Showing posts with label Brewery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brewery. Show all posts
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Heavy Seas Alehouse (Rosslyn, Arlington, VA)
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*****
I have come to really enjoy brewpubs that have gone the gastro-pub route; this includes Bluejacket, a new D.C. brewery which I reviewed in May. Sometimes in these situations, the food ends up becoming more of a focus than the beer, or vice versa, and this can lead to problems, or at least a situation where you go for one more than the other; obviously, the goal is a nice equilibrium, where people want to go to your restaurant for both. Heavy Seas Alehouse, in the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington, VA, has done a pretty good job of balancing things out, ending up with a nice restaurant that also serves very high quality beer.
Heavy Seas Beer, based in Baltimore, is the overarching organization that is responsible for the restaurant, which also has a location at the brewery itself. Claiming to be the largest producer of cask conditioned beers in the United States, Heavy Seas has a great focus on high quality ingredients, including sourcing at least some of their hops locally in Maryland. This kind of caring translates into quality, and the two beers I had were both delicious. Unfortunately, I do not know the names of either for sure, but I am almost certain the saison I had was the Red Sky at Night (on cask) and the barley-wine I had was the Below Decks, based on what I can find on their website and on BeerAdvocate.
The saison was light but boozy, definitely not a session beer, which I typically pick saisons for, but with the normal light, citrus and wheat forward spiciness I expect out of a good one. The beer is both bright and cloudy, a strange mix that actually looks very cool as the clouds swirl through the glass; this could be related to being cask conditioned, but it did not taste like there was any sediment, and I suspect that Heavy Seas is more careful than to allow something like that to occur. Either way, it looked good, and tasted better. Assuming this was the Red Sky at Night, it is a 7.5%, and it definitely drank that way, but it was not overly sweet as some higher ABV saisons I have had were, and it definitely is still refreshing.
The barley-wine was absolutely not refreshing, but that is no knock on it. Sweet, tart, malty, and with a hefty fruitiness, this was at the recommendation of the waiter (I'll get to him later) to accompany my rather heavy meal; as he promised, it held up well to, and even cut, some of the richness of the cream based sauce in my dish. Nearly black and served in a goblet, this was a beautiful beer to behold, and my dinner companion, who had never had a barley-wine before, was quite impressed with the quality of it. There was little hoppy flavor in the beer, but there was certainly plenty of booze; the Below Decks is a 10% beer, and while it drinks a little shy of that, I was a little buzzed by the end of dinner after the two beers.
As for food, Heavy Seas holds its own. We split the Smoked Short Rib Taco, an order of which comes with three well filled soft corn shells and a ramekin of a sauce that appeared to be sour cream based. The short ribs were rich and flavorful, shredded and accompanied by cotija cheese (a classic, and delicious, Mexican cow's milk varietal that melts well and holds up to strong flavors like good beef) and a "pickled chayote slaw" that really just served to provide an alternative texture, but little else. This was a very good appetizer, not making me full, but definitely not leaving me starving. Of course, even if it had, the entrees arrived as I was taking my final bites; I would take this over either arriving too early or after a long wait, but I do tend to like a couple minutes between courses, though I think I may be alone in this.
My entree, the Duck Cannelloni, was again a recommendation by the waiter, and it was a good one. The sauce, listed on the menu as a "smoked cheddar cream" was heavy but not overwhelming, while the pasta, which resembled more of a very long, thin ravioli (and was actually almost identical to the ravioli my date had) was cooked fairly well, though it was maybe a tiny bit undercooked; just enough to be noticeable to me, but certainly not enough to be a problem. Even though duck is listed as the primary meat, I did not see or taste that much of it, though what was there was tasty. The whole dish was topped with fried onion strings, which were just shy of crispy; definitely a misstep on the part of the kitchen, as those need to have a legitimate crunch to be successful. Instead, they were a bit blah, and by the time I was finished eating, they were soggy and a little chewy. Despite this one issue, I ate everything with gusto, and really wanted a spoon to finish the sauce off with, though I held back.
