Kinkead's

[Malawry]

It's about damn time.

[John W.]

Renovation pays off... Edited April 15, 2004 by John W. (log)

[sweetfreak]

I went to Kinkeads last Sunday for Easter lunch. My first visit back since they renovated. I must admit that I too could not figure out what was different about the place at first. Another member of my party pointed out the new lighting and painted walls. I guess I was expecting more dramatic changes.

As for the food, it was all good, but not excellent. Had a couple of fried clams which were as good as Tom says. But three of us ordered the lobster roll, and it was definitely not the best lobster roll I have ever had. There was way too much mayonnaise in the lobster salad, and I like to have my hot dog roll brushed with butter to soften it up, but this roll was toasted dry and crispy. Finally, there was a huge lettuce leaf (?!) under the lobster which cramped my style.

I have to say, I was more impressed by the desserts than Tom was. They had a banana/chocolate sampler, and while I cannot describe every component, there was one chocolate souffle cake with bananas foster on top that was quite good.

[Schneier]

I've never been a big fan of Kinkead's; too much flash and not enough substance. But this and that and this and that, and I ended up eating lunch there yesterday.

I was surprised by how empty it was upstairs; I thought they filled up every day.

Anyway, to the food.

Soups:

"Asparagus Soup with a Ragout of English Peas, Radishes, Leeks and an English Pea Flan." Excellent. Superb. Delicious.

"New England Quahog Chowder with Clam Fritters." A perfect clam chowder.

Entrees:

"Portuguese Seafood Stew with Monkfish, Shrimp, Mussels, Clams, Chorizo, Tomatoes and Rouille." I was much less impressed. The monkfish was wrapped in bacon, and I found it overcooked. The stew didn't hang together well, and was uninteresting. I wanted this to be much better.

"Pistachio Crusted Salmon Medallions with Fried Fennel, Roasted Peppers, and a Savory Tomato Butter." Better, but still not great. The salmon was drier than I wanted it to be, and I have eaten way better fried fennel. Again, not very well put together.

We skipped dessert.

B

[sara]

Does this indicate a menu change (didn't know their old menu well 'nuff to say)?

[JPW]

Does this indicate a menu change (didn't know their old menu well 'nuff to say)?

Not really. The descriptions sound pretty much in line with the Kinkaed's tradition. There is however a new chef (who was promoted in October just before shutdown), so there may be some differences.

[Malawry]

Whatever happened to Chef Tracy? Is she trying to get something of her own off the ground? She's got chops.

[frogprince]

as mother's 50th came and went, i was my usual tardy and disorganized-self. i offered lunch at her choice: kinkead's, around the corner from her office and a place where we both know the lunch bartender very well (and no it is not dad. nice try though, you may have a future.)

and it was... good. not fabulous, certainly not atrocious but pleasant.

the menu perplexes me. it really does. it appears as though it has designed around the concept of "well here's my protein, no what kind of an ethnic mood am i in today? well, i just watched il postino, how about italian? lets see... tuna milanaise! some spinach, prosciutto, pine nuts, currants and salsa verde. done." to my own personal taste, there seemed to be a glaring lack of creativity or innovation. which is ( and i mark my words having read that l'auberge thread) NOT A BAD THING. there's nothing wrong with tradition: i'm from maryland- crabs are not to smothered with cardamom foam, accentuated with cuttlefish ink 'jus' on top of a greentea ice cream puree with crystalized baby carrots. crabs are eaten by the bushel full with beer outside on a picnic table in summer. i personally enjoy a balance of the two, a precarious balance but a balance nontheless.

which is not to say it wasnt good. it was very good, the bites i had of it. i tried, for the first time, kingfish. knowing it was in the mackerel (i.e. the brash brazen, swagger down your gullet whether you like it or not cos i'm a FISH) family, i expected to a palate-pulverizing experince. for better or worse, this was not it. then again, maybe i just dont like kingfish.

i will tell you what i do like though: fried lemons. even better with fried clams. fried parlsey? oh yes please. and our affable bartender george informed us that 1130 arrivals are greeted with their tremendous own-made soda bread still tingling from the oven; this is temptation. as are herbs in desserts. what is it about the savory world that has confined herbs in durance, locked away only to be released (in bondage still) for the likes of pesto, vinaigrettes and salsa verde? i for one would liek to call on all of you out there to lead an assault on savories unfair and unchecked restraining of herbs deliriously heady aroma and flavor. lemon verbena ice cream (which smells like what? come on, some one has read faulkner i know...) has escaped, as has peach-lavender. come on, onward soldiers!

i drank away the afernoon with a cabernet sauvignon rose, 1+1=3 from spain and wanted to traverse the pyrenees to indulge a sweet tooth with a glass of jurancon but sadly, they were out. i jetted back across the pond for my induction to virginia's sweet wines, a "v d'or". amber gold i say. and i stumbled out of kinkead's into an overcast tuesday. what is it about being intoxicated when people are walking out of work and onto the metro at 4 in the afternoon that feels so... liberating and, dare i say it, smug? hence, the draws of happy hours i suppose.

[rosebud]

We save restaurants on the scale of Kinkead's for special occasions. We went there last year for my birthday. The atmosphere was perfectly pleasant, the service welcoming and professional, but the food was disappointing. I had some halibut that was perfectly cooked, but had a bunch of fussy little details around it. But the the thing that ruined the dish was the sauce. It didn't tasted of anything that was supposed to be in it and was just plain weird. The waitress offered to take it away and bring me something else, but I passed. I've forgotten what my husband had, but he was under-whelmed.

We live for those "Oh, My" moments, when you first take a bite of something very, very good. There were none of those at Kinkeads.

[The Doctor]

For what it's worth, Rosebud, there are others (me and my dining companions) who feel exactly the same way you do. A lovely experience, but there was something missing that just didn't make it greater than the sum of its parts.

[frogprince]

a bunch of fussy little details around it

eggactly. every dish has a myriad of bits and bobs and they sadly do not add up to the sum of their considerable parts.