3/20/2010 Crush

we had 7:15pm reservations and we got there just after 7. again getting there we drove through an area of town neither matt nor i had been in. crush really isn't that far away from rovers. in fact we enjoyed a drive through the arboretum on the way home. like tilth, crush is based in an older home. once inside there were 4 (6?) tables to the left, 4 - or 2 depending on config) to the right, along with the bar and open to the kitchen. there appeared to be tables upstairs, too. i saw servers laden with plates going up and down, but i don't know if that was 'general public' or 'private dining room' type of thing. while the food is great, the decor modern, you won't have a romantic table for 2 - your sweetie won't be able to hear those sweet nothing you whisper in her ear. the place is loud, but that's the way it is with these older buildings.


we're perusing the menu and there are a lot of items that look very tasty indeed. there is a 6 course tasting menu - the "Crush 6", and the "Grand Tasting Menu" either have a choice of 2 wine pairings; the 'normal' or the 'Cellar Reserve'. by all means, if you decide to dine here and have either tasting menu, save up another month and take the cellar reserve pairing. it can be pricey but it was well worth it.

i was impressed with our server for 2 reasons. 1- when taking our order - we all chose the Grand Tasting Menu which turned out to be 11 courses, 12 if you count the amuse bouche - she asked  if anyone was allergic to anything- me for coconut, and 2- (actually these happened in reverser order) when she 1st showed up at the table if we had any other plans for the night for the pacing of the meal. and this was before she knew we had planned on being gluttonous piggies.

bread and butter, of course












Amuse Bouche:

"cheesy poofs" - little cheese puffs with chives and cheese. OMG they were fantastic. so light!

our 1st wine showed up just after the bread and butter, but it was soon followed by the amuse bouche. it was Veuve Cliquot Champagne

1st course: Bacon and Eggs

Parsnip Flan, Smoked Salmon Caviar, Bourbon Bliss


very nice. the flan was great, but salmon roe i find too salty so i let matt finish mine off.

2nd course: Japanese Hon Hamachi Crudo

Pickled Hedgehogs, Fennel Preserved Lemon, Olives

no animals were harmed in this dish - those are mushrooms :-)

 









 
it was just before this course that chef came over to our table. i saw him coming and i thought it was a nice thing for him to come over to say 'hi'. as it turns out his sommelier was given the night off or something like that, so he was going to fill in that role for us. he specifically wanted to serve us a particular wine, but when he pulled it out of the cellar a little while back they were so tightly packed he shredded part of the label, and when he pulled it out for us the rest of it got shredded. so he was offering us a choice of having it or going with something else. but he did bring us the cork.










3rd course: Cold Carrot Soup

Spring Nantes Carrot Soup & Geoduck Ceviche, Mint, Ginger, Chile

i'm not a huge carrot fan, and i didn't want the extra carrot pieces that were in the soup, but otherwise this was quite tasty

4th course: Handrolled Potato Gnocchi

Butter Poached Laughing Bird Shrimp with Gruyere Cheese

WOW. absolutely fantastic. when you go, order this dish.


























5th course: Roasted Alaskan Halibut

Salsify, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Bloomsdale Spinach, Pickled Fiddlehead Fern

and pickled it is. whoa. but quite tasty with the halibut.

6th course: Foie Gras



his - Hudson Valley Foie Gras Torchon, Brioche, Spiced Pears, Meyer Lemon

served cool

hers - Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras, ALmond Financiers, Cranberry-Verjus Sauce

served hot

we all played nice and shared so everyone could try both. the torchon was nice, i liked it. however - holly look out, this one rivaled yours!

course 7:  Palette Cleanser

Meyer Lemon Sorbet












course 8: Duck



Crispy Skin Muscovy Duck Breast, Sassafrass, Heirloom Farro, Cippolinis, Kumquats

this was my least favorite. i can't speak for the others, but mine was tough and chewy. good flavor though.

course 9: Ribs

Painted Hills Beef Shortribs, Buttered Root Vegetables, Cabernet Sauce

WOW. melt in your mouth tender!

our shredded bottle to the left, a couple views of the cork below

way cool decanter with chef pouring

chef jason wilson in the kitchen

                                      course 10: Artisan Cheeses

top: Blue du Vercors Sassenage, mild blue, French Alps, aged 8 weeks

middle L to R: Tomme Crayeuse, Soft, French & Swiss Blend, cow & sheep's milk; Roux des Carnes Farmstead, Delicate & Firm, Belgian, 3 month aged, raw sheep's milk

bottom: Maritchas Fromagerie Val D'arve, Buttery & nutty, wine rubbed, Swiss, 10 month cave-aged cow's milk

course 11: First Dessert, Coffee

his - Bourbon Pecan Pie, Cranberries, Maple Bacon ice Cream, Bacon Brittle

hers - Meyer Lemon-Ginger Mascarpone Cheesecake, Blood Orange Compote, Ginger Cookie, Douglas Fir Sorbet

again we all shared. yes i grew up in texas but no, i have never liked pecan pie. and while i'm sure it was good if you're a fan, i chose to stay with the cheesecake which was just awesome.

course 12: Mignardise

top left: Pistachio White Chocolate Amaretto, Chocolate Cherry Cordial, Chocolate Mocha Caramel

middle: Coconut White Chocolate Cookie, Chocolate Mint

bottom: Chocolate Peanut Butter

not realizing it was coconut until...too late :-( at least it was only 1/2 of the cookie. but i'm sure if Chef had looked over and seen my face as i tried to get that bite down my throat he might've thought i was being poisoned LOL. the others were all quite nice. in fact i would've really enjoyed them if i hadn't been totally stuffed. 

we had 12 courses, 10 wines from 7:00 - 11:00. so more courses, more different wines*, and less time than dinner at the Herbfarm. Geez. we should've taken a cab there and back. 

*the Herbfarm serves 7 different wines with dinner from start to finish, but they do a 'european pouring' which means you can refill your glass as much as you can keep drinking it and not appear so inebriated. otherwise they will stop pouring. at crush we had a single, standard pour with each wine.