Dessert was shared, with an order each of the Pecan Bourbon Bread Pudding and the Pyrat Rum Creme Brûlée, both recommended highly by the waiter. The Creme Brûlée was solid, with a definite flavor of white chocolate, as promised by the menu, and with a glass-like crust of caramelized sugar; that was perfect, since so often I get creme brûlée that has a weak, barely there at all crust, and this was clearly done with care and precision. That said, the Bread Pudding was the real star, not just of dessert, but of the whole meal. Local ice cream (rum raisin?), raisin bread, and a crème anglais to die for, this was among the best I have ever had, right up there with the to-die-for bread pudding at Fat Cat in Quincy, MA. It was sweet, but not even close to cloying. The portion was large enough (and we were full enough) that even though we loved it, we left about half of one of the five pieces of bread on the plate when we left, plus about a quarter of the creme brûlée.
So, finally to the waiter. Myron was up there with Timmy from David Burke Prime at Foxwoods, super knowledgeable, incredibly friendly, timed things well, provided great suggestions and checked in just the right amount. We at a couple points exchanged recommendations on food (I told him about Fat Cat, since he said he is a bread pudding aficionado) and beer (he agreed with me on Troegs Hop Knife), and he was just spot on with all his food and drink suggestions during the meal itself. I know some restaurants will do their best to honor requests for specific wait staff; if you go, I suggest asking to be put in his section.
All told, this was a really good experience, with pleasant staff, good food and beer, and a pretty nice atmosphere. My one complaint might be how insanely loud it is in the front area by the bar, including in the seating area, but it was a bit quieter in the back (good job by the hostess, too, clearly recognizing the nature of the dinner and putting us at probably the quietest table in the place, despite several open tables elsewhere), though still a bit noisy. This did not result in any problems for us, but it is something to be considered. Either way, I absolutely recommend going, and do yourself a favor and order the bread pudding.
Friday, September 5, 2014
SingleCut Beersmiths (Astoria, Queens, NY)
While the rest of my trip up to Queens was fine for a group post, I felt that my trip to SingleCut Beersmiths deserved its own review. A small brewery located in the Astoria neighborhood, my cousin and her boyfriend recommended we go there knowing that I love trying new beers. Serving both their beers and a limited menu of food in their tap room, this is a fun little spot to hang out with a drink and a snack, though probably not a good option for a full meal.
I ordered a beer flight (5, 5oz beers) and a steak and mushroom pie, since I was a bit hungry and figured after two beers at the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden I could use a bit of food. The steak and mushroom pie was pretty good, reminiscent of the meat pies I ate constantly the summer of 2007 when I was studying in Oxford and frequented the pasty shop on Cornmarket St. The meat was flavorful and tender, the mushrooms cooked just right, and the gravy savory, while the crust was flaky.
I asked the bartender to pick whatever she wanted for my beer flight, since I did not know their menu at all, and she did pretty well. Virtually all of their beers are named for people, who I suspect either work there or are connected to the employees. They also spell lager lagrrr...pirates? I went light to dark, taking brief notes, as follows. Descriptions from their menu are in italics.
"Ian" Olympic White Lagrrr!: A wheat lagrrr! made with hundreds of freshly juiced and zested oranges, coriander and szechuan pepercorn. The wittier witbier! 14IBU, 5.4% ABV. Very little nose, with a light look and feel, a major coriander flavor, but lacking the szechuan flavor I was looking for. All in all, refreshingly mild.
"Kim" Hibiscus Sour Lagrrr!: Refreshingly tart and citrusy. Made with hibiscus flowers and black currants. 5IBU, 4.1% ABV. Wow! What a great beer. Huuuuuuge nose, sweet and sour smelling. It both tasted and smelled a bit like Warheads candies, as my cousin pointed out (I could not quite place the flavor, but as soon as she said it I knew she was right), with a great tart, slightly fruity beer that was not nearly as sweet as it smelled. The black currant came through well, as did the citrus. The best beer I had there, and really the best beer I had other than the Troegs Hop Knife. Despite its very low ABV, I do not think this is quite a session beer, if only because of the very intense flavor.
