delectation

Belated birthday dinner

I haven't eaten out at nice places in a while, but when I do, it seems that I do it a whole heck of a lot... in my life at least, it seems everything comes in spades.

And so on Sunday afternoon El calls me around 3:30pm, to confirm that he & O are indeed taking me to dinner tonight, and to ask again if I had any preferences for time: any restrictions/ other plans for the evening? - and place: What would I rather do - eat at a "really really nice 'schtonky'* place" where they only had space for us at the bar or at a "less schtonky but still nice" establishment where we could get a table? I told him that my evening was open, and that they should decide as to everything else.
*'schtonky' is Donnelley parlance for really really really fancy.

At 4:11pm he calls me again - "So, deens, can you be ready by 5-5:30pm?" Eeps. I say yes, of course, and hop into the shower and manage to get ready in 45 minutes, so I have time to spare. (Funny what stress can do to speed a girl's preparations...)

El picks me up, heads back over to get Omonster, and we head off - towards - Portrero Hill. As we near 18th St. I've already guessed, and it makes me laugh since it was only yesterday when I was contemplating going to Chez Papa for dinner with Justine on Saturday night. Dinner was wonderful - I love small neighborhood bistros, and apart from the chilly hostess, the food was great, our waiter very french and tres charmant and on the whole it was a perfectly satisfying, lovely experience.

The menu on the website is but a small sample of the offerings at Chez Papa, and they've got a full page of really great appetizers which they unfortunately don't list. And the fun with going out with my boys is that we order a whole heckuvalot of appetizers, and different entrees, and we all share. We ordered:

• Lobster crepe with veloute sauce: we all agreed - the best appetizer of the lot. Really rich, warm buttery lobster-wrapped in a crepe with the traditional creamy veloute sauce.
• Red bell pepper soup: Omonster was in a soupy mood - and this was good - slightly soury-tangy with sprnkles of piperade (tiny, diced pimento).
• Open-faced mushroom ravioli - ragout of mushrooms, rich with - butter and herbs and - sherry?, draped with thin sqaures of pasta.
• Potato salad with mustard, asparagus, artichoke and chopped ham topped with thick shavings of parmesan: unfortunately, the only off-note in the lot - it tasted too much of grainy, dijon mustard, and the flavours didn't seem to meld well. I didn't encounter one artichoke heart once. The parmesan shavings were good, though.
• Filet mignon topped on top of a creamy potato gallete: El's choice - the meat was really tender, spiced and flavourful
• Roast chicken with olives, lemon & garlic on top of braised kale: the yummiest dish of the bunch - we were glad O. got it though our garcon tried to steer him away from it at first (we were drinking a red wine).
• Lamb Daube with seasonal vegetables: Tasty, but the red wine sauce reduction was a little too sweet for my taste. On the whole it was a good, solid, highly flavourful stew dish, but not that special considering the other entrees.

For dessert we ordered an Apple tarte tatin with chantilly cream and a rich chocolate pot de creme - both quite yummy but I have to say I am more inclined towards apple desserts than to chocolate.

More pictures here. Posted by claudine at January 26, 2004 10:01 AM