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Merseymike

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  1. I'm happy to eat the bread on its own - its yummy!
  2. I second Oleana. Its excellent. Also nearby is EVOO which is similarly excellent - its New American, lots of organics and local produce but not in the least pretentious, and a good wine list too.
  3. Just come back from a holiday in Boston and the Cape. Boston restaurants - the ones we tried - were all excellent. What for Cape Cod? I'll start with the three nights in Provincetown. The Mews is excellent - it has an upstairs and downstairs dining area, the latter much quieter. The food is slightly Asian-American fusion inspired. although neither of the dishes I opted for were that style - although my partner's starter was and was very tasty. Good, bold flavours, decent sized portions, friendly service. We went Tourist Trap the next day, with a visit to the Lobster Pot. My partner pointed out that a trip to Cape Cod really should include a lobster clambake, and this one was reliable enough. Very fresh, lobster straight out of the tank which had clearly been recently replenished. Heretic that I am, I prefer my lobster cold with mayonnaise and salad, but there were no complaints... The final evening was spent at Devon's. Small and cosy, with a varied menu and very well cooked. The bouillabaisse (New England style) was excellent as is the lemon drizzle cake ( to give its English name!) Martha's Vineyard was rather more interesting. We chose a B&B where the owner decided to throw a fundraising party and ended up giving us the money to buy breakfast. If that wasn't strange enough, the Sweet Life cafe was off the radar. On the evening we went, which was early September, they had chosen to serve all meals in the outside garden (no choice of sitting inside was offered) and this was OK although as I hate those upright garden heaters, asked to be sat near the one which wasn't lit. That was fine - except when then they decided to light it as someone else who had arrived later than us - and wearing a skimpy t-shirt and shorts - was cold. They did move it but it still made the temperature far too hot. The food. Hmmmm. My partner had oysters, which were good, and fresh, but my starter of a ceviche of sea bass just wasn't ( a ceviche, that is). The marinating liquid was more like a sweet soup and as a result it hadn't had the necessary effect on the fish. It was OK, just not really a ceviche... The main courses, however, were poor. Very poor. I ordered chicken. This was served overcooked and dry, with a curry-ish sauce which tasted like Curry Before We Knew How. Vesta style is the best comparison. That was served with a very small salad with a couple of slices of mango - but utterly contradictorily, alongside a lake of cauliflower puree and a large piece of burnt broccoli, which was burnt on the outside, raw in the middle, and largely inedible. My partner had halibut - utterly devoid of moisture, with a pea-soup style risotto which tasted rather like frozen pea-and-rice soup. it was grim. To add to this, we asked for a wine on the list but were then told that they had a problem with the white wines as the fridge had broken down and only the wines by the glass were available in white, but that we could hav e a red - which we didn't want. We did have our chosen wine which they did manage to cool down with a bucket of ice... The combination of the heating situation and the poor food meant that we expressed our dissatisfaction to the maitre'd who said it wasn't his restaurant and that they can't please everyone but that we can talk to the chef. Which we did. I have honestly never met anyone any more defensive! he refused to accept that his food was anything other than wonderful and wasn't interested in any remark which didn't coincide with his opinion of his own food. Bad food, poor service, a chef not interested in your observations. Sweet Life it ain't.!
  4. Bump. Also heading off to Santiago, looking for a great place to have dinner on a Sunday night. Something traditional would be welcome, seafood focus, hopefully not too touristy. ← Hi I'm afraid that we drew a total blank. There is simply nothing open at all - so we ended up having a big local lunch on the way to Santiago and made do with a sandwich. If anyone knows of anywhere we missed please do enlighten - we didn't actually check the main drag with all the touristy seafood places but did have lunch there the next day, and the one we chose was superb (and not too expensive either).
  5. Recently went to both Arzak and Mugaritz. Both are excellent. But also very different in style, ambience and atmosphere.
  6. Heading off to Northern Spain. Any recommendations for Santiago other than Casa Marcelo which is shut at the moment and not open on the nights we are there. Looking for somewhere on Sunday as well. Driving is possible as we have a car but would prefer something in the town Any suggestions very much appreciated
  7. We went to Vegas for Christmas and New Year. I thought the standard was very high indeed. Recommended - Rosemary's, Fleur de Lys, Emeril's, Picasso, and Lotus of Siam. Alex was excellent too.
  8. Ended up going to Alex for Christmas day for the tasting menu. It was excellent - real special occasion stuff.
  9. In terms of food quality, I think Picasso does deserve the 2 stars - remember that Michelin is actually quite conservative in its judgments.
  10. Jrezpol - Rosemary's prix fixe, served all evening, is $50. Go, you will not be disappointed. Excellent and reasonably priced wine list too.
  11. Just arrived back from 11 nights in Vegas. It's an excellent food city. Picasso was our final night's meal. It nearly was a disaster. We opted for the five course menu and after the first course everything stopped - turns out the order had been misplaced. But we were given very expensive free wine with the fois gras, and two desserts! The food is excellent. Its conservative, which is no bad thing - no foam! The ingredients and saucing is first class. Its also a lovely dining room. I would recommend it. I think Daniel Bouloud brasserie is well worth considering. Its lively and stylish, the food is great classic French, very well cooked, and some simple options for those who aren't so adventurous. Fleur de Lys was also very impressive. As was Aureole, though the waiters are SO humourless and stiff! We enjoyed Todd's Unique Dining and Rosemary's - both out of the town centre in the suburbs. Rosemary's was superb. Emeril's and Lotus of Siam were wonderful too, though not for those who don't like spice. And we did the Alex splurge too. Its excellent - though personally, I preferred the style of cooking at Picasso.
  12. well, we have booked at Robuchon, and they have their third Michelin star!
  13. What about a fine dining blow-out? We are spending Christmas in Vegas as wqell but I thought , well, its Christmas, so we are planning to spend big - perhaps at Robuchon's?
  14. Both The Patio and Spire, next to each other in Church Road, near Penny Lane, are good. Try Maharaja - a Keralan restaurant in London Road. Very creative stuff. Room is also very relaxed and enjoyable - retro with a twist, good wine list, very reliable food and friendly waiting staff. LCW, Heathcotes, Ziba's at the Racquet club, and 60 Hope St are the well known venues. All very good. Its really not as bad here as some make out. At least we have two well established fine dining venues in the city centre, whereas Manchester's all end up closing down.
  15. Grrrrr....I'm anxiously awaiting Liverpool. I've only eaten at the Manchester restaurant, but for what its worth, its very good. The portions are gargantuan, and I'm no mean trencherman, and everything they serve is full of flavour. They seem to have got rid of the different menus concept now - everything is on the one menu . Have the spring onion bread. Its really greasy and incredibly yummy. Great with that chilli broth and a couple of tsingtao's.
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