"Billy" Half Stack IPA: This juggernaut of an IPA has a stone fruit, citrus and dank hop profile that is insanely drinkable. 88IBU, 6.6% ABV. Very little nose, but what there was smelled entirely of hops. The hops carried over into the flavor, with a good citrus note. The aftertaste is actually very pleasant, a rarity, and despite its high IBU number, it was very drinkable.
"Dean" PNW Mahogany Ale: A crisp, spicy and dry malt back bone featuring Pacific North West hops. This mahogany colored ale has a notably resiny, piney and citrus hoppiness that will put hair on even a lumberjacks chest! 73IBU, 6.0% ABV. Huge malt flavor, definitely sweet. I honestly did not write much about this, because I just could not quite decide how I felt. I do not recommend it unless you like super malty beers, but I would not necessarily say do not drink it either.
"John Michael" Dark Lyric Lagrrr!: He's back, in black, and better than ever. With it's (sic) deep dark hue, an abundant hope presence and surprisingly smooth quaffability this beer in black is what we mean when we say, "Lagrrr!" (usually followed by an echoing sinister laughter). 50IBU, 6.0% ABV. Huge malt nose, but less malty flavor than the "Dean." The booze is heavily present in the taste, surprising for a 6% beer. My cousin had the coffee version, and it was much better.
I ordered a beer flight (5, 5oz beers) and a steak and mushroom pie, since I was a bit hungry and figured after two beers at the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden I could use a bit of food. The steak and mushroom pie was pretty good, reminiscent of the meat pies I ate constantly the summer of 2007 when I was studying in Oxford and frequented the pasty shop on Cornmarket St. The meat was flavorful and tender, the mushrooms cooked just right, and the gravy savory, while the crust was flaky.
I asked the bartender to pick whatever she wanted for my beer flight, since I did not know their menu at all, and she did pretty well. Virtually all of their beers are named for people, who I suspect either work there or are connected to the employees. They also spell lager lagrrr...pirates? I went light to dark, taking brief notes, as follows. Descriptions from their menu are in italics.
"Ian" Olympic White Lagrrr!: A wheat lagrrr! made with hundreds of freshly juiced and zested oranges, coriander and szechuan pepercorn. The wittier witbier! 14IBU, 5.4% ABV. Very little nose, with a light look and feel, a major coriander flavor, but lacking the szechuan flavor I was looking for. All in all, refreshingly mild.
"Kim" Hibiscus Sour Lagrrr!: Refreshingly tart and citrusy. Made with hibiscus flowers and black currants. 5IBU, 4.1% ABV. Wow! What a great beer. Huuuuuuge nose, sweet and sour smelling. It both tasted and smelled a bit like Warheads candies, as my cousin pointed out (I could not quite place the flavor, but as soon as she said it I knew she was right), with a great tart, slightly fruity beer that was not nearly as sweet as it smelled. The black currant came through well, as did the citrus. The best beer I had there, and really the best beer I had other than the Troegs Hop Knife. Despite its very low ABV, I do not think this is quite a session beer, if only because of the very intense flavor.
"Billy" Half Stack IPA: This juggernaut of an IPA has a stone fruit, citrus and dank hop profile that is insanely drinkable. 88IBU, 6.6% ABV. Very little nose, but what there was smelled entirely of hops. The hops carried over into the flavor, with a good citrus note. The aftertaste is actually very pleasant, a rarity, and despite its high IBU number, it was very drinkable.
