Kelly C.
Yelp
First time and it won't be the last time! What can I say when the food, service and ambiance were almost 5 stars!
NOTE: Reservation is REQUIRED! Located in the Fondren, the restaurant is located in an old building and with other ethnic restaurants to compete against, it specializes in American food with a flair of using other ethnic seasonings and techniques to create their wonderful dishes. Kudos to the chefs!
Ambiance: 4.95 Stars - The quaint restaurant has limited seating at the bar (6 chairs), 6-8 booths hugging the walls, and 4-6 table in the middle. The booths and tables can seat (2-4). An outside pavilion with 4-6 tables (2-8 chairs per table). Due to its coziness, it can get LOUD. At times it hard to hear your server or staff members and having a conversation can be very entertaining by saying, " What was that", "Huh", "Say again". Don't go there if you want a quiet dinner. We had a fun time talking with each other.
Service: 5 Stars - Our sever, assistant server, chefs, hostesses, and other servers ran the restaurant with efficiency, professional, friendly, and knowledgeable of the various dishes. All servers were even bartenders. We had a Mojito and our server ask me on how I like my Mojito. He himself made the concoction after I explained to him the ingredients and voila', our Mojito arrived and tasted the way I like them. Almost if I was the bartender! in addition to cocktails, ask for the Wine Menu or have the server recommend the wine.
Our server is very knowledgeable with the different menu items and at times we asked to repeat himself because of how detail he went into the explaining the ingredients.
Food: 4.99 Stars. The only .01 deduction was on the sauce on the Iberian Pork which I will explain shortly.
Our server explained several different specials (an Iberian Pork appetizer, charcuterie appetizer, two different protein entrées (one fish and one beef).
We chose the following items:
Appetizer: 4.99 Stars - Iberian Pork glazed with a light red wine and vinaigrette reduction sauce topped with Chimichurri. The appetizer was wonderful but I thought the sauce had a little bit more vinegar based than I liked and took away from the Iberian Pork itself. Originated from Portugal, it it is a sweet and marbled meat, high fat content which makes it tender. So a fork is only needed to cut through the meat. It was a great way start to our wonderful and surprising meal.
Salad: 4.95 Stars - ASIAN THREE WAY
Spicy seaweed, squid salad, Thai chili crusted tuna, crispy wontons. We were feeling adventurous, so we opted to go with an Asian inspired salad. Plus we laughed due to the name.
The salad was really good but the seaweed was on the sweet side. However, the Thai chili was able to cut down the sweetness. The fried wontons gave a crunchy texture and the tuna seared and soft in the center.
Entrées: 5 Stars!
CRAB, ARTICHOKE & PARMESAN CRUSTED "GIGGED" FLOUNDER
Sautéed shallot spinach, charred tomato lemon butter.
The Fish was thick, large, with a light coat of flour and pan seared perfectly. The meat was tender and flaky with a very mild flavor. The Parmesan spinach shallot was the bed for the fish and the lemon butter was light and refreshing with a slight citric tastes. It was wonderful! I couldn't taste much of the crab or artichoke however we weren't disappointed with the dish.
VEAL & LOBSTER KATHY
All natural free-range veal, white truffle risotto, sautéed asparagus, creamy Madeira wine sauce.
Ever had a meal where you felt like Sally in 'When Harry Met Sally' when they were at the Diner? Well, the meal was close to that experience! The STAR of the show was the Truffle Risotto. I kinda' had an out of body experience when I tasted the Risotto. Truffle can be overpowering in its Umami taste and making Risotto can be difficult to accomplish. The chef knock it out of the park! The veal was tendered and fried with thin batter of flour and was coated with the Madeira sauce. The sauce wasn't heavy at all. You can taste the seasoning, wine and butter in it. The "knuckle" lobster was tendered and mild. Only downside was the size of the lobster knuckle. I wish I had more.
Dessert: 4.75 Stars - We shared a Crème Brûlée. The freshly seared sugar coating on top was yummy and thin. I love the "crackle" sound when using a spoon to break it. The custard itself was smooth with the hint of vanilla bean. It worked well with the coffee. NOTE: If you prefer a strong coffee, you will be slightly disappointed.
Price: 5 Stars - We both thought the price was reasonable for the items. It is not cheap but not too expensive either. However, there are some items listed as "market price" so ask your server if you are unsure. Our delicious and wonderful meal cost us around $200 with tip included.
Also, the menu will change occasionally. So get your appetite ready and have a "date" with yourself, spouse, significant other or a group cuz you won't be disappointed!