Dining Review - Hotel St. Germain

We wanted an intimate and formal venue to celebrate our recent engagement so we decided on Hotel St. Germain.

Hotel St. Germain offers a European style dining experience in its Old World Williard Grand Dining Room. An eight course prix fixe menu changes monthly. With a 72 advanced notice Chef Chad Martin will gladly prepare a vegetarian or vegan menu and he did an outstanding job with my meal.

We arrived at 7:00 for our 7:30 p.m. reservation on a recent Thursday evening and were surprised, but delighted, to find we had the entire place to ourselves. At the Butler's suggestion, we enjoyed a cocktail before dinner in the study. There was a fire burning in the study's fireplace and the lights were quite dim, so it was relaxing and romantic and a perfect place to sip champagne.

We eventually moved to the Grand Dining Room and were seated in the window alcove overlooking the ivy-strewn New Orleans-style courtyard. Our small table for two was set with antique Limoges china, fresh lavender roses and a card announcing our arrival in a fancy script - "Curry Dinner Party". There was also an envelope addressed to Robert. Inside was a note from Claire Heyman, the proprietress, extending a warm welcome to her Hotel and bidding us congratulations on our impending nuptials.

I had read that Hotel St. Germain purposefully limits their seating in order to maintain the utmost in quality and level of personal attention to their diners. This proved true on our visit. During the entire evening there were only four couples present, including us.

When Robert arranged in advance for me to receive a vegetarian menu he was also asked to specify his own entree choosing from beef, sea bass or lamb. He chose sea bass. Our white gloved waiter served us at a perfect pace throughout the evening. For our Amuse Bouche, Robert had Caviar and Smoked Salmon with Quail Egg and Creme Fraiche and I had Brie in Puff Pastry with Fig Preserves.

An Amuse Bouche is a single, bite-sized hors d' oeuvre. They differ from an appetizer in that they are not ordered from a menu by patrons, but, when served, are according to the chef's selection alone. They are intended to excite the taste buds and to both prepare the guest for the meal and to offer a glimpse into the chef's approach to cooking. The term is French, literally translated to "mouth amuser" [for bouche = mouth; amuser = to amuse, to please].

Next up was a soup course. The soup was vegetarian friendly so we both enjoyed Wild Mushroom with Leek Tortellini. The soup was thick and rich and a large, tender tortellini floated in the middle filled with creamy leeks. Outstanding!

Our appetizers were Seared Foie Gras with Strawberry, Brioche Crouton, Petite Lettuces with Champagne Vinaigrette and Pecan Dust for Robert and Frisse and Fresh Strawberry Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette and Pecan Dust for me.

That was followed by a seafood course for Robert consisting of 2 Chilled Jumbo Shrimp with a Smoked Tomato and Horseradish Sauce and 2 Chilled Oysters on the Half Shell with Lemon, Cucumber and Fine Herbes. For me this course was the most outstanding. I was served Beluga Lentils with Roasted Cauliflower. What was so amazing is that the lentils tasted salty and popped in my mouth just like caviar and the cauliflower looked and tasted like scallops. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm telling you it tasted like caviar and scallops. It was truly amazing. How Chef Martin pulled this off is beyond me.

For our entrees, which were brought to the table under silver domed plate covers Robert enjoyed Pan Roasted Sea Bass on Zucchini Risotto with Sautéed Lump Crab, Citrus and Tarragon Sauce and I had Roasted Asparagus Spears on Zucchini Risotto. The risotto was perfectly prepared, creamy and rich with a just a slight chewy resistance.

A cheese course followed. We both had Parmigiano Reggiano "Snow" on Julienne Pear, with Aged Balsamic and Honey Crostini. And lastly, for dessert we had Chocolate Dome Cake with Cherry Sauce.

I can't say enough about the level of service we experienced at Hotel St. Germain and the food was very, very good. Our special evening was everything we hoped it would be - intimate, romantic, formal yet comfortable. At the conclusion of our meal we were presented a gold rectangular box tied with a black satin ribbon which was embossed in gold with "Hotel St. Germain". It was filled with a variety of mignardise - Lavender Macaroons, Pistachio Financier with Cherry Medallions which I happily enjoyed with my tea the next morning.

If you're looking for an elegant venue with delicious food for a memorable occasion, I highly recommend Hotel St. Germain.