"Dean" PNW Mahogany Ale: A crisp, spicy and dry malt back bone featuring Pacific North West hops. This mahogany colored ale has a notably resiny, piney and citrus hoppiness that will put hair on even a lumberjacks chest! 73IBU, 6.0% ABV. Huge malt flavor, definitely sweet. I honestly did not write much about this, because I just could not quite decide how I felt. I do not recommend it unless you like super malty beers, but I would not necessarily say do not drink it either.
"John Michael" Dark Lyric Lagrrr!: He's back, in black, and better than ever. With it's (sic) deep dark hue, an abundant hope presence and surprisingly smooth quaffability this beer in black is what we mean when we say, "Lagrrr!" (usually followed by an echoing sinister laughter). 50IBU, 6.0% ABV. Huge malt nose, but less malty flavor than the "Dean." The booze is heavily present in the taste, surprising for a 6% beer. My cousin had the coffee version, and it was much better.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Maine Trip #1
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! This is my favorite time of year, despite my recently acquired aversion to cold, because I absolutely love Christmas. I am, without a doubt, the worst Jew ever, but since I grew up celebrating Christmas in Portland, ME with my step-family, I came to love it not as a religious holiday, but instead as a time to get together with family and friends, exchange gifts, tell stories, and of course, eat lots and lots of great food. This year, in addition to the great food we had at family dinners, I went out and tried a few new places in Portland and the surrounding area. I also hit up an old favorite, Pai Men Miyake, which has become a requirement for my Portland trips over the last year.
*****
First up was Local 188, a fairly high end restaurant that specializes in fresh, local ingredients. Now, before I go any further, in the interest of full disclosure my sister and her boyfriend are both managers there, front and back of the house respectively, and this meal was essentially comped. That said, I did greatly enjoy it, as I had a classic favorite of mine (steak tartare), a classic Maine dish (mussels), and an innovative take on a true Italian classic (gnocchi with lobster).
I started off with a cocktail, the "Bergeron Sidecar," made with house infused vanilla and fig bourbon, Cointreau, and lemon juice. Ordinarily I am not a big cocktail person, preferring either to drink beer or straight spirits, but at my sister's suggestion I went with this, and it was really tasty. The bourbon did not overpower me, nor did it entirely mask the other ingredients, though it was definitely the dominant flavor. I do not know what kind of bourbon they used, but it was at least decent, though I doubt it was tremendously high end. The lemon juice added a nice citrus note to it, but since I have no clue what Cointreau tastes like on its own, I could not tell you whether it added anything. It would probably have been a better option as a pre-dinner drink, but it was fine during the meal as well.
Since I had never been to Local 188 before, despite my sister having worked there for quite some time now, I decided to sample a few different dishes, and they were all successful, though one clearly stood out above the rest. The mussels in red sauce were incredible, perfectly cooked (and cleaned, which even in a restaurant is no small measure of success) and delicious. They are plump, juicy, slightly briny delights that on their own would have been delicious, but when served in the incredible red sauce were legitimately delectable, one of the best dishes I have ever had in a restaurant. I have no clue what they put in the sauce other than that it is tomato based, and according to my sister Moroccan inspired, but my lord, it is delicious. I ended up using the endless supply of bread my sister kept grabbing for us (also really good) to sop up all the sauce, because there was no way I was letting any of it go to waste. Everything else could have been terrible, and this dish would have made going there worth it.
Next up were the gnocchi, which threw me for a bit of a loop. I am used to, and partial to, light, pillow-y, but deceptively dense gnocchi, which soak up sauces and provide just a little bit of a bite, that perfect al dente. These were definitely not that; they were absurdly light on the inside, but because they are pan seared, they have a little bit of crispness to the outside. They were extremely flavorful, and the lobster cream sauce they are served in is great, with a pretty significant amount of lobster piled on top of the gnocchi. All in all, I liked this, but it definitely was unlike any gnocchi dish I've ever had, and I think I would have liked it even more if they were not seared. That said, it is nice to see a restaurant do something a little different, and the sear was perfect on each of them.
