mmm...snails
i took a culinary walk on the wild side, straight up. i went out for a summerlicious dinner with J on tuesday in our 'hood. we went to Boho, this tiny little place on roncesvalles and it was pretty good. it's quite small; long and narrow and a great burnt orange colour. we saw a glimpse of a patio out back, but nothing more.
for starters, i had the escargots. they were served in a big sort of phyllo pastry bowl with a ton of garlic and a few mushroom slices, but no other adornment or disguise. i mean, the little muscle-y lips that are the snails' mode of transport were clearly identifiable, and i was really grossed out. but they tasted fine, just like garlic. one of them was a bit tough and chewy (he musta been a real goer) but i managed to eat all five and live to tell about it. so put a little checkmark next to 'eat snails' on my to do list. and i think one checkmark will do me just fine, thanks. no need to repeat that experience.
J had the potato leek vichysoisse, which was pretty good but not spectacular. a little bland. for mains, he went with the rainbow trout, and the piece i had was really nice--great citrus taste and it was perfectly cooked. sadly, the same could not be said for my filet mignon--i'd asked for medium and it was way overcooked. also, it was the TINIEST thing ever, maybe not even 5 oz. it was a bit of a bummer, since they filled up the rest of the plate with a giant heap of overly-salty fries. the sweet potato fries that J had were great, seemed way less greasy and salty and had the nice sweet taste of yams. mmm.
dessert brought a tiny brownie with ice cream for J and maple creme brulee with a few blueberries for me. now, i love creme brulee, and the custard part was good, but it was totally ruined by all the pools of unmelted granulated sugar underneath the crust. big thumbs down. J's brownie was moist and tender, but a decent brownie is the very least i would expect from a 2.5 star resto. the service was very capable and unobtrusive, and the meal itself was relatively inexpensive. i will go back, but i'll have to remember to ask for my meat less cooked than i actually want it.
after dinner, we explored the street a bit--there are some really great shops and a couple other restos that look worth a try.
only one more summerlicious dinner to go!
for starters, i had the escargots. they were served in a big sort of phyllo pastry bowl with a ton of garlic and a few mushroom slices, but no other adornment or disguise. i mean, the little muscle-y lips that are the snails' mode of transport were clearly identifiable, and i was really grossed out. but they tasted fine, just like garlic. one of them was a bit tough and chewy (he musta been a real goer) but i managed to eat all five and live to tell about it. so put a little checkmark next to 'eat snails' on my to do list. and i think one checkmark will do me just fine, thanks. no need to repeat that experience.
J had the potato leek vichysoisse, which was pretty good but not spectacular. a little bland. for mains, he went with the rainbow trout, and the piece i had was really nice--great citrus taste and it was perfectly cooked. sadly, the same could not be said for my filet mignon--i'd asked for medium and it was way overcooked. also, it was the TINIEST thing ever, maybe not even 5 oz. it was a bit of a bummer, since they filled up the rest of the plate with a giant heap of overly-salty fries. the sweet potato fries that J had were great, seemed way less greasy and salty and had the nice sweet taste of yams. mmm.
dessert brought a tiny brownie with ice cream for J and maple creme brulee with a few blueberries for me. now, i love creme brulee, and the custard part was good, but it was totally ruined by all the pools of unmelted granulated sugar underneath the crust. big thumbs down. J's brownie was moist and tender, but a decent brownie is the very least i would expect from a 2.5 star resto. the service was very capable and unobtrusive, and the meal itself was relatively inexpensive. i will go back, but i'll have to remember to ask for my meat less cooked than i actually want it.
after dinner, we explored the street a bit--there are some really great shops and a couple other restos that look worth a try.
only one more summerlicious dinner to go!