Well, last night's dinner made up for the strange meat-fest the night before. I looked up restaurants on Zagat, which I find to be a very accurate food rating system, and chose a food = 28 place called Lampreia (decor = 23, service = 25 ... all ratings are out of 30). I've never had a food rating of 27 or higher be a less than stellar place to eat and Zagat continues to serve me well. It was delicious and the service was excellent. There was a winter storm going on, so the restaurant didn't have too many diners in it, which might have accounted for the perfect service; nonetheless, I'll take it!
Unfortunately, their menu is not online, so I'll do this from memory and I am not great at recalling specifics. For a starter I had an Orange Carrot Veloute with Tapioca and Vanilla Cream, basically a very velvety soup. It was delicious, though D thought it was too sweet for an appetizer. For my second course, I had Dungeness Crab with Honey Crisp Apple. This was absolutely stunning, in both taste and presentation. It came as a long tube of crab wrapped tightly in thinly sliced applies with a piping of an apple sauce (obviously it was some fancy sauce) beside it. I loved this. For my entree, I had Lamb Shank with Pureed Potatoes, Sauteed Zucchini, and a Cipollini Onion with a Balsamic Vinegar Sauce. The lamb was perfectly cooked and very tender. It just fell off the bone and was so moist. D passed on dessert and got the cheese plate instead. I ordered Strawberries filled with White Chocolate Mousse. Again, it was perfect. I didn't feel too full when I left, which is one of the reasons I love going to more expensive restaurants - it's about quality, not quantity.
As we were leaving the chef asked us how it was and shook our hands, which was nice. He even complimented D on his silverware usage and said it was nice to see someone who knew how to use their silverware (referring to the European way of eating vs the American way of cutting and then switching hands with the fork and laying down the knife). I decided that this compliment extended to me, as well, since I now use my knife and fork in the same manner. I feel fancy.
Shortly I'll check out of the hotel and head over to pick up D for our drive home. The weather is nice right now - let's hope it stays that way. It's been a nice little visit to Seattle. I like this city, even though I didn't see a whole lot of it due to weather.
The crab sounds divine.
ReplyDeleteCan you look up Rubicon? I have a 2003 Zagat guide for SF, wonder if the rating has since changed. It wasn't 27+ but it was pretty high.
I don't understand silverware usage. Do people constantly switch the fork from hand to hand? I had never noticed.
Will email you the Rubicon information from Zagat.
ReplyDeleteMost Americans eat with their fork in their right hand, but they also cut with the knife in their right hand. So they'll put the fork in their left hand to cut and then put down the knife, move the fork to their right hand and eat that way. Most Europeans (well, I guess it would be the English - I'm not sure about Europeans in general) will eat with their fork in their left and use the knife to pile various items onto the fork.