Gastronomic Review: Chefploitation Dinner
So last night Sr. et Sra. Il Consiglieri and I went to Bambara for their Chefploitation Dinner. We were seated in a comfortable booth and waited. And waited. And waited some more. While the dinner was scheduled for 7:00 pm, our first course did not arrive until almost 7:30. But when it did...
First Course: Amuse Bouche
Duet of zucchini arancini and soup, herb aioli
NV Prosecco, Borgo Magredo, Grave
Okay, this opener was amazing. The arancini was creamy in the center and breaded/fried perfectly. There was a bit of sauteed zucchini that was soft but not totally overcooked, and then the soup. It was in a shot glass, and the three of us promised that we wouldn't begrudge each other from licking the inside of the glass to get more soup. It was like a cross between cream of spinach and butternut squash...super rich and freakin' delicious.
The prosecco was your typical prosecco. It was aight. Good starter. Although I'm not really a fan of the prepoured glass arriving at the table. I like sparkling wines to be poured tableside, then you know that it hasn't flattened while sitting in the kitchen.
Second Course: Roasted Beet Salad
Toasted hazelnuts, maytag blue cheese, haricot vert, onion rings, creamy
horseradish dressing
2005 Pinot Gris, Trimbach, Alsace
We were told that the Pino Gris was "spicy". It was not. In fact, it was almost cloyingly sweet and syrupy.
As for the salad - at the mention of "horseradish dressing" I perked up - I've got a bit of a cold and was hoping that the horseradish would open up my sinuses. Unfortunately, that did not happen. This salad, while good, didn't rival anything that I could get anywhere else (except for the blue cheese, which was phenomenal). The pairing did end up good, though, the cheese blocked a lot of the sweetness of the wine. If we were just given toasts with a horseradish spread and the blue cheese crumbled on top, it would have been a winner.
Third Course: Shrimp Scampi
Shrimp ravioli, garlic cream, crispy garlic chips, truffled cabbage, tempura
rock shrimp
2006 Falanghina di Sannio, Feudi di San Gregorio, Campania
Great googly moogly. This was a hit from start to finish. The tempura shrimp was perfect. The ravioli was creamy and delicious. The cabbage was surprisingly amazing and addicting - and really the star of the course. But, no garlic chips. I think that may have detracted from the "scampi" of it all.
Wine for this course was also the best of the bunch - crisp and slightly sweet, with an apple/pear note that matched wonderfully with the shrimp. This wine was also described as "spicy" - they keep using that word. We do not think it means what they think it means.
Forth Course: ‘Pot au Feu’ of Veal
Veal breast pastrami wrapped tenderloin sous vide, crispy sweetbreads,
black truffle sausage, petit vegetables, bone marrow toast
2005 Chateau de Clairefont, Bordeaux
The black truffle sausage was actually a meatball, and was the overriding amazing part of this couse. The bread used for the bone marrow toast was a bit too sweet for the fattiness of the marrow. If you're into sweetbreads (which I am), you'd find them perfectly done. The tenderloin with the pastrami was extra tender, and barely cooked...which was another coup.
The wine was good, light enough to not overpower the veal, but substantial enough to stay present. It also had the spiciness that apparently the other wines were supposed to have.
Fifth Couse: Banana Roll
Crisp banana phyllo roll, green tea ice cream, kefir anglaze, candied
walnuts
2005 Lungarotti “Dulcis” Vino Liquoroso, Umbria
Oh. Mah. Gah. While the banana and phyllo was everything you'd expect, the green tea ice cream was a total surprise. It had a fantastic green tea flavor - strong and a bit bitter, with only a tiny bit of sweetness. If all green tea ice cream were like this, it would be my one and only flavor.
The dessert wine was paired well with this dish - again, more fruity than sweet, but had that heavy presence that serves a dessert wine. It settles on your tongue for a bit to mix with the dessert.
All in all - a five course dinner with wine came out to $5 per dish, and $5 per glass. You can't beat that. There were significant waiting periods between courses, and the whole evening kept us at the restaurant until well after 10 pm. But the waiting time allowed us to cleanse the palate and digest a bit, and made for a leisurely dining experience. Our servers were pleasant and present, without being overbearing. We even got to have our wine glasses refilled during the fourth course. We shook hands with the chefs at the end of the night, and put our names on the mailing list for future dinners. Can't wait for the next one.
