Sunday, October 26, 2008
China Gate's Crab Cheese
Before heading off to the Michigan vs. Michigan State Football game, an event not worth blogging about, Reena and I stopped at China Gate to pick an order of crab cheese (a/k/a crab rangoons). Rumor has it that the crab cheese at China Gate is made with Velveeta cheese. Whether that is true or not, the crab cheese at China Gate is my favorite food in the world. I would eat these little appetizers over anything else!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Opus One
On October 17, 2008, Reena and I went to Opus One to celebrate her birthday. Reena started with a Bibb Salad with Roquefort Dressing. The salad was deconstructed so Reena had to mix the lettuce, eggs, bacon and other ingredients together. The bacon on the salad was the best part. it was a whole piece of bacon, wrapped tightly into a spiral. Reena thought that it was one of the best salads she had ever had. I wasn't surprised to hear it, because when I last went to Opus One, with my dad many years ago, the crispy chicken salad I ate was, and still is, the best salad I've ever eaten.
For dinner I had The Shrimp Helene: a quintet of jumbo shrimp baked in a crispy filo pastry. The five shrimp were presented with a green onion bow tying them together. Reena ordered the seared sea scallops wrapped in bacon. Since Reena already had bacon with her salad, she let me steal some of the bacon for my shrimp! Scallops are Reena's favorite delicacy; she was not disappointed by what she ordered. However, the Scallops cooked in a tarragon butter sauce that she ate at Cafe Pacific in Dallas, Texas, remain her all time favorite.
The Shrimp Helene also came with a potato gratin molded into a round cake. Reena's scallops came with a side of potatoes and onions in a tomato and pepper sauce, which, along with the scallops, sat atop a yellow and a red sauce.
Everything that we ate was cooked to perfection. The staff at Opus One paid attention to detail and Reena was most impressed with the presentation of the entrees. Opus One is surely one of the finest restaurants in Detroit. The service is attentive, the decor is luxurious, and there is even a live piano player to give the restaurant a high class atmosphere. All in all, if you go to this restaurant, you will feel like you are in a five star restaurant.
Since it was Reena's birthday, a free desert was provided. We thought it would be cake, but it turned out to be a big block of chocolate with the Opus One logo. It was okay, but not on par with the rest of the meal.
Opus One is pricy, but it was worth a visit on this special day.
For dinner I had The Shrimp Helene: a quintet of jumbo shrimp baked in a crispy filo pastry. The five shrimp were presented with a green onion bow tying them together. Reena ordered the seared sea scallops wrapped in bacon. Since Reena already had bacon with her salad, she let me steal some of the bacon for my shrimp! Scallops are Reena's favorite delicacy; she was not disappointed by what she ordered. However, the Scallops cooked in a tarragon butter sauce that she ate at Cafe Pacific in Dallas, Texas, remain her all time favorite.
The Shrimp Helene also came with a potato gratin molded into a round cake. Reena's scallops came with a side of potatoes and onions in a tomato and pepper sauce, which, along with the scallops, sat atop a yellow and a red sauce.
Everything that we ate was cooked to perfection. The staff at Opus One paid attention to detail and Reena was most impressed with the presentation of the entrees. Opus One is surely one of the finest restaurants in Detroit. The service is attentive, the decor is luxurious, and there is even a live piano player to give the restaurant a high class atmosphere. All in all, if you go to this restaurant, you will feel like you are in a five star restaurant.
Since it was Reena's birthday, a free desert was provided. We thought it would be cake, but it turned out to be a big block of chocolate with the Opus One logo. It was okay, but not on par with the rest of the meal.
Opus One is pricy, but it was worth a visit on this special day.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Sangria
Reena and I went to Sangria in downtown Royal Oak last Saturday. Sangria is a Spanish restaurant that is known for their tapas and their sangria. It's best to go to Sangria on a sunny summer's day and sit outside while sipping on sangria. Sangria is also unique, in my experience, because it serves a white sangria, made with white wine.
We ordered a pitcher of the white sangria and three different tapas to share. The first was a spinich and asiago cheese combination set in a warm tomato sauce and served with garlic crostinis. We ate this as an appetizer and then ordered two more dishes: mussels in a garlic, butter, and whitewine sauce; and saugage with tri-colored peppers and onions cooked in a spicy tomato sauce. The sausage was probably the best dish. The sausage was spicy and went well with the peppers and onions. The mussels were also a pleasant surprise. I had never eaten them before, and was astounded that as I ate them I could smell the ocean. This was particularly astounding because Royal Oak is nowhere near the ocean. The sauce that the mussels were cooked in also helped make this dish a success. It was light and matched well with the mussels. If the mussels were as tasty as the sausage this would have been my favorite dish of the night.
