Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

All-star tour


RonV

Recommended Posts

OK, so Tuesday is the very rare night that the girlfriend and I both have off work, so we're going all out. With the great forecast we thought we'd start with happy hour outdoors somewhere. Then Amada for dinner. After calling for reservations, the only thing available was 5 p.m., so we changed gears and decided we'd hit up their deck (fingers crossed we'll get a seat outside) for some sangria and a few small plates. Had the chef's tasting last time so we've got a good idea where to go this time.

Not wanting dinner at 5 p.m., we made reservations for Ansill at 7:30. Seems a bit weird to go from tapas to tapas, but on the other hand we're banking on it being a "theme" night, and Ansill is one of the places the board seems to love.

Now the big question is the finale. Originally the plan was to head to Mosulu's outdoor deck for dessert and drinks and wrap up the night there with cocktails under the stars, but it's only open until 10:30, so I misunderstood it to be more of a bar than it actually is. So, doesn't anyone have any suggestions for an outdoor space that would serve as a nice wrap of the night? Looking more for a bar than restaurant, but nothing that will feel like a frat party.

Also, any suggestions to make the most of the Amada-Ansill double header? I'm figuring lighter fare at Amada, but my real question is the role of the cheese course. Is it best between certain courses, or types of food? Sounds like some eat it after a meal, which I guess makes it dessert? Guess too many Thanksgivings at mom's make me think of the cheese wheel as an appetizer next to the celery and carrot sticks :rolleyes:

p.s. I spelled Ansill wrong in the header and can't tell how to fix it. Sorry about that.

Edited by RonV (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

for cocktails after ansill, i would highly recommend Southwark on 4th and bainbrdge. amazing handcrafted old school cocktails (try the sazerac), adult interesting crowd, small romantic outdoor space... or check out Chick's on 7th and kater, which just re opened recently as wine bar (with good beers) and a very romatic / historic atomisphere (great chocolate torte !)

as far as the cheeses go, i would suggest cheeses with every course. at amada just order a 'cheese mixto' where you get small portions of three different cheeses and condiments (ask for extra bread and apples in the beginning). then you can have cheese through out your meal there (i suggest manchego, cana de cabra, cadi ureglia). if you are really into it, ask the server to match 3oz glasses of wine to your cheeses. with the cheeses i suggested, i would do labastida rioja, vina mayor riberia del duero, el alabar toro respectively. that's a cool transition cause they are all tempranillo, and they are all so different! then head over to ansill or chick's and have a good blue with a red wine that has plenty of vanilla flavor from new oak (that's my favorite new combo)

hope it helps, for what its worth, i would do southwark and ansill first for cocktails, and proseco and oysters and such, and then head to amada for a later dinner, either outside or at the bar, or maybe a table will open up? have fun, good luck, report back

Edited by Yannii (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, we're home and recapping the night. Probably better to wait until morning, but what the hell.

Amada - Very nice, relaxed. Sat out at curbside, but didn't feel like we were sitting on the street. Couple pitchers of sangria. First order created a bit of a weird mix - Baked goat cheese (which was exactly what you'd expect) along with the nightly special of copper river salmon with crab meat in a corn chowder. This was fantastic. The small lumps of crab had a taste unlike I've ever had, more like steak than any seafood. The corn chowder was a bit awkward to eat, but since sharing a spoon was no trouble was very good.

With crab on the brain we went with the crab stuffed pepper which were fantastic. The blend of crab and cheese was unlike anything I've had and made a beautiful dish. String bean salad was nice with sweetness to offset a lot of the other dishes.

Then we headed to Ansill, and wow! Every bite blew away Amada. We stuck with what the board seems to like best. Started with heirloom tomatoes that had a parsley unlike anything I've ever tasted. It was the perfect start after a somewhat heavy "pre-dinner."

Following that was the osso bucco sandwich. The meat had a flavor that was tender, sweet and just unreal. It was amazing how the garlic toast just worked so week with it.

However, as much as we loved that, the hangar steak was the most flavorful I've ever had.

Along with the house shiraz (for me) and a small bottle of champaign (for her) we really loved dinner. We closed with a "fog" cheese which was definitely a different type of close than the typically sweet dessert.

I'm sure I'm not breaking any new rground here, other than to say these two spots made for great dining. Southwark was closed for the holiday, and Ansill was quite quiet. Amada was full by 7.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, and as the gf just said, "it was totally awesome." Personally I liked the cherries served alongside, and the cheese was nice way to end the meal. Still trying to figure out the role of cheese in the course of an evening.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...