I too dined at Trotter's monday night, albeit at a different table than awbrig and ryne. Seared Skipjack with Hijiki and Wasabi Infused Puree of Sweetpeas Exactly like it sounds. When I asked a member of the service team what skipjack was, I was initially told it was a member of the turbot family. I was skeptical as the fish i was served was a brilliant ruby red color. When I got home, I looked skipjack up and it was a member of the tuna family. Terrine of European Turbot with River Eel, Littleneck and White Water Clams, Sea Urchin, Prince Edward Island Mussels, Dungeness Crab and Wellfleet Oyster One of the highlights of the evening. A slice of the fish and eel terrine on one side of the plate and the shell fish scattered over the rest of it with a watercress/creme fraiche puree and an uni puree. A few pieces of bacon really added to the dish. Crab still possessed the brininess that I find lacking in many other restaurants. I kinda wished they would've cleaned out the shitsack from the mussel. They left an unpleasant murkiness that even a gulpful of wine didn't wash out. Steamed Line-Caught Halibut with Sunchoke, Fava Beans, Cauliflower, Citrus-Chervil Vinaigrette & Osetra Caviar Same presentation as Awbrig's picture. I generally enjoyed this dish. The provenence of the halibut remains in question though. I was told it was from Alaska. I see that Mr. Schraw seems to have been served halibut from Maine. Halibut was maybe a touch overcooked. Undersalted as well. The caviar's salinity was necessary to the dish, but alas, there wasn't enough for the whole chunk of fish. Fava beans were also of a dull color. I'm not a cook so I can't fathom why they weren't as vibrant as I've seen in other establishments. Chunks of white asparagus added an extra dimension of flavor. Sunchoke puree didn't add a whole lot. I'm still trying to decide what kind of flavor sunchoke has. The few times I've had it haven't given me memorable flavor profiles. Grilled Japanese Hamachi with Turnip Confit, Vidalia Onions, Morel Mushrooms & Sage Infused Morel Mushroom Consomme Same presentation as Awbrig's picture. Perfectly cooked fish. Morel mushroom consomme poured at the table. In fact, there's quite a bit of tableside service going on at Trotter's. Lots of little finishing touches that really add an element of theatre to the evening. That being said, I wish that the consomme would've been a bit warmer. It was basically on the cold side of room temperature. The chunk of sauteed sweetbread also left me wondering why it was there. It seemed sort of 'external' in relation to the rest of the dish. Roasted Morel, Maitake, Chanterelle & Bluet Mushrooms with Swiss Chard & Kohlrabi The second star of the evening. Four types of roasted mushrooms. I believe the saucing to be a red wine essence. Really terrific. Lusty, earthy mushroom flavors were basically left alone to shine on their own. Slow Roasted Breast of Squab with Eggplant I'm a little bit confused about if the meat was actually squab or quail. My server said quail. Every other menu I see has this dish listed as squab. I heard it served to another table and described as squab. So I'm going to say that my server probably made a mistake. Sliced breast served on an eggplant puree, if my memory serves me right. Not a whole lot to say about this dish. Kinda generic. Triple Seared Wagyu Style Beef Strip Loin, Ziti with Three Purees Pretty tasty. It's too bad that my server initially described this dish as bison, then came by to clear the plate and apologize for the mistake. I believe it was salted, soaked in sake and then seared. Ziti were filled with purees of olive, garlic and eggplant. Very subtle flavors. I found the ziti a bit overcooked. Bison with Boudin, Trumpet Mushrooms and Semolina Cake Not much to say about this one. Interestingly, boudin was in the form of a puree. Semolina cake was terrific. Cheese Plate Five french cheeses served with red cherry compote and fig bread. Hawaiian Pineapple & Preserved Ginger Sorbet with Manni Olive Oil & Thyme Very, very interesting. The sorbet had a sort of astrigent flavor due to the pronounced ginger flavor, but when sampled with the olive oil, which was poured tableside, the oil sort of rounded out the rough edges on the sorbet. Thyme added a full, herbaceous flavor in the mouth. Quite a nifty dish. Thai Chili Profiterole with Curry Ice Cream, Warm Mango & Cilantro Profiterole sliced in half, then a quenelle of ice cream in between two halves. Cilantro sauce on the side, mango next to profiterole. Curry ice cream to close in flavor profile to the ginger sorbet served as the previous course. While I enjoyed each of these dishes, I don't think they should've been served back to back. Sweet cilantro sauce was very nice. I'm starting to enjoy the role cilantro can play in non savory application. I wish the profiterole would've had a little more chili 'bite.' Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake with Sweet Cream Ice Cream, Banyuls Soaked Cherries and Coffee-Chocolate Sauce Yummy! I think most people can imagine what this might've tasted like from the description. You can't go wrong with that flavor combination. It's too bad that this dish overpowered the Trockenbeerenauslese that was served with it. Maybe serve a banyuls with it? Mignardises All sorts of salty caramels, marshmallows, macaroons......all bite sized and available to take home if you asked. My notes on wine are sketchy at best but here goes... Started with a bellini. Isabel Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2002. Nice tropical fruit, passionfruit flavors. Hochheimer Reichestal Riesling Kabinett Franz Kunstler, Rheingau 2002. Tastes like roasted peanuts with riesling fruit. Not terribly interesting tho. After a few sips of this one, I was bored with it. An Italian Sangiovese blend. Morey-St.-Denis "Les Ruchots" P. Amiot 2000 Chinon- 100% Cabernet franc Tamarack Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley 2000 A Rhone Valley Syrah by the name Sotanum. A vin du pay wine, not an AOC but really, REALLY big and rich. Saracco Moscato d'Asti Kracher Trockenbeerenauslese, Zweigelt Rose, Neusiedlersee 1998 Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny Port. Generally, things were very nice. I just wished for a little more variety in the details of the menu. Most dishes were garnished with either micro chervil or mache. I mean, couldn't they of gone out and found some different microgreens to place on their dishes? Eggplant puree also played a part in a few of the dishes. I found pronounced green onion flavor in three dishes. Olive puree and then on one of the meat dishes, there was an olive ragout. I just wish there might've been a little more variety or a dedication to making sure that the guest didn't receive the same flavor more than once. It's also not the most exciting food in the world. Some things, like the fish terrine were very well thought out, inventive and beautifully presented. Other things like the roasted mushrooms showcased pristine ingredients minimally altered. Other dishes were a little bit on the bland side, like the slowroasted breast of squab. Not to say that they didn't taste good, but they didn't make me think a whole lot. I could've been in any number of good restaurants and been served dishes of the same quality. THen again, I feel bad criticizing a restaurant with the reputation of Trotter's... On the service front, the only thing I would've wished to see differently is that the servers be a little more secure on information about the dishes. I was presented with contradictory information on a number of occasions. Plates were left hanging out over the edge of the table so I had to push them forward or they would bump into my chest. They were, for the most part, very well informed, kind, caring individuals who really did seem as if they wanted each and every guest to have a fantastic dining experience. Kudos to the team that served me. The tour of the facility is a nice touch for the first time diner. The wine cellars contain some AMAZING bottles. I almost forgot to mention the wine list. It's a huge binder. It's amazing. Truly a world class list. Anyhow, that's about it for now. I'm interested to hear Lady T and the awbrig/schraw table's take on things...... mike p.s. total damage was 300 bucks. 125 for grand menu, 85 for pairing, and 14 for a glass of tokaji which i sent to a friend. tax and service charge brought the rest of it to the 300 dollar total. I also wonder who makes the decision to serve desserts on black plates. I think food just looks better on white, even if black might be a bit more dramatic. personal preference probably...
