We like to go for early reservations, so we went with a 6pm reservation which would allow us to take our time if we wanted and still be home pretty early. Since we've been sick this week, that was definitely no problem.
When we arrived -- just seconds before 6pm -- the place was bustling with staff, but it seemed pretty quiet customer-wise. Even though the res books were completely full, we noticed the restaurant was never completely full while we were there. Of course, we had stellarly efficient service and were out of there by eight.
Arancini stuffed with taleggio and mushrooms. Toasted hazelnuts. Celery soup with pickled celery heart and black truffles.
My first arancini! They were very cruchy on the outside, melty inside. I thought the filling was okay, a little bland and I didn't think the taleggio came through. The soup was luscious and delicious.
Kumamoto oysters with prosecco mignonette and horseradish granita.
I love oysters and it is has been way too far between my shares of oysters. We opted to both go for oysters. The kumamotos were creamy and delicious, but I was a bit disappointed that they weren't fully shucked, so we had to loosen the oyster from the shells ourselves. I've always been a fan of Drew's mignonettes though I wasn't crazy about the horseradish granita. It was okay. I blame the remnants of my sickness.
Drew did mention oysters will be an addition to their menu. HOORAY!
Four our second second course -- it's just like us to go off menu from a prix fixe -- we decided to share two dishes to not overdo it. Here's the foie gras ravioli with brown butter and wild mushrooms.
This dish was awesome. The ravioli themselves were silky smooth and the fillings oozed their unctuous foie gras-y selves when you cut into them. There were five on the plate. I got three. :)
Our other second second course was the squid ink spaghetti with Georgia shrimp and chiles. Originally, this dish called for dungeness crab. I wonder what happened.
Anyway, this dish was also excellent. The head-on shrimp were delicious and so was the delicate pasta. It was a touch spicy for me -- as it should probably, likely -- but so rich and good.
After that, we paused for a few before ordering our third course.
Josh opted for the pan roasted North Carolina flounder with blood orange, young fennel, olives and preserved lemon. It's unlike him to opt for the fish when there are so many meats on the menu, but it looked divine.
Braised beef cheeks with soft polenta, cippolini onions, gremolata, local broccoli.
Mmmmmm. These beef cheeks were so tasty. This whole dish was so awesome. Sometimes, the sauces are a little heavy-handed-sweet, but this one was perfect. Since I had overdone it on my other courses, I ended up taking half of this home. Mmm, snacky.
Dessert. We both opted for the panna cotta with blood orange preserves. And some little shortbread cookies.
Again, I only finished half, but our server said she could pack it up so... more snackies for later! :)
It was a totally delicious dinner. We stopped off to say goodnight to Drew and Andy before we left and thank them for an awesome meal. Chris at the bar shared their egg nog recipe with us -- score! It was a great meal. And, home by eight!
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