Product Review - Vegetarian Mushroom Oyster Sauce

My magic ingredient in making fried rice just as good as any take-out joint is Wan Ja Shan's Vegetarian Mushroom Oyster Sauce. Wan Ja Shan's products are available at any Asian grocery market. I shop at Hong Kong Market Place on Walnut at least once a month. They stock many Wan Ja Shan's products including this one. They even carry this in two sizes - 10 ounces and 33.8 ounces. The 10 ounce bottle will only set you back $1.28. This stuff is so good, I'd gladly pay four or five bucks for it. It's a very intense, concentrated sauce so it doesn't take much! A 10 ounce bottle will see you through four or five stir fry or fried rice dinners.

Wan Ja Shan Brewery Co., Ltd. has been around since 1945. Check them out at http://www.wanjashan.com/. In addition to their various soy sauces, vinegars and marinades they produce an all organic product line including; soy sauce, tamari, wheat-free tamari and teriyaki.

Get yourself a bottle of this amazing sauce, chop up your veggies, fire up your wok and say goodbye to Chinese take-out fried rice forever!

What's for Dinner? -- BBQ 'Chicken' Quesadillas

I'm not doing a great job of blogging once a week. I guess that is kinda obvious. Someone suggested that I just write about what I fix for dinner. Heck, that's easy enough, so I will give that a shot the next few days/weeks.

One night this week I made Barbequed "Chicken" Quesadillas and they were a real winner with Robert. It was a very fast dinner to get on the table, probably took me 20 minutes from beginning to end.

I like Morningstar Farms products for the most part. The Chick-N-Strips are a staple in my freezer. I thawed out a handful in the microwave and then diced them up into small cubes and placed them in a bowl. I poured my favorite bbq sauce on them -I happen to like good ol' Kraft's Slow Simmered Mesquite Smoke. While they sat around and soaked up the sauce, I switched to preparing the rest of the quesadilla fillings.

I took a handful of frozen corn and thawed it in the microwave. I sliced 4-5 green onions including the green tops and grated some jalapeno jack cheese. That's all there was to the quesadilla filling. I find that quesadillas are better when there are only one or two main ingredients and not a whole bunch of different vegetables competing. In this case I wanted a sweet and smoky quesadilla highlighted by the bbq'd 'chicken' and the corn.

For a side dish, I cut a zucchini into large dices and sauteed it briefly in canola oil. I opened a can of black beans, draining and rinsing. To the zucchini I added garlic, cumin powder and coarse black pepper. When the squash was just barely tender I added the beans and adjusted the spices.

When I cook canned beans I almost always work in a fresh vegetable or two. Just another clever way to ensure your family is eating their share of veggies! Diced eggplant is great with chick peas, leeks with navy beans, kale or other greens with butter beans, tomatoes with green beans, carrots with black eye peas, etc..

Lastly I opened a package of whole wheat flour tortillas - another staple in my kitchen and started assembling the quesadillas by layering the cheese, 'chicken', corn and green onion. I browned and crisped them in a frying pan with just a drizzle of canola oil.

While they were cooking, I made a quick salad with mixed greens, avocado, tomato and broccoli. I always try and include at least one cruciferous veggie in our salads. Try alternating broccoli, cauliflower, broccoflower, rapini or even thinly shaved brussels sprouts in your salads. They are chocked full of vitamin C, fiber and potent anti-cancer properties!

It only took a minute to plate everything and we enjoyed a filling, tasty and fast week night dinner. So, what's been on YOUR dinner plate lately? Drop me an e-mail and let me know your own fast, week night dinner ideas!

Hello 2009! Dining Review: Bolla

Happy New Year! I hope however you chose to ring in 2009 - whether it was a quiet stay-at-home evening or a loud and raucous 'party till you drop' gathering that it was a happy and memorable one for you and yours.

Our Eve was quiet but our New Year's Day was full of celebration. One fun thing we did was explore the recently revamped Stoneleigh Hotel. If you haven't revisited this historic Dallas landmark since its re-do, you need to put it high on your list of "must sees" this year.

I'm a longtime fan of the Stoneleigh, and must admit that over the years I spent many an evening in the lobby's Lion's Den bar. Wow, are those days long gone and the dark, almost cave-like Lion's Den a thing of the past!

