2/24/2010 Cafe Juanita

last november there was a party at CJ for a few people to watch the premiere of The Next Iron Chef. one of the gals who made it possible was now friend annie. during the party annie drank water and ate 1 lemon cracker. that was it. matt teased her all night along with urging her to at least try some of the food but she wouldn't. i found out she still had not been there so when i made reservations in feb i made sure she could come along. and yay for us she did, along with her boyfriend jake.

we basically ordered for the table except for our entrees and aperitivi. i'm hoping annie will jump in with some comments below to add to the commentary as this was her first dining experience here.


Pear Brandy Sidecar with Fried Rabbit Livers

The Bread Plate

House Smoked Sablefish with Frisee, Cara Cara Oranges and Toasted Horseradich Vinaigrette

Alaskan King Crab with Green Apple Sorbetto and Crab Butter Powder

correction, make that 'extra' butter powder. you can't even see what's under it! LOL - see previous posts for what it looks like without all the extra. but we learned on Valentine's Day that the butter powder gets dropped when we split this dish so i asked for extra so we'd all be sure to have some.

Darby 'Chaos' for dinner. it's red and yummy.

Seared Foie Gras with Pink Lady Apple, Candied Ginger and Cocoa Nibs

Always a favorite, but i think the apple pairing is my least favorite of the offerings we've had with this.

Zuppa della Sera. Chef Holly's famous Parm. Reg. brodo with a few noodles and wagyu thrown in this time.

Silk Handkerchief over Lamb Sugo and Housemade Ricotta.

we had this on my 3yr dinner, where it was a special, and i'm thrilled to see it make it onto the menu.

Tagliatelle with Sweet Grass Farms Ragu Bolognese

earlier in the day annie tweets over 'i can't wait to try all the pastas!' she wasn't disappointed. some in the soup, the handkerchief, this dish, and she also has

the Rabbit Agnolotti dal Plin with Sage Butter for her entree.

she was in heaven

Sweet Gras Farms "Macelleria Taglio" Risotto

this looks a bit well, not so appetizing, as have a number of her risottos, but man they are yummy! that's a balsamic on top

Tagliata of Blackmore Wagyu Flatiron Steak with Cippolini Agro Dolce and Gorgonzola

fantastic.

 Spicy Roasted Cauliflower with Pinenuts, Cumin and Lime


i wasn't too hip on this but i don't care for cauliflower. annie said it was good, so it must have been

the special for the night was a Grilled Veal Chop with Sweatbreads, Potatoes and Turnips and Truffle Potato Crema

it was quite yummy.

Piccolli Pasticcini - or 'Cookie Plate'. we read a review a while back of someone who had eaten here and he had nothing good to say. here's what he had to say about dessert:
"Cookie plate? Yuk!" never fear. we all laugh about that guy, and *many* people told him he was way off base with the review he gave.

Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti, Espresso Cookie, Amaretti, Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Bark and Sea Salt Gianduja Chocolate

malted vanilla gelato

little mignardise - an almond cookie