The final dish, the steak tartare, was both awesome and disappointing. The steak itself was perfect, uniformly diced and formed beautifully into a classic disc, with capers and truffle oil mixed in that gave it the perfect saltiness and umami flavor to go with the clearly high quality steak. My issue, however, was the quail egg on top; rather than serve it traditionally, with a raw egg yolk on top, they fried the whole egg sunny side up; this created a textural and process issue for me, as I neither enjoyed the texture of the fried white or having to cut through it while trying to get a bit of the egg with the steak. Soft egg on top of malleable steak does not cut easily or cleanly. Additionally, who is eating steak tartare, but has an issue with raw egg? I would rather have just had the steak itself and no egg on top, because the steak itself was amazing, but that egg was incredibly disappointing.
Overall, I had a great experience, I really enjoyed my food, and I look forward to going back in the future to try some more things. The paella gets raves from the variety of people I know who have tried it.
Local 188 is relatively vegetarian and gluten-intolerant friendly, with several items on the menu that are one or both already, and the ability to retrofit some others to meet dietary restrictions.
*****
Saturday, after a delicious lunch at Pai Men, my sister and I took a quick trip up to Freeport, a town best known for the Maine staple L.L. Bean, but also now the home to Maine Beer Company. While they do not offer a brewery tour, they do have a small tap room that overlooks the heart of the brewery. They offer eight beers on tap at a time, and sometimes (including when I was there) have beers that are "Pilot" brews, not offered for sale anywhere else. Offering 5oz and 10oz glasses, or four and eight beer samplers of 5oz pours, you can try an old favorite or some new specialties. I went for the four beer sampler, trying three new-to-me beers, and of course, my all time favorite, the Lunch.
The new beers I tried were Weez (7.2%, American Black Ale), Lil One (9.1%, American Strong Ale), and Pilot 5 (5%, American Lager). The Weez was dark, heavy and very hoppy, but like all of MBC's beers, that hoppiness did not manifest in much bitterness. The Lil One was anything but, an absurdly strong, vibrant ale that even in a 5oz glass nearly knocked me on my ass. I would not want to have more than one of these at a time, but it is very, very good. The Pilot 5 was a nice, light, hoppy lager, and I hope they end up producing it, because I think it would be a great session beer, in a craft world sometimes too crowded by higher ABV offerings. Lastly (and I did save it for last, so I could savor it), the Lunch, that perfect, delightful, hoppily bright and effervescent IPA; as much as I love Ballast Point's Sculpin, Dogfish Head's 90 Minute, or any of the other truly great IPAs I have had in my life, none of them quite match up to Lunch. I keep saying it deserves its own review, and it does, but its so hard to find, and when I do, I end up just drinking it without taking the time to sit down and write a review because it is just so freaking good.
FYI, just down the street a short ways is Maine Distilleries Inc, the producer of Cold River Vodka.
*****
I always try to grab lunch or dinner with one or more of my dad's old friends when I make it up to Maine, people who have been very, very good to me in my life and were dear to him in his, and this trip I was able to make it to brunch with his old friend Doug and his wife Ann, who are some of my favorite people in the world. We tried initially to go to Flatbread, a small chain restaurant that Doug swears by, but they had actually had a small fire that morning and were not opening up until after I needed to leave town, so we ended up at Ri Ra Irish Pub, another small chain that has ten locations throughout the east, plus a new Las Vegas restaurant. Somehow I had never been there, despite their proximity to the Casco Bay Lines terminal, but since they are right next to Flatbread as well, we decided to pop in.
