Fun Ringing In The New Year with Dante's Food!

We were fortunate to ring in the New Year with good friends and Chef Dante Boccuzzi at his Restaurant Dante in Tremont Ohio. Diners had the option of a prix fixe tasting menu or the full a la carte menu. Three of us did the tasting and one created her own tasting from the regular menu.

My evening commenced with a lovely cocktail, which I did not photograph, that had been featured in a recent Cleveland Plain Dealer article - a Ginger Sidecar created by Dante Mixologist Alesya Pochynok, made with Hennessy cognac, fresh lemon and lime juice, simple syrup and Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. 

Once seated, we were each presented with a complimentary glass of champagne and this amuse: 

"Shot" of Lobster Cappuccino, Vanilla Oil

A luxurious start to our repast - rich with cream (one small taste sent me running, happily, for my Lactaid) and deep lobster flavor, with a gentle touch of vanilla.

Maryland Crab Parfait

I couldn't decide which flavor I liked more - the pristine crabmeat, or the creamy avocado mousse above it. The bitterness of the arugula and the blood orange vinaigrette cut the richness just enough.

Truffled Spaghetti Carbonara

This was most definitely NOT the simple carbonara that Chef Dante demonstrated on Good Company Today last week! The deftly cooked, made-from-scratch pasta took my breath away (I'm a sucker for pasta). Mated with a buttery, creamy, truffly sauce, pancetta, parsley, black pepper and a perfect poached egg (sorry, no yolk porn, you'll have to take my word for it) - this was heaven on a plate and a truly special dish for the auspicious occasion. All three of us doing the tasting menu reached for the bread basket and wiped our plates completely - it was that good.

3 Preparations of Duck: Roasted Duck Breast, Cotechino Sausage, Foie Gras Mousse, Lentils

I was already reaching satiety when this plate arrived (and indeed, most of the breast meat came home in a leftovers box). So, I slowly savored the amazing foie gras mousse, both on its own, and combined with the toothy Italian Lentils (an Italian tradition for New Year's Eve) and the house-made duck sausage. That multi-tiered bite may have been the single most amazing morsel of food I tasted in 2010. 

"Surf and Turf": Braised Beef Shortribs, Roasted Sea Scallops, Celery Variations

I did reach "uncle" during this course - but not before I enjoyed every bit of that scallop! I skipped the big hunk of raw celery on top of the beef, and most of the slice of root atop the scallop, but the pureed interpretation on the plate did not tip my anti-celery meter and was a creamy accompaniment to the scallop and the two bites of shortrib that I managed. Most of the shortrib joined the duck breast in take-home mode, simply because it would have been gluttonous to try to consume any more.

predessert: Comice Pear Salad, Pomegranate Sorbet

This is what the menu said, though none of us tasted much pear flavor - and the fruit slices in the bottom were most certainly citrus (probably blood orange) and not pear. My guess would be that Chef Dante was not pleased with the quality of the pears he received, and changed the dish up accordingly. No harm done; we loved it.

Chocolate Tasting: Spiced Hot Cocoa, Ganache Tartlet, White Chocolate Ice Cream

What better way to end a celebratory meal than with a chocolate tasting! Like most house-made ice creams, this one melted a little fast - but that was fine with me. I dipped my bites of the tartlet into the creamy pool and I was very happy.

We, together with a number of other customers, lingered at the restaurant through the dropping of the ball, sharing in party favors and a complimentary drink with Dante, his wife Monica, and the rest of the staff, to toast the new year, and then we all trundled home to the first hours of 2011.

New Year's Eve is often referred to as "amateur night" for a lot of reasons - I am delighted that our experience at Restaurant Dante was reasonably priced ($110 with wine pairings/$70 without) and everyone in attendance (and, for the most part, on the road driving home) was well behaved. I'm not big on New Year's resolutions, but I did make one this time: to get back to Restaurant Dante to play with Dante's food again soon! Ok - I also resolved to try Dante's new Japanese restaurant Ginkgo promptly when it opens, hopefully by the end of March 2011.

New Year's Fun Playing with Iron Chef Food

Bob and I, together with our friend and fellow food photographer Edsel, attended the early seating at Lola Bistro New Year's Eve for a "Next Iron Chef" themed dinner. Since we arrived a little early, we got to watch all of the action in the open kitchen, which was just starting up when we were seated. It was an amazing dance to watch, as the courses progressed and the staff got a little overwhelmed. But they recovered very nicely, thank you, and served an amazing meal to a fully packed house.

We began with a wine that was so perfect for both the nature of the evening, and all of the food that we were served, that we ordered a second bottle when the first ran out without even looking again to the wine list. And it was very reasonably priced.


Black Bubbles Sparkling Shiraz


Bread Service

The butter was soft and creamy and delicious with the fresh bread. I will confess right here that I did, indeed, play with my food and clean my plate with bread not once, but three times this night.


Amuse Bouche
Lamb Tartare with Olives, Citrus and Greek Yogurt

I could not imagine that raw lamb could melt in the mouth as this did - and the yogurt topping was perfect with it.

First Course
Choice 1:

Potato and Truffle Soup with Chives and Garlic Confit

Edsel ordered this selection. I enjoyed my taste of this soup; a gentle, silky yet intensely flavorful sensation. Edsel commented that the garlic confit was extraordinary.

