Jayz P.
Yelp
After a few years of trying to snag a reservation at Q1227, my husband finally succeeded... and perfectly timed for our 19 year anniversary. Although the wait was unnerving his persistence won.
The lead up and execution did not disappoint.
Francis was our server and made the dinner enjoyable. He and... I truly apologize for forgetting his co-server's name (she was a lovely and respectful young lady with a beautiful smile and medium dark curly hair).
For starters, I ordered the bone marrow. There was a lot of marrow with minimal fat. If I ate it the way it "should have been eaten" I am sure Its buttery texture would've spread evenly on the lightly toasted bread. But, me eating the way I do (probably why you can't take me anywhere) I spooned out the marrow and ate it with the greens on the plate and the orchid. The breaded topping on the marrow absorbed the flavors and gave my marrow salad just enough texture to meet every expectation of the delicious starter. The orchid gave it just enough acidity to break up the richness. My husband ordered the pork belly bits with an apple slaw. He enjoyed it. I chose not to try it because he may have asked for a bite of my bone marrow (ain't happening).
The second course was perfectly timed to help cleanse our palate. It was the beet salad with goat cheese topped with a single pistachio and EVOO drizzle nestled on top of a perfectly chosen arugula leaves and mint pesto. The flavors played so well off each other like a perfectly played pinball pull.
What happened next was like a beautiful orchestrated musical piece. The large square bowl was presented with a geometrical stand. Then, like a David Copperfield (talk about aging myself) magic trick, this incredibly talllllllllllll seafood tower appeared. The intricacies of how the scallops, mussels, potatoes, corn, crawfish, lobster, shrimp, Jonah Crab, and clams were balanced on top of each other was like WOAH! The colors of the sea and land were beautiful complemented with the herbs and grill marked lemon halves.
Needless to say, the presentation made my mouth water and my stomach shriek with glee. The seafood was moist and flavorful. The scallops and shrimp were NO WHERE NEAR crossing over to the overcooked side. How all of the seafood were cooked perfectly was darn near mind blowing. It doesn't seem like it would be, but let's be honest here, when was the last time you've eaten a variety of seafood and at least one of the species of the sea were DRY and SHRIVELED, A.K.A, overcooked? Hmmm. I'll wait.
Just kidding, I know you are stressing your short and long term memory trying to recall it (unless you're allergic to shellfish, then it doesn't matter).
I had to tap out because there was an abundance of seafood and my gluttonous side lost to my rational mind. Actually, my rational mind eluded to the fact that crème brûlée might be in the dessert menu.
And wouldn't you know it, it was!!
I flipping love crème brûlée. I have always said,"If you mess up crème brûlée... just get out of the kitchen and never speak of it."
Well, little did I know that Q1227 would ruin any crème brûlée that would ever be presented in front of me. The hardened caramelized sugar was thicker than I have ever had before and wouldn't you know it?!?! It aligned with my ratio rule of flavor.
I took a bite and my eyes widened like my palate discovered some hidden taste bud.
The muscles in my husband's hand twitched as if it had its own command to try my dessert. I blurted out with a stern command, "I WISH AN EM EFFER WOULD!"
Crisis averted.
After my heart slowed down, I calmly stated," you can peacefully enjoy your peach cobbler or wonder if being married to me 19 years and one day is going to happen."
It gets serious with me and food. I've tried to do better, but when food is so damn delicious, I lose my entire sensible being self.
He enjoyed his cobbler, I have zero idea what it tasted like because... I didn't want him to think an exchange was going to happen or even on the negotiation table.
So, to make this long review short (ha! Missed that boat 1,000 characters ago), treat yourself and try this place out.