The Left Bank
Tonight little bro & I had dinner at The Left Bank - the only 4 star* restaurant on OBX. It was completely phenomenal. This is the same restaurant where cooking school weekend took place in April. You have the choice of the chef’s tasting menu, which is 7 courses and it’s all plotted out for you, or the 3 course menu where you have 4-5 options to choose from on each course. We both went with the tasting menu. Go big or go home. :) I’ll be completely honest - it wasn’t cheap, but this isn’t also the type of place you’re hitting every Friday night, and it was worth every penny. (And I actually dropped more on my own at dinner at Morimoto’s in Philly, so it was a deal.)
At the end of the evening, I asked if I could get a xerox copy of the tasting menu, as I definitely wanted a copy to take home for the Insane Chef. Apparently this is a very common request, as we were handed two copies, rolled up and tied with a ribbon.
Tasting menus are great, because if they’re done right, you end up with a ton of courses, but all are portioned just right and when you’re done with dinner, you’re happily full - no worries of getting halfway through and thinking, “I can’t eat anymore.” Everything was awesome, and as Donald said as we started, “I think I will lose count of how many things I’ve never eaten before.”
Cold Parsnip Soup - Came in a little demitasse cup and was so yummy. Tasted more like a corn/onion puree to me than anything, but incredibly good. I instictively went for my spoon, and the server assured us that, no, just go ahead and drink it from the cup. I still think they were trying to see if they could make us abandon our spoons…
Salmon Carpaccio - Salmon with salmon roe and a bit of herbed creme fraiche. Superb. I’ve never had raw salmon before, and I will definitely have it again given the chance.
Chilled Tomato Gazpacho - Had blue crab and an edible cucumber blossom in it to boot. Outstanding. The cucmber blossom was new for me - it had the flower and part of the stem - crunchy with just a little “cucumberness” to it. Really, you just can’t go wrong with chilled soups in the summer.
Black Cod over Crab Risotto - I’d never had black cod before, and this was fantastic. It still had the skin on and I’m not sure exactly what they did to it, but it was nice and crispy and had none of the oiliness that you might think of as far as fish-skin goes. The risotto was completely decadent.
Veal Tenderloin over Beluga Lentils - I love veal, end of story, so you can’t really go wrong there. SO good. The bordelaise sauce and the lentils and wilted arugula with it just went perfectly.
Cheese & Figs - Some sweet/candied figs and a somewhat bitter-ish cheese, which we quickly figured out that you’re supposed to eat together. Holy crap, the two of them together were absolutely wonderful. I know that fruit & cheese are supposed to go together, but I’ve never been able to figure out *which* fruits & cheeses go together. Nice to have someone else figure it out for me.
Berry Blossom & Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream - The ice cream is self explanatory and was great - and I really don’t much like strawberries *in* things - just give me a plate of fresh ones and I’m happy. The “berry blossom” was a layer of blueberries, a cheesecake type layer, a chocolate cookie shaped like a flower, more cheesecake-y goodness, another cookie and then a blueberry on top. Awesome.
Then the coffee/cordial menu came around. I got the espresso martini - Godiva dark, Bailey’s, Stoli Vanilla, a shot of espresso, and 3** coffee beans. Tasted just like a coffee milkshake.
All in all, the best meal I have had in a very long time - if you’re ever down there and have a few bucks to drop on a spectacular dinner, DO IT.
* - I can’t remember who does the ratings, but 4 is very rare.
** - We learned last night at Meridian that per Italian tradition w/Sambuca, an odd number of beans means you’re welcome to come back, an even number, not so much…
Originally posted at CafeChatNoir.net.
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