A word here about our server, Robert, who is a truly wonderful and professional server. We've enjoyed his service before, but he was really on his game NYE - he picked up on our manic food energy and ran with it! As we started to discuss sharing tastes of the soup - there he was with extra spoons for us! He followed up with extra silver and small plates later in the meal, so we could each taste anything on the table that didn't belong to us!

First Course
Choice 2:

Lobster Bisque with Crispy Bacon and Poached Lobster

Having eaten this bowl of soup - I now understand the Vita-Mix (which Michael Symon is a spokesman for, and which some of my food friends have sung praises for - heck, it got a write up in Tuesday's Cleveland Plain Dealer). I have never before experienced such finely pureed soups - this one was pure essence of lobster, with Michael's bacon and the lobster pieces almost a bonus to the exquisite, rich broth. The silkiness of the Truffle Soup was likewise, I am sure, due to the Vita-Mix.

Second Course
Choice 1:

Grilled Quail with Salsa Verde and Blackberries

Husband Bob and Edsel both enjoyed this course (though Bob gave me a drumstick and a berry to sample). The meat was succulent and tender, and the sauce and berries were amazing. I applied bread to this dish's plate, but just to taste, not to clean - playing with your husband's food can be fun, too!

Second Course
Choice 2:

Sweet Potato and Crab Salad with Grilled Corn, Bacon and Aioli

A perfect salad. Warm crab - with not a hint of off smell or flavor - just crabby sweetness caressed by sweet potato and corn that sang with a flavor you don't get this time of year in Cleveland, plated over an Aioli that offered a flavorful, yet mild range of spice. I was shameless in my application of bread to plate for this course - I wasn't letting any of that Aioli get away!

Intermezzo

Lemon Creme Fraiche Sorbet

This was our first taste of Pastry Chef Cory Barrett's amazing talents this evening. I never think "creamy" when I hear "sorbet" - but this was so much more than sorbet, though not quite ice cream. And the fresh lemon resounded through and truly cleaned the palate for the amazing goodies to come. It was served in a shotglass - just perfect.

Third Course
Choice 1:

Swordfish Sous-Vide with Fennel, Dill, Mint and Cucumber

This was fantastic! Though the fish certainly tasted like the bold fish Swordfish is, the Fennel, Dill and Mint were perfect foils, and the sous vide preparation left the fish mellower than you might expect. Oh - and I'm sure that if you liked cucumber, you'd find that a perfect touch also. I was amazed at the beauty (if not the taste) of the perfect tiny squares of cucumber - what poor soul was assigned to cut these all day?

Third Course
Choice 2:

Soft Polenta with Crispy Mushrooms and Marscarpone (no one at our table tried this one, so I have no photo). We heard that this was outstanding, and we've all had the incredible Polenta at Lola's sister restaurant Lolita. We all just wanted the Swordfish more!

Fourth Course
Choice 1:

Roasted Venison with Parsnip Puree and Roasted Carrots

Again, Bob favored meat over fish, to our advantage since we all got to taste it. The venison was buttery tender and cooked perfectly medium-rare. But the item we raved about the most was the pureed parsnips - what an amazing preparation of a mundane winter vegetable! It had the texture of perfect mashed potato, without the starchiness and with more flavor.

Fourth Course
Choice 2:

Grilled Swordfish with Chorizo

This dish was simply perfect. The Vita-Mix was evidenced by the creamy smoothness of the tomato-based sauce, which picked up amazing smoky flavors from both the house-made Chorizo and the Grilled Swordfish itself. I don't know how they infused the fish with such a rich smokiness. I tried to clean this plate with the last piece of bread, but couldn't quite finish it all. The only disappointment for me in this dish (indeed, in the whole dinner) is that it was originally supposed to include swordfish collar - which was raved over by the judges on Next Iron Chef, and it is not a delicacy one encounters often.

While dessert was being served, Michael Symon stopped by our table, and explained that the swordfish collar he received was not up to his standards - so he refused to serve it. I've had a lot of sub-standard fish and seafood products in my life, so I truly admire any chef who does this. I hate being told "but it's supposed to taste like that."

The desserts were served with a complimentary glass of bubbles.


"6 a.m. Special" with Bacon Ice Cream and Brioche French Toast

This dish just keeps getting better every time I have it. I didn't remember that it had slices of fresh apple between the French toast and the ice cream, but it was perfect. Chef Cory also stopped by our table, and mentioned that he made the ice cream with bigger chunks of bacon for this special night, and adjusted the toast a bit to accommodate for the evening's mass production.


Warm Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Ice Cream

What can I say besides "yum"? The artisan salt on top combined with the ice cream and warm chocolate cake to create a delectable combination.

There was a third choice on the menu - A Selection of Artisanal Cheeses.
We didn't try this one, but someone at a neighboring table said the cheeses were excellent. I'm sorry - I can't even consider a cheese plate for dessert when Cory is in the house!


Freshly Baked Raspberry Filled Macaroon

As if we were not already stuffed - each table received a plate of these warm little gems to complete the repast. The nuttiness resounded through my palate and the fruit filling was a most excellent addition to these cookies, which were light but rich at the same time.

This was a truly fabulous culinary experience. And the jazzy-contemporary band, which started playing after we finished our entree course, was a delightful and festive counterpoint for the evening. We greatly appreciated that Michael Symon stopped by the table - he was not playing celebrity chef this night; he was on the line cooking! Michael says he "lives to cook" - and I can't tell you how much fun that I have playing with that food he cooks!