Just for fun... menu!

[Gypsy]

crépinette
[kray-pih-NEHT, kray-pee-NEHT]
French in origin, this small, slightly flattened sausage is made of minced pork, lamb, veal or chicken and sometimes truffles. Crépine is the French word for "pig''s caul," in which a crépinette is wrapped instead of a casing. Crépinettes are usually cooked by coating them in melted butter and bread crumbs before sautéing, grilling or broiling. See also SAUSAGE.

So the lamb dish is lamb sausage and chops. I don''t like gamey sausage. So change my vote to the firm steak camp.

 

[Cehrabehra]

The DH and I talked it out and we''re going to go for variety and get different things... We''ll each get a different appetizer. I really want the scallop but am afraid of the tarragon so we''ll just get one of each and see how it goes. He wants the spinach salad and I want the beat and citrus salad. As for the main course... not sure yet. I WILL ask what the vegetarian dish is so I can report back LOL I think we''ll get the lamb and steak. He and I both love lamb. I favor salmon far more than he so I might skip it to be fair LOL As for desert, the white choc mousse is calling me but he draws the line there - says if I get that we cannot share LOL (he hates white chocolate) I am pretty sure left to his own he''d get the creme brule and that''s probably my #1 as well but for variety I might have to go for something else... chocolate is usually too heavy for the end of a meal for me. I like insanely rich chocolate deserts in the middle of the day BEFORE a meal lol

If I can find last months'' menu I''ll have to share it! It had, if I recall, a bananas foster creme brule!

 

[rockzilla]

Date: 6/26/2007 1:18:24 PM
Author: FireGoddess

Date: 6/25/2007 10:46:13 PM
Author: rockzilla
1. Soup if it is vegetarian

2. What is chippolini?

Cipollini are a type of onion. Can read more about them here.

Thanks FireGoddess...I did a google search on "chippolini" and of course didn't come up with anything

They look pretty yummy...I'd definitely go with that salad!

Non-english/uncommon words for food throw me at restaurants - its sometimes hard to tell. For instance, Pepperoncini is a vegetable (pepper)

but pepperoni is meat

 

[Cehrabehra]

Okay.... there were some changes to the menu...

The soup du Jour was a chicken consomme with pearl pasta and fresh seasonal vegetables. I got that and it was NOT good. It was worse than the broth I got in the hospital LOL DH got the scallop and it was AWESOME!!! Even the tarragon wasn't that bad LOL

I was going to get the spring salad - I LOVE beets and fennel.... but they'd changed it to a citrus asparagus salad with crab and it was *okay*. DH got the spinach salad and it was AWESOME!!!! as well. The bacon in it was THE BEST bacon I've ever tasted. It was cubed like you'd do pancetta... in fact I would swear they took pancetta and actually smoked it themselves because the smoke flavor was so pure and genuine and the bacon just melted in your mouth, even the meaty bits were soooo tender. It was an awesome spinach salad.

For entree I got the steak - the fork mashed potatoes were yellow and blue fingerlings and at first I just wanted to scrape the smoked chippolini tomato vinaigrette but found it was actually pretty tasty! I ate it with the potatoes more though because the steak was the 2nd best steak I've ever had (the best was at one of those NYC steakhouses where you pay $50 for a steak LOL) It was cooked perfectly - seared then roasted for even juicy light pink tender delight!! DH got the lamb and it had a middle eastern bent to it a bit... there were two types of lamb... two little lamb chops and the crepe thing filled with a ground lamb mixture. It was VERY good but not as good as my steak LOL I told him I finally got something better than his LOL

For desert I was bummed, they had replaced the florentine horn and white chocolate mousse with lemon blackberry tartlet. I bet it would have been good but... and they'd changed the strawberry shortcake with a strawberry poundcake and I wasn't sure I wanted that... I wasn't quite in the mood for chocolate (OCI is the initials of the school btw) so both dh and I got the creme brulee which was an orange one. It was okay. The textures were brilliant, the custard was divine but I really wasn't digging the orange flavor too much. Not sure why. I think I should have gotten the tartlet, or the chocolate. Half of the brulee was *plenty* and we should have had a backup. Normally the brulee is so good you don't want to share. This was okay and mostly good but definitely willing to give half up for variety LOL

Afterwards we were STUFFED. Service was *impeccable*. Bill was $28! LOL We'll definitely be going back there. I've been to places where the same food would have been easily 2x that or more and the staff always has this air like they're stooping to serve you LOL "I'm too sexy for my body... I'm too snooty for my restaurant" LOL and these people at the school were just hand over foot waiting on you and with such a sweet and genuine desire to do well... very cute!