Entering the Stoneleigh we were greeted by a sparkling-sleek new lobby bar and a light-filled gallery of a restaurant. Maybe it was the time of day, but the sun was streaming into the lobby and everything dazzled and glimmered to the point that I barely felt like I was in the Stoneleigh.

We made our way to Bolla, the hotel's signature restaurant where we were warmly welcomed and immediately seated side-by-side at a cozy banquette. We were presented our menus, water glasses were filled, and a cup of coffee was brought for Robert. We reviewed the menu, and reviewed the menu, and reviewed the menu and reviewed the menu some more. The restaurant was not busy; maybe only six or seven tables were occupied. There was a whirlwind of wait staff activity all around us, just not on us.

There were dedicated coffee pourers, water glass attendants, and champagne servers in addition to wait staff. All the other tables were being waited on hand and foot, and there we sat. And sat, and sat, and sat. At one point, I told Robert to look at his watch so we could time how long it took for us to be waited on. Eventually, a waiter approached our table. He said, "Madam, I cannot help but admire your beautiful necklace. I used to live in Santa Fe, and your necklace looks like it was purchased there. It is simply stunning." To which I replied, "Thank you very much!" Then he said, "And how, may I ask, are you enjoying your visit to Bolla?" I said, "Well, quite honestly, no one will wait on us and we're trying to figure out why not."

At that point, he profusely apologized and summoned the host who had seated us. Long story short, there had been a miscommunication between the host and the wait staff and each waiter thought the other waiter was taking care of us. Once all that got sorted out, and more apologies offered, we were treated like a king and queen. We were immediately offered our choice of unlimited champagne, mimosas or prosecco 'on the house'. Since Bolla touts itself as "modern Italian", prosecco was the obvious choice, and they kept it flowing freely.

When I announced that I was a vegetarian, the waiter told me that the chef would happily accommodate whatever I wanted. I thought that would be the case because I was well aware that Bolla is helmed by Chef David Bull. Bull came to the Stoneleigh from the Driskill in Austin. Since I have experienced one of my "Top 5 Most Memorable Meals" at the Driskill several years ago, I knew I was in capable hands.

We were presented with two breads - a chewy black olive loaf and ciabatta, the ever popular Italian white bread. With the bread came garlic butter. The butter, which is a rare indulgence for me, was obviously freshly whipped with tiny slivers of garlic folded in. The garlic was subtle enough that it did not compete with the olives in the olive loaf and when spread on the blank canvas of the ciabatta bread, it was the perfect match.

We were then presented with a bowl of lentils, aptly prepared without meat, and perfectly cooked 'al dente'. Lentils are the traditional legume that rings in the New Year in Italy. So when it Rome, do as the Romans - we eagerly devoured our lentils and used the convenient ciabatta to soak up every drop.

For our first course, we shared the Roasted Beet Salad with Warm Camembert and Amaretto Creme Fraiche. The beets were carved into cylinders and the salad was built vertically. A trendy, but still viable, presentation, especially for a salad of this nature. In a word - YUM.

For our main course we opted for Panini's, instead of traditional brunch fare although we were equally tempted by the Steel Cut Oatmeal with Roasted Grapes and Brown Sugar and Hash Brown Potato Pancakes with Cream Fraiche and Fresh Chives.

Robert ordered a Panini from the menu with roasted turkey, fontina, bacon, sprouts and lemon aioli. The waiter had Chef Bull prepare a special vegetarian Panini for me with roasted vegetables complete with a slightly spicy avocado spread. Robert's Panini came with pommes frites and mine with roasted tomato slices. How Chef Bull knew that roasted tomatoes are one of my favorite sides is beyond me, but they were a perfect and healthy accompaniment to my perfectly toasted Panini sandwich. I'd be lying, however, if I said I didn't steal my share of frites from Robert's plate!

All in all, our visit to Bolla was a very nice one. The ambiance is superb and the staff, once they realized they needed to wait on us, went above and beyond ensuring our meal was tailored to our dietary needs.

After brunch our bellies were full so we took our time strolling through the lobby and down to the spa area where we were given separate tours of the women's and men's facilities. On our way out, we were given a 25% off coupon for any spa service. I guess I know where I'll book our next massages!

I hope 2009 is all you wish it to be and I encourage you to revisit the Stoneleigh ,and Bolla, in the New Year!