They are definitely a bar heavy restaurant, and with a pretty decent drink selection at that. We were there right around noon, so we ended up, at the suggestion of our waiter, ordering brunch. I had the Irish Benedict, an interesting play on the traditional dish wherein the English muffin is replaced by potato cakes (essentially home fries mashed together and then pan seared) and the Canadian bacon with a large rasher of regular bacon, with house-made Hollandaise on top. It was served with very unremarkable home fries and a thick slice of grilled tomato (a concept from the British Isles that really needs to catch on more here). The food took a long time to come out, but our waiter did come over and apologize for that and offered us some soup, on the house, to make up for it; as it turned out, the food arrived almost immediately after the soup came out, but it was nice of the restaurant (or just him?) to do that, and the soup, a tomato bisque, was pretty decent, though I make it better. The Benedict was quite tasty, albeit kind of difficult to get all the components into one cohesive bite, but that was not a big deal. The potato cakes were tasty, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, just like good home fries would be, and the bacon was cooked just right, as were the poached eggs. I would definitely have it again, or the Lobster Benedict that Doug ordered.
I firmly believe that the average restaurant customer goes in thinking they care primarily about the food, but in reality, people return for the service. With that in mind, and having had some great waiters, waitresses and bartenders in my life, I have to say that the waiter at Ri Ra was one of the best. I initially ordered the Irish Benedict, then immediately changed my mind to the Crab Cakes Benedict, a special for the day, and instead of just letting me get the (slightly) more expensive meal, he informed me that the crab cakes were not something that the restaurant does well, and encouraged me to stick with the Irish version. Not many waiters would do that, and he saved me (and Doug, who was also going to have them) from a poor experience. Combined with his general friendliness and professionalism, I was very, very impressed by him; even if the food had been only mediocre, rather than actually pretty tasty, I probably would still have written a positive review just because of his service.
******
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*****
First up was Local 188, a fairly high end restaurant that specializes in fresh, local ingredients. Now, before I go any further, in the interest of full disclosure my sister and her boyfriend are both managers there, front and back of the house respectively, and this meal was essentially comped. That said, I did greatly enjoy it, as I had a classic favorite of mine (steak tartare), a classic Maine dish (mussels), and an innovative take on a true Italian classic (gnocchi with lobster).
I started off with a cocktail, the "Bergeron Sidecar," made with house infused vanilla and fig bourbon, Cointreau, and lemon juice. Ordinarily I am not a big cocktail person, preferring either to drink beer or straight spirits, but at my sister's suggestion I went with this, and it was really tasty. The bourbon did not overpower me, nor did it entirely mask the other ingredients, though it was definitely the dominant flavor. I do not know what kind of bourbon they used, but it was at least decent, though I doubt it was tremendously high end. The lemon juice added a nice citrus note to it, but since I have no clue what Cointreau tastes like on its own, I could not tell you whether it added anything. It would probably have been a better option as a pre-dinner drink, but it was fine during the meal as well.
Since I had never been to Local 188 before, despite my sister having worked there for quite some time now, I decided to sample a few different dishes, and they were all successful, though one clearly stood out above the rest. The mussels in red sauce were incredible, perfectly cooked (and cleaned, which even in a restaurant is no small measure of success) and delicious. They are plump, juicy, slightly briny delights that on their own would have been delicious, but when served in the incredible red sauce were legitimately delectable, one of the best dishes I have ever had in a restaurant. I have no clue what they put in the sauce other than that it is tomato based, and according to my sister Moroccan inspired, but my lord, it is delicious. I ended up using the endless supply of bread my sister kept grabbing for us (also really good) to sop up all the sauce, because there was no way I was letting any of it go to waste. Everything else could have been terrible, and this dish would have made going there worth it.
Next up were the gnocchi, which threw me for a bit of a loop. I am used to, and partial to, light, pillow-y, but deceptively dense gnocchi, which soak up sauces and provide just a little bit of a bite, that perfect al dente. These were definitely not that; they were absurdly light on the inside, but because they are pan seared, they have a little bit of crispness to the outside. They were extremely flavorful, and the lobster cream sauce they are served in is great, with a pretty significant amount of lobster piled on top of the gnocchi. All in all, I liked this, but it definitely was unlike any gnocchi dish I've ever had, and I think I would have liked it even more if they were not seared. That said, it is nice to see a restaurant do something a little different, and the sear was perfect on each of them.