I made dh drive to the place with the top up so as to not mess up my hair.... but the ride on the way home just at sunset (sun sets very late up north) with the wind blowing my hair all over... it was amazing. In the past my hair was shorter and the ends would snap at my face and kinda sting a little but my hair is longer now and so the ends didn't hit my face and the main part of the hair was so soft whipping all around. When I got home I looked like a rockstar LOL! Okay now I'm being goofy, but it was a really nice day

The original menu for reference:

 

[snlee]

$28 for good food and great service!? What a good deal. Sounds like you had a great anniversary dinner. Thanks for sharing. Now I''m starving!

 

[FireGoddess]

Wow, I wish I had a culinary school nearby so I could get such a great deal on a good meal!!! Some of the menu substitutions sounded like they were disappointments...love good creme brulee (the last one I had was atrocious so it kind of turned me off them) but orange...dunno about that. Too bad you didn''t get different desserts, like you did for the rest of the courses! Fun no less though.

 

[Ellen]

Sara, sorry your dinner wasn''t as good as hubby''s. And I''m REALLY dissapointed the Brulee wasn''t good.

 

[Mara]

i''ve had too many bad creme brulee''s to really ever get it at a restaurant unfortunately unless i know it''s tried and true. lemon blackberry tart oh my, that is right up my alley!!!! sounds like the dinne was mostly hit and little miss but for $28...it all sounded really good to me! i also wish we had one of those around here!

 

[Gypsy]

I''m sorry the soup sucked and the salad wasn''t agreat. But a good steak goes a long way... and yeah, I would have gotten the Creme Brulee , and John would have gotten the OCI thing so it would have been fine. I''ve had peach brulee and Kinkeads in DC ($$$$) and it was off too, flavor wise. Actually it was a trio, the Lavendar one was actually okay... and the vanilla with swirls of coffee was good. But the peach was ick. So I don'' think I would have liked the orange.

I have to say though... I too would TOTALLY do that for 28 bucks per COUPLE. Awesome.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 6/27/2007 4:16:20 PM
Author: FireGoddess

Wow, I wish I had a culinary school nearby so I could get such a great deal on a good meal!!! Some of the menu substitutions sounded like they were disappointments...love good creme brulee (the last one I had was atrocious so it kind of turned me off them) but orange...dunno about that. Too bad you didn''t get different desserts, like you did for the rest of the courses! Fun no less though.

FG there are quiet a few in the Bay Area... as well as a great one in Napa. Worthe checking out.

 

[Gypsy]

http://www.baychef.com/about_restaurants_catering.asp

http://www.baychef.com/menus.pdf

Not as inexpensive... but might be worth a fun excusion.

 

[rainbowtrout]

Bad creme brulee should be outlawed! It''s one of those things only worth eating if it is just decadently delicious!

Glad it mostly went well, though! mmmmmm....bacon...haven''t had bacon in 11 months....mmmmmmm...pigs....

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 6/27/2007 7:24:02 PM
Author: Mara
i''ve had too many bad creme brulee''s to really ever get it at a restaurant unfortunately unless i know it''s tried and true. lemon blackberry tart oh my, that is right up my alley!!!! sounds like the dinne was mostly hit and little miss but for $28...it all sounded really good to me! i also wish we had one of those around here!

We actually have TWO schools here! Both have restaurants. This one (both 4 course) is $9 for lunch, $14 for dinner the other is $15 for lunch (5 courses!) and $25 for dinner. They also have a 3 course $10 lunch. I was confused and thought there was only one and kept wondering why the menu/pricing was changing LOL I''ve lived here a long time and have always wanted to try it and can''t believe I''ve waited so long! It really was more hit than miss. And the creme brulee wasn''t *bad* - the textures were *perfect* and it wasn''t too eggy - but I''d prefer vanilla or another flavor. My food was all good but dh''s was better LOL (except my steak rocked!!!!) It was way beyond worth the price for certain. Definitely going back when they change the menu... can''t wait to see what''s next!!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 6/28/2007 1:10:34 AM
Author: SanDiegoLady
Soup de jour, but not if its french onion

LOL (but I do love scallops!)

Spinach salad- it sounds amazing

Cedar plank salmon- because I lived for so long in the PNW, I love it.

Creme brulee for dessert.. yum!

It will be perhaps the thing I miss most.... it isn''t that expensive here either, and soooo fresh and yummy!!!