every bite a delight. this was our first experience with bacchanalia. we went to celebrate my birthday. the prix fixe menu had lots of choices, from safe to adventurous, and we especially appreciated that wines were suggested for each course, taking the guess work out of our selections.
the service was very professional and attentive without being overbearing. we never had to wait for anything or had the feeling we were being watched.
thecheesepuff and cold fennel soup with radish and scallion that the chef sent out as appetizers were absolutely delicious. thecheesepuff was warm and just melted in my mouth, exploding with creamy texture and flavor. the cold sipping soup which followed was refreshing with radish and scallion providing a little bite as well as a tangy surprise finish.
the warm sourdough bread, served with butter, was delicious and almost invisibly replenished as soon as our plate was empty.
for the first course, we both had the blue crab fritter. it was a perfect, golden, crispy globe and the citrus with thai pepper essence that accompanied it brought out the crab flavor without overpowering it. the dry waterbrook riesling, from columbia valley was the perfect accompaniment.
for the second course, i had the wood grilled lamb loin chops with trumpet mushrooms, fava and pole beans, globe artichokes and pickle onions. two thick chops came cooked exactly as i had requested - medium towards medium rare, and accompanied by a little jar of mint honey. the meat was tender, the flavors blended beautifully, and the vegetables were crisp and delectable. the accompanying wine, a louis martini reserve cabernet sauvignon from alexander valley provided just the right contrast and full-bodied flavor for the lamb.
for the salad, i chose arugula with bleu d'auvergne cheese, pickled shallot and candied pecans, an excellent blend of intense sweet , salty and sour flavors to follow the strong flavors of the lamb dish. it was a perfect dish to follow the lamb.
the chef then sent out an intermezzo - a tiny strawberry buttermilk smoothie to cleanse the palate - a blend of sweet/sour to get our mouths ready for dessert. yummy.
i chose the orange souffle with tarragon custard and pistachio florentine. the souffle was perfectly cooked and although i couldn't detect tarragon in the accompanying sauce, i found the flavor delicious. the pistachio florentine was a small crispy lacy cookie on the side that provided a lovely contrast of texture to the souffle. the la serra moscato d'asti from piedmont, italy had just enough bubbles to provide a cleansing contrast to the creamy richness of the souffle and its delicate flavor was just right to complement but not overwhelm the dessert.
my husband had the brown butter poached rhubarb fried pie with honey tangerine float. he said the tangerine float reminded him of the orange and vanilla ice cream treats on a stick we used to get from good humor. but the pie was a bit of a disappointment. the unpleasant taste and smell of the fat used to fry it overwhelmed it.
after dinner, we received two madeleines, a dish containing chocolate truffles, rose water marshmallows and tiny chocolate cookies as well as a tower of caramel cupcakes with a candle on it for my birthday. our appetites were really too satisfied by this point for us to be able to enjoy these treats but the staff graciously offered to box them up so we could take them home.
on the way out, we enjoyed browsing through the eclectic star provisions store and ended up purchasing several items. the evening was altogether delightful. we will definitely return.