Monday, June 30, 2008

The Inn at Little Washington

My recent trip to the East Coast included an excursion out to the Virginia countryside. My friend took me out to the Inn at Little Washington for dinner. The Blue Ridge Mountains were off in the distance on the drive out to Washington, VA. The IaLW is one of the highest rated restaurants in the country. Daniel Bouloud called the IaLW one of the 5 meals worth flying for.

Unlike most restaurants I go to, there is a dress code for the IaLW. Unfortunately, I chose to wear a black dress during a 100-degree heat wave. It turned out that a power outage had hit the restaurant right before we arrived. As a result, many people had canceled their reservations and we were able to be seated early. The decor was pretty interesting. It rather looked like a cross between a Victorian era tea shop and a gay pride parade. My friend said that it was typical for a Virginia country inn. We were by far the youngest diners in the restaurant.

Amuse bouche

Dinner started with an amuse bouche presentation of tuna, prosciutto and melon, shrimp and guacamole and parmesan foam.

Cream of corn soup

Another amuse bouche was a demitasse of cream of corn soup. You could taste the fresh corn in the soup.

Carpaccio of Herb Crusted Baby Lamb with Tabouli and Rosemary Mustard

My first course was the lamb carpaccio. I had never seen lamb carpaccio before and I didn't think that lamb could be served raw. It was very good. The lamb was very rich and not too gamy. I should have followed the example of the diner at the next table and asked for some lemon. A bit of acidity would have been nice.

Seared Maine Diver's Scallop in a Garden Minestrone Perfumed with Pernod

The second course was a scallop (yep, just one) served with fava beans, carrots, tomatoes and Israeli couscous all on a very large plate. The dish was served with a side of pesto and parmesan cheese. The scallop was nicely cooked. The pesto really tied the whole dish together.

Pepper Crusted Tuna Pretending to be a Filet Mignon, Capped with Seared Duck Foie Gras on Charred Onions with a Burgundy Butter Sauce

I was very curious to try this dish because of the ambitious name. The tuna was served rare. It really did taste like filet when paired with the richness of the foie gras and the wine and demiglace based sauce.

Dessert Sampler

As much as I love cheese, I decided to pass one the cheese course because the cheese cart was in the shape of a cow, complete with a cowbell and electronic moos. Instead, I went with the dessert sampler that showcased miniature versions of seven different dessert. The meal ended with mignardise served in little wicker box that we took with us.

The entire meal took just over three hours. The service was very good, if a tad bit rehearsed. I did think that everything about IaLW was a bit fussy. However, I can see why this is one of the top rated restaurants in the country.

The Inn at Little Washington
309 Middle St.
Washington, VA 22747

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Short Ribs That Melt Like Butta

The second Memphis Farmers Market Dinner Tour was held at Circa with Chef John Braggs. The dinner series has caught on as there were 60 people at this dinner. Circle is a hip restaurant in downtown Memphis on the Main Street Trolley line. They have one of the most extensive wine lists in Memphis.



Our five courses consisted of:

Mesclun Greens Salad with Curry-Fried Oyster with an Herb Vinaigrette. The greens were from the farmers from Gracious Gardens. This was paired with a 2005 Kuentz-Bas Gewurztraminer from Alsace France. This was a very fresh and delightful salad to start our meal.

Roast Heirloom Tomatoes with Jumbo Lump Crab Salad paired with a 2005 Graville Lacoste from Bordeaux France. I have an allergy to crab and my husband doesn't eat raw tomatoes. That's why our marriage works so well. He said the crab salad was delicious and I loved the heirloom tomatoes. I'm so glad we have local farmers that grow our tomatoes. There's nothing better than a ripe tomato off the vine!

Beef Short Ribs "Chasseur" with Shiitake Mushrooms and French Radishes paired with a 2005 Raymond "R" Collection Merlot from St. Helena California. This was by far the best dish of the night. The short ribs are from Neola Farms, which are fantastic in their own right. Mike Lanigan is the rancher that owns Neola Farms. He grows his own corn and soybean to feed his Angus Steers, and then the beef is aged. Add that magical touch of Chef Braggs and this dish was like butta!

Grilled Cheese of Bonnie Blue Farm Aged Tomme and Arugula on Pumpernickel with local honey cream. This was paired with a 2003 Verget du Sud Rouge Vin De Pays from Southwest France. I could eat this grilled cheese everyday.

Peach and Blackberry Cobbler with Cinnamon Ice Cream. This was paired with a 2005 Banfi "Rosa Regale" Brachetto d'Acqui from Piedmont Italy. The fruit were from Jones Orchard, one of my favorite farmers at the Memphis Farmers Market. Fresh peaches and sweet blackberries are so delightful.

Circa By John Braggs
119 S. Main Street, Suite 100
Memphis, TN 38103
901-522-1488

Memphis Farmers Market
Central Station Pavilion
Memphis, TN 38103

Friday, June 13, 2008

Tony Luke's

Cheesesteak wit provolone

According to Penn Health, there are 900 calories in a cheesesteak. They must have been referring to a meagre cheesesteak from one of those food trucks on Chestnut St. in front of HUP. The cheesesteak pictured above is far more substantial.

I don't think that you can get a good cheesesteak outside of Philadelphia. I hadn't been to Philly in 10 years, therefore, I hadn't had a cheesesteak in 10 years. One of my friends, a Philly native, said that Tony Luke's had the best cheesesteaks in the city. It was a surprise to me since the two places usually mentioned for the best cheesesteaks in Philly are Pat's and Geno's. I lived in Philly for four years and I never even heard of Tony Luke's.


The restaurant is an old fashioned take-out counter on the wrong side of the tracks, just north of the Walt Whitman bridge. There were only a few picnic tables for people to sit. No wonder I never went during college. But it was worth the trip. A sign of quality is when the weather is 100 degrees with 95% humidity and people are still willing to wait for food. There were at least 10 people in the queue in front of me.

The sandwich was a footlong Italian roll filled with thinly sliced ribeye, provolone cheese and grilled onion. Unlike most other cheesesteak places, Tony Luke's doesn't chop up the meat, instead the slices are topped with cheese and onions, then piled into the roll. All the bread is baked daily at their restaurant.

Tony Luke's
39 E. Oregon Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19148