I decided on the 4 course tasting menu, a weekly tuesday special for $25.
The menu consisted of a fancy cesar salad, roasted tomato soup with a goat cheese creme fraiche, grilled flank steak served with asparagus and hominy and a dessert of brownie and cardamon/cinnamon ice cream. All this for $25, quite the steal considering most entrees are between $18-$25. Even the $9 merlot was wonderful.
Plate score: 8
Black pearl located across the street from Izakaya has always boasted best brunch in America by Bon Appetit magazine. Too bad that magazine discontinued it's service last year, but i was still determined to give it my own review for dinner. The open air dining room was perfect, with temps in the low 70s and a light breeze. I went with the grilled cesar salad, the smokey char on the romaine leaves added an extra depth of flavor not usually seen on a traditional cesar. My roommate ordered the "tuna napolean" which was beautifully presented. A ring mold was used to create a circular stack of chopped avocado, fresh tuna and cucumber served with a large chili spiced tortilla chip. We both agreed that it could have used a little bit more acid, but was nevertheless quite happy with the delivered product. For our main courses, i went with the pan seared sea bass, curried israeli cous cous and steamed bok choy. The dish was amazing, i can't remember the last time I had a truly hot and delicious meal. The fish was flaky and the flavors of curry, coconut and lemongrass were delicately infused into the al dente cous cous. I was worried that the curry would be overwhelming but rather it was a nice balance to the fish. My roommate went with the risotto cake trio, 3 crisp cakes filled with mushroom, leek and asparagus risotto served atop a bed of spicy arugula.
Plate score: 9.5
We ended the night at little man ice cream: Mocha Chocolate chip. Enough said :)
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