First Course: Amuse Bouche
Duet of zucchini arancini and soup, herb aioli
NV Prosecco, Borgo Magredo, Grave
Okay, this opener was amazing. The arancini was creamy in the center and breaded/fried perfectly. There was a bit of sauteed zucchini that was soft but not totally overcooked, and then the soup. It was in a shot glass, and the three of us promised that we wouldn't begrudge each other from licking the inside of the glass to get more soup. It was like a cross between cream of spinach and butternut squash...super rich and freakin' delicious.
The prosecco was your typical prosecco. It was aight. Good starter. Although I'm not really a fan of the prepoured glass arriving at the table. I like sparkling wines to be poured tableside, then you know that it hasn't flattened while sitting in the kitchen.
Second Course: Roasted Beet Salad
Toasted hazelnuts, maytag blue cheese, haricot vert, onion rings, creamy
horseradish dressing
2005 Pinot Gris, Trimbach, Alsace
We were told that the Pino Gris was "spicy". It was not. In fact, it was almost cloyingly sweet and syrupy.
As for the salad - at the mention of "horseradish dressing" I perked up - I've got a bit of a cold and was hoping that the horseradish would open up my sinuses. Unfortunately, that did not happen. This salad, while good, didn't rival anything that I could get anywhere else (except for the blue cheese, which was phenomenal). The pairing did end up good, though, the cheese blocked a lot of the sweetness of the wine. If we were just given toasts with a horseradish spread and the blue cheese crumbled on top, it would have been a winner.
Third Course: Shrimp Scampi
Shrimp ravioli, garlic cream, crispy garlic chips, truffled cabbage, tempura
rock shrimp
2006 Falanghina di Sannio, Feudi di San Gregorio, Campania
Great googly moogly. This was a hit from start to finish. The tempura shrimp was perfect. The ravioli was creamy and delicious. The cabbage was surprisingly amazing and addicting - and really the star of the course. But, no garlic chips. I think that may have detracted from the "scampi" of it all.
Wine for this course was also the best of the bunch - crisp and slightly sweet, with an apple/pear note that matched wonderfully with the shrimp. This wine was also described as "spicy" - they keep using that word. We do not think it means what they think it means.
Forth Course: ‘Pot au Feu’ of Veal
Veal breast pastrami wrapped tenderloin sous vide, crispy sweetbreads,
black truffle sausage, petit vegetables, bone marrow toast
2005 Chateau de Clairefont, Bordeaux
The black truffle sausage was actually a meatball, and was the overriding amazing part of this couse. The bread used for the bone marrow toast was a bit too sweet for the fattiness of the marrow. If you're into sweetbreads (which I am), you'd find them perfectly done. The tenderloin with the pastrami was extra tender, and barely cooked...which was another coup.
The wine was good, light enough to not overpower the veal, but substantial enough to stay present. It also had the spiciness that apparently the other wines were supposed to have.
Fifth Couse: Banana Roll
Crisp banana phyllo roll, green tea ice cream, kefir anglaze, candied
walnuts
2005 Lungarotti “Dulcis” Vino Liquoroso, Umbria
Oh. Mah. Gah. While the banana and phyllo was everything you'd expect, the green tea ice cream was a total surprise. It had a fantastic green tea flavor - strong and a bit bitter, with only a tiny bit of sweetness. If all green tea ice cream were like this, it would be my one and only flavor.
The dessert wine was paired well with this dish - again, more fruity than sweet, but had that heavy presence that serves a dessert wine. It settles on your tongue for a bit to mix with the dessert.
All in all - a five course dinner with wine came out to $5 per dish, and $5 per glass. You can't beat that. There were significant waiting periods between courses, and the whole evening kept us at the restaurant until well after 10 pm. But the waiting time allowed us to cleanse the palate and digest a bit, and made for a leisurely dining experience. Our servers were pleasant and present, without being overbearing. We even got to have our wine glasses refilled during the fourth course. We shook hands with the chefs at the end of the night, and put our names on the mailing list for future dinners. Can't wait for the next one.