The final dish, the steak tartare, was both awesome and disappointing. The steak itself was perfect, uniformly diced and formed beautifully into a classic disc, with capers and truffle oil mixed in that gave it the perfect saltiness and umami flavor to go with the clearly high quality steak. My issue, however, was the quail egg on top; rather than serve it traditionally, with a raw egg yolk on top, they fried the whole egg sunny side up; this created a textural and process issue for me, as I neither enjoyed the texture of the fried white or having to cut through it while trying to get a bit of the egg with the steak. Soft egg on top of malleable steak does not cut easily or cleanly. Additionally, who is eating steak tartare, but has an issue with raw egg? I would rather have just had the steak itself and no egg on top, because the steak itself was amazing, but that egg was incredibly disappointing.
Overall, I had a great experience, I really enjoyed my food, and I look forward to going back in the future to try some more things. The paella gets raves from the variety of people I know who have tried it.
Local 188 is relatively vegetarian and gluten-intolerant friendly, with several items on the menu that are one or both already, and the ability to retrofit some others to meet dietary restrictions.
*****
 |
| The heart of the brewery; those tanks are filled with delicious, delicious beer |
 |
| Clockwise from front righ: Pilot 5, Lil One, Lunch, Weez |
FYI, just down the street a short ways is Maine Distilleries Inc, the producer of Cold River Vodka.
*****
I always try to grab lunch or dinner with one or more of my dad's old friends when I make it up to Maine, people who have been very, very good to me in my life and were dear to him in his, and this trip I was able to make it to brunch with his old friend Doug and his wife Ann, who are some of my favorite people in the world. We tried initially to go to Flatbread, a small chain restaurant that Doug swears by, but they had actually had a small fire that morning and were not opening up until after I needed to leave town, so we ended up at Ri Ra Irish Pub, another small chain that has ten locations throughout the east, plus a new Las Vegas restaurant. Somehow I had never been there, despite their proximity to the Casco Bay Lines terminal, but since they are right next to Flatbread as well, we decided to pop in.
They are definitely a bar heavy restaurant, and with a pretty decent drink selection at that. We were there right around noon, so we ended up, at the suggestion of our waiter, ordering brunch. I had the Irish Benedict, an interesting play on the traditional dish wherein the English muffin is replaced by potato cakes (essentially home fries mashed together and then pan seared) and the Canadian bacon with a large rasher of regular bacon, with house-made Hollandaise on top. It was served with very unremarkable home fries and a thick slice of grilled tomato (a concept from the British Isles that really needs to catch on more here). The food took a long time to come out, but our waiter did come over and apologize for that and offered us some soup, on the house, to make up for it; as it turned out, the food arrived almost immediately after the soup came out, but it was nice of the restaurant (or just him?) to do that, and the soup, a tomato bisque, was pretty decent, though I make it better. The Benedict was quite tasty, albeit kind of difficult to get all the components into one cohesive bite, but that was not a big deal. The potato cakes were tasty, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, just like good home fries would be, and the bacon was cooked just right, as were the poached eggs. I would definitely have it again, or the Lobster Benedict that Doug ordered.
I firmly believe that the average restaurant customer goes in thinking they care primarily about the food, but in reality, people return for the service. With that in mind, and having had some great waiters, waitresses and bartenders in my life, I have to say that the waiter at Ri Ra was one of the best. I initially ordered the Irish Benedict, then immediately changed my mind to the Crab Cakes Benedict, a special for the day, and instead of just letting me get the (slightly) more expensive meal, he informed me that the crab cakes were not something that the restaurant does well, and encouraged me to stick with the Irish version. Not many waiters would do that, and he saved me (and Doug, who was also going to have them) from a poor experience. Combined with his general friendliness and professionalism, I was very, very impressed by him; even if the food had been only mediocre, rather than actually pretty tasty, I probably would still have written a positive review just because of his service.
******
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