Sunday, August 9, 2009

Mo' livia

Tonight I had:

Charcuterie Plate - rabbit rillette, homemade prosciutto, stone-ground mustard, crostini and peppered grapes
Beet Salad - roasted and stacked with fresh tarragon, arugula and goat cheese
Pan-Seared Amberjack with bacon lentils, fried garlic, capers, frisee & butter-poached egg
Small scoop of heavily chocolate ice cream

Tonight's the first night that the manager came over and actually asked me to provide him with a critique. I felt so sheepish giving him my honest opinion that I need to develop a tougher skin, I guess. I eat there a lot so maybe they're going to listen, and maybe I should say something.

Never had rabbit rillette before. Don't know what's in it yet, but I'm sure I'll be appalled when I find out. Prosciutto was a little too vinegary.

Their beet salad was yummy, as always. This was the dish that made me a convert of this restaurant, and I can't tell you how happy I am that although they change their menu every day, they always leave this on there. Even though I've learned how to recreate a nearly identical version at home, I never seem to go there without eating this delicious salad. It's something about the tarragon (which I usually find overpowering), the goat cheese and a barely-there vinaigrette that tastes so awesome with a bit o' bitter greens.

Because they change the menu every day, they're constantly experimenting with new items. Sometimes it's a hit (their scallops usually KILL), and sometimes it's a miss.

In general, I want to tell them that their primary mistake is that the main courses tend to be too heavy-handed. For instance, their "linguini alla chitarra with clams" is always on the menu (and always a prix fixe item) but I'd seen enough after the first time. The pasta's a great texture but they need to go WAY easier on the italian sausage. It's very heavily spiced, and that renders everything else in the dish totally indistinguishable. If a fresh clam can't be tasted, what the hell am I paying for? And then there's the the fear that the acid was going to cause blisters in my mouth while eating it, and the heartburn that occurred later.

Most of the other instances where I find Olivia lacking when they go overboard on the pancetta, adding eggs and sauces until whatever the protein is (scallops, pork, beef, etc.) doesn't stand a chance. It's no fun to order something with the intent to have something a little sinful, but then turns out to be so sickeningly rich, you want to throw up less than halfway through. I blame the pancetta...seems to be the culprit every time.

So tonight the manager came over and asked me what I though of the amberjack, and I told him flat out that the dish was beautifully crafted and all the items tasted delicious both by themselves and in various combination, with one exception: the fish.

First off, I was chomping and chomping on the sear, trying to get through to the fish. When I did get to it, the inner texture was somewhat overdone. But I was the most disappointed when it just tasted like...nothing. I mean, NOTHING.

Now, I'm no Top Chef, but I love good food and I've waited and cooked in some really nice restaurants over the years. I've never gone to school for it, and I know damn well that I don't know jack when it comes to professional cooking, but at least this evening I learned that I'm experienced enough (as a cook, gourmand, whatever) to tell what a dish needs.

When he asked me what I thought, I told him that the dish would have been amazing, had the fish been just a little less cooked and if they'd added some sort of acid or distinct flavor to the fish. Why pay for a slab of expensive protein that tastes like nothing and adds nothing?

I felt sheepish telling him this, but it was my honest opinion. I admitted I've never had amberjack before...but from what I could tell, it's a firm-fleshed but mild-tasting fish. So if it is, maybe the way it was prepared isn't the way to go? I think a citrus marinade or some other form of acidic zest would have given the fish a winning place in that dish, not a losing one.

When I got home, I looked up amberjack as a food and lo, and behold! I learned that it's an extremely easy fish to overcook and also that it's so mild tasting that marinades are strongly suggested with it. Now I feel sort of proud of myself for nailing it!

Don't get me wrong, though. Olivia's great. Their wines are divine, as are the risottos. It's an amazing building and I love the vibe. There's always something on the menu that I've never tried (amberjack, pork jowl, lambs' tongue fricassee). And as long as I don't order a dish that SOUNDS heavy, it's usually pretty damned good.

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