwich

Best hole-in-the-wall surprise hit - The Black Sea (Turkish food)

Best restaurant that I didn't want to try - Midori's Floating World Cafe (still don't like the name)

Best "out of the box thinking" restaurant with the family - Thara Thai in Champaign

Biggest disappointment - BANK - great atmosphere, mediocre food

Our vote for best restaurant of 2011 and where we will dine on New Year's Eve.......

In Season

We enjoyed both of our birthday dinners at In Season and are looking forward to our NYE dinner there as well.  My vote for best chef of 2011 goes to In Season's Don Saunders.
Happy Eating!