CincyEats

Last week was Do Downtown week. It’s a great time try new restaurants or go someplace special. We decided to hit up The Palace (located in the Cincinnatian Hotel) on Friday night. This was the first time that we participated in Do Downtown week, so we really had no idea what to expect except 3 course for $35.00.

Our dinner started off a little on the wrong foot, but please bear with with me because it ended so perfectly.  As we were waiting to be seated about 5 couples lined up behind us; at this point I had an idea that the restaurant was going to be busy.  We were expecting to have a leisurely meal so we didn’t think much of it at first. It wasn’t until we had been seated, pretty much decided what we wanted to eat and still hadn’t receive our bottle of wine that we started to worry. At this point Jess says “If the wine isn’t here by 8:30 we are leaving”. Harsh, maybe, but we were  seated at eight and getting a little edgy. Like magic the maitre’d appeared with our wonderful bottle of Gigondas and informs us “sometimes you can be busier than you should be.” Which was our thought exactly.

Now that we had some wine things started to run a lot smoother. We finally ordered our meal and instead of doing the 3 for 35.00 we decided to order off their regular menu which is 3 for 44.00. Our decision was based on the fact that we each had a menu item speak to us. For me it was an appetizer of squid ink pasta with shrimp that happened to be the best thing we ate all night. It is one of those dished that could bring a tear to your eyes.  The sauce was light, silky and buttery which went perfectly with the pasta that tasted of the sea. The shrimp had a nice bite but were not over cooked.

Now you might think I am talking about our first course too much, but we really enjoyed it. Jess had gazpacho, which I can tell you he can’t get enough of this summer. The Palace’s was absolutely splendid.  It was velvety in the mouth. The flavor was fresh with cucumber, but balanced well with the acidity of the tomatoes. The smoothness of the soup was lovely that, combined with the island of heirloom tomatoes that were floating in the middle of the bowl, added just the right freshness and taste.

This is where we strayed from the menu and added a course. You have to understand that it is nearly impossible for us to pass up foie gras, if we see it we have to have it. There are not many things better than a little foie gras and a glass of sauterne. Unfortunately The Palace was lacking in the sauterne department, having only one half bottle on their list and at $250.00 it was a little out of our price range.  At this moment the maitre’d really helped us out. He brought a couple of alternatives to the table and we ended up with a nice muscat that worked very well with the richness of the foie gras.  The foie gras was seared, topped with scallions and bean sprouts, then served with crushed pistachios, sautéed fennel and pear on the side. Individually each of the components was delightful. Together they balanced each other very perfectly.

Dinner made a slight dip when it came to the entrees. They were not bad, but at the same time they were nothing to write home to mom about. I had what I would consider a decontructed ceasar. Poached chicken and a ceaser dressing like sauce, braised romaine with chicken and white anchovie jus.

Jess had pig three ways, nut (can’t remember what kind) crusted tenderloin, smoked pork belly, and pulled shoulder. As you get to know him you will understand why this could possibly be his perfect dish. Unfortunately he is not a fan of the mesquite the belly turned out to be smoked with. The tenderloin was cooked well and the shoulder was tender, but nothing was overly memorable.

Now dessert brings us back to the good times. You well probably never hear a bad word from us about Chef Summer (we don’t know her but we feel like we should be on first name basis). We have been a fan of her’s going back to Pho Paris when we had her desserts for the first time. This night was no different.  I don’t remember the name of my dessert, but we will call it peach goodness.  There were three different preperations of peaches. The bottom was roasted, wrapped in a crepe, surrounded by bruleed phyllo. On top of that was  peach that reminded me of peaches in syrup I would’ve eaten as a child, but more fancy. That was topped with a sugar cookie, fresh peaches and homemade ginger ice cream.  Utterly delectable! What better time of year than late summer for a peach dessert?  I ate it from bottom to top because I love crepes.  The roasting brought out the sweetness of the peaches.  The ginger ice cream was a fantastic match to the fresh peaches on top. The crunchiness of the cookie paired wonderfully with the softness of the cooked peaches.  To top it all off it couldn’t be any prettier!

I actually didn’t taste Jess’s dessert, we’re still working on his sharing skills, I will cut and paste from The Palace menu: PISTACHIO FINANCIER toasted pistachio cake with warm gooey crème brulee center sweet and sour cherries and morello cherry sorbet. To his credit I ordered the same dish a few months back at a friend’s birthday and honestly didn’t want to share, but I did out of the goodness of my heart. I can say that the menu discribes the dish perfectly.

Over all we had a wonderful meal. If you do the math their normal 3 for 44.00 is good deal. It is perfect for a special occasion, which, for us, happened to be our 5 monthiversary. No, we are not normally cheesy like that, but we try at times.