All in all it was a very pleasant evening. We ate for a long time enjoying the white wine sangria and sampling the dishes. If it's a warm summer's evening I'd recommend Sangria to anyone looking for a relaxing meal.
We ordered a pitcher of the white sangria and three different tapas to share. The first was a spinich and asiago cheese combination set in a warm tomato sauce and served with garlic crostinis. We ate this as an appetizer and then ordered two more dishes: mussels in a garlic, butter, and whitewine sauce; and saugage with tri-colored peppers and onions cooked in a spicy tomato sauce. The sausage was probably the best dish. The sausage was spicy and went well with the peppers and onions. The mussels were also a pleasant surprise. I had never eaten them before, and was astounded that as I ate them I could smell the ocean. This was particularly astounding because Royal Oak is nowhere near the ocean. The sauce that the mussels were cooked in also helped make this dish a success. It was light and matched well with the mussels. If the mussels were as tasty as the sausage this would have been my favorite dish of the night.
All in all it was a very pleasant evening. We ate for a long time enjoying the white wine sangria and sampling the dishes. If it's a warm summer's evening I'd recommend Sangria to anyone looking for a relaxing meal.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Morimoto - The Best Meal I've Ever Had
In February of 2007, my wife Reena and I went to Morimoto's Restaurant in New York with Reena's Uncle R.K. and Maria. The restaurant itself had very modern decor, which was highlighted by a wall of water bottles. But the appearance of a restaurant is far less important than the food.
In my mind, Morimoto is the best restaurant that I have been too. It starts with the appetizers. We ordered two different appetizers, which we shared. The first was a steamed scallop. I was hesitant to try the scallop. From the description it sounded like a very bland and rather unappetizing starter, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The appetizer is four individual scallops, drizzled in a Chinese glaze and served with scallions. Each scallop is steamed to perfection so that it melts in your mouth as you eat it. I am not a huge fan of scallops in general, but I would eat these scallops again in a heart beat. The second appetizer that we ordered was the crispy rock shrimp tempura. Once again Morimoto had cooked up a masterpiece. The shrimp were fried in a tempura batter made with sparkling water. The tempura was crispy, but very light, and the shrimp were coated in a tangy sauce that had a little bit of a kick to it. The shrimp were good enough to eat on their own, but to highlight the dish even more, there was a side of wasabi aioli.
For the main course I ordered the Duck Duck Duck. It was a dish with three parts, a duck egg, a croissant with a foie gras spread and some roast duck. The foie gras croissant was the best part. It was flaky and had the foie gras spread was a wonderful match with the bread.
Reena ordered sushi, which she orders as often as she can, for her main course, and still says that this was the best she's ever had.
The only negative about this restaurant was that the drinks were not that spectacular. Each of us ordered something different and while none of the drinks were bad, none of them were ery memorable.
If you are able to go to Morimoto in New York I would highly recommend it. Be sure to order the appetizers and instead of ordering drinks get an extra order of steamed scallops, you won't regret it.
In my mind, Morimoto is the best restaurant that I have been too. It starts with the appetizers. We ordered two different appetizers, which we shared. The first was a steamed scallop. I was hesitant to try the scallop. From the description it sounded like a very bland and rather unappetizing starter, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The appetizer is four individual scallops, drizzled in a Chinese glaze and served with scallions. Each scallop is steamed to perfection so that it melts in your mouth as you eat it. I am not a huge fan of scallops in general, but I would eat these scallops again in a heart beat. The second appetizer that we ordered was the crispy rock shrimp tempura. Once again Morimoto had cooked up a masterpiece. The shrimp were fried in a tempura batter made with sparkling water. The tempura was crispy, but very light, and the shrimp were coated in a tangy sauce that had a little bit of a kick to it. The shrimp were good enough to eat on their own, but to highlight the dish even more, there was a side of wasabi aioli.
For the main course I ordered the Duck Duck Duck. It was a dish with three parts, a duck egg, a croissant with a foie gras spread and some roast duck. The foie gras croissant was the best part. It was flaky and had the foie gras spread was a wonderful match with the bread.
Reena ordered sushi, which she orders as often as she can, for her main course, and still says that this was the best she's ever had.
The only negative about this restaurant was that the drinks were not that spectacular. Each of us ordered something different and while none of the drinks were bad, none of them were ery memorable.
If you are able to go to Morimoto in New York I would highly recommend it. Be sure to order the appetizers and instead of ordering drinks get an extra order of steamed scallops, you won't regret it.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Thoughts for Food.
This blog is a keepsake of my culinary experiences. I love to eat; anyone who doesn't is missing out on one of life's greatest experiences. To help me remember where I've been, and possibly to help others know what is worth trying...or avoiding, this blog will describe some of my thoughts and opinions on the places where I've eaten.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
