Blue Water Café

[*Deborah*]

Ye gods, guess what? I went out to dinner again last night!!

We were a party of 7 last night, and they seated us in the wine cellar/private dining room with some other people...it was good as several in my party were loud! as was the birthday party table next to us.

I think we managed to get through about 2/3 of the items on the DOV menu; most of us started with the Ahi Tuna Tataki (delicious as expected, although I confess I have had more tender Ahi; but I eat quite a lot of it. It was good nonetheless, and the sauce was really really good.)...a few people had the Frisée Salad with Marinated Flying Squid (along with the usual jokes about flying squid) and thought it very good.

A few people tried the [i think it was] Stellar Bay oysters on the half shell, and pronounced them delicious (one person) and okay (another who eats a hell of a lot of Chesapeake Bay fresh oysters and misses home I think). Both agreed that the shredded fresh horseradish was great, and the one who admitted to liking the oysters (although believe me, none were left behind even by the cranky one, and he had a round dozen) also loved the minuet sauce.

For mains, we almost all had the Roast Pork on a bed of pearl cous cous with diced carrots, squash, sautéed spinach...Chef Frank Pabst is just such a master in the kitchen! the pork was incredibly juicy and tender, perfectly cooked (i.e., not overdone), we all loved it to death and cleaned our plates except for one fellow (who I think overloaded on bread at my house at the pre-dinner cocktail hour).

The father of the groom had the Ling Cod and said it was wonderful. He was particularly enthusiastic about the chorizo in the beans, and mopped up every bit of sauce.

For dessert, we actually got all three different dishes, but I only tried mine (it was so good, I didn't want to share back with anyone, so I didn't try anything else! )...I had the Coconut Sorbet and Lychee Granité and oh. my. God. it was perfect to finish off that meal, although usually I would have gone for the Chocolate Espresso Tart that the bride had and loved. Several people also ate up every scrap of the Organic Carrot Cake, so I assume that, too, was delicious.

For wine, the bride and I shared a bottle of Kettle Valley Pinot Noir, since that's what the groom's father wanted to get, although he didn't end up drinking any, and we would probably gone for something a bit more robust...but what can you do? He didn't seem enthusiastic about the Burrowing Owl I tried to get for twice the price, but I wasn't buying, so...The Kettle Valley was good, very very dry, and we enjoyed it. The white wine drinkers had a couple of bottles of Oyster Bay 2003 Chardonnay (a label they recognized, since I could only recommend a few pricier ones, not being a white wine drinker on the whole). The groom and best man had beer (Newcastle and Hoegaarden, respectively) and seemed happy with that.

Everyone was impressed with the food, the groom's mum especially was in awe the whole evening and really enjoyed herself. Service was a little odd...wine was kept on a sideboard and offered periodically by our waitress, who at one point interrupted me as I was talking, with the glass halfway to my mouth, with two inches of wine in it. I was just puzzled by it, really. But hey. They turned us over in 90 minutes in spite of early wine list indecision, and yet I didn't feel rushed, which I think is a real accomplishment. The room is quite nice, too, I like that...I haven't eaten in one of those before, but if I ever have a large party in a restaurant, I think I will try to wangle that kind of arrangement, seems like lots of restaurants offer them.

I was just happy to be in a FOH that had Frank Pabst in the BOH again, I hadn't since he left Pastis (such deprivation!!!). The regular menu at Blue Water is a bit out of my reach, financially, but if they continue with the early prix-fixe, I think I can see my way to eating there again, not on my parents' tab

[2roost]

the one who admitted to liking the oysters (although believe me, none were left behind even by the cranky one, and he had a round dozen) also loved the minuet  sauce.

←

Oh my God - dancing sauces !!!!!!!!

[*Deborah*]

the one who admitted to liking the oysters (although believe me, none were left behind even by the cranky one, and he had a round dozen) also loved the minuet  sauce.

←

Oh my God - dancing sauces !!!!!!!!

←

You know, it's not on the description, and I actually googled because I wasn't sure (not being an oyster eater). I saw it called minuet in a few googled instances, so I went with that as that was what I heard the server say.

I have since seen it as mignonette, which I assume is the correct terminology based on your amusement.

I can tell you for a fact though, as someone who speaks French fairly well, that the server who presented it did not call it a mignonette.

Of course it's embarassing due to my supposed craving for correctness in menus...I should have changed it when I read it as mignonette this morning, I see.

On the other hand, I don't see any reason why a sauce should not dance.

[little ms foodie]

I think all sauces should dance in your mouth

but mignonette is the correct term, it means pepper sauce or pepper vinaigrette in french.

Nice to hear Blue Water is doing well, I ate there about a year ago and my friend and I loved it.

[paul mitchell]

Did anyone have to fish Tori Spelling's cell phone out of the toilet for a reduced rate (was $100) because it was Dine Out night?

Edited January 31, 2005 by paul mitchell (log)

[Vancouver Lee]

Did anyone have to fish Tori Spelling's cell phone out of the toilet for a reduced rate (was $100) because it was Dine Out night?

←

Huh?

Deborah, glad to hear dinner was good. We stopped in there for drinks after our dinner at C on Saturday. Sounds like we'll have to try it for dinner sometime soon.

Edited January 31, 2005 by Vancouver Lee (log)

[edm]

the mignonette at Blue Water is based on red wine vinegar and contains black pepper, shallots, lemongrass, etc.