For our Valentine's dinner, Brian and I headed East to Concord. I had been to this restaurant once before about a year ago for a business dinner and remember thinking that Brian would enjoy the menu. I made the reservation via OpenTable.com, which was very easy to do, as it showed me available times to choose from and sent me a confirmation e-mail.
As our date approached, I realized that I had to find a dress that still fits. It's not that I've gained all that much weight, but rather where I've gained it. I was hoping to keep my weight gain limited to the belly area (one of those "all baby" pregnancies), but it seems that I've added quite a bit of insulation up top, as well. Luckily, I was able to squeeze into a flirty red sundress that Brian gave me a few years ago. Sadly, though, it is likely the last time I will wear it until late Summer, as it was quite tight up top. Coupled with a cashmere cardigan and a pink & red scarf, I was ready to go. For those of you who know Brian, it may come as a surprise that on occasion he will actually wear not just long pants, but a tie, too! In this case, he even donned a suit jacket. Now that's true love.
We arrived just a few minutes ahead of our 8 p.m. reservation on Friday night. The hostess seated us right away in a quite large round booth scattered with leather pillows. The lights were low and most other tables were filled. Soft music - you could hear the words, but not too loud - was playing. Quite romantic. Our server was with us within moments and took our drink and water orders. We always ask for no ice, and later she told us she had set aside a pitcher just for us when we made the request. Nice touch. We ordered our drinks and settled in to browse the menu.
A lot looked good, but I didn't want to eat too much, as I seem to be needing smaller, more frequent meals lately. So, I ordered the house salad, which was a bed of mixed greens with generous strips of sundried tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese, pine nuts and a light, tasty dressing. The salad was dressed perfectly - not drenched as one usually finds - just enough to carry flavor throughout and not encounter any undressed bits. I happily ate every bite. The potato leek soup was tempting, but I knew it would be too much for me. That said, having recently read Julie and Julia, I have been itching to try Julia Child's recipe from The Art of French Cooking.
Brian ordered the duck breast small plate, which came beautifully presented and cooked. The breast itself was seared with peppercorn on the outside and tender rare on the inside, sliced into about 5-6 pieces and fanned over a pool of maple cherry reduction, topped with a generous piece of perfectly ripe brie. At this point, I believe he was finally sure that all the dressing up was worthwhile. I've never heard him make noises like that over restaurant food. He said he wanted to eat it slowly to savor the wonder of it all, and later professed that he may like duck even better than steak. That's quite an admission from a guy so in love with beef. He generously offered me a taste (actually, more than once), but I only took a small piece, not wanting to limit what was clearly a transcendent experience for him.
For entrees, we both opted for the strip steak, which came with buttered escarole (perhaps a little too buttered, but very tasty) and wonderful truffle tater tots - yes, that's right, tater tots! We just had to have them. The tater tots were crispy and not oily on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside (almost like how a truly perfect gnocchi should be, but I'll save that rant for another post). Very nicely seasoned, it was almost as if the filling was piped directly into the frying oil. Beautiful way to take a simple child's menu item like a tater tot and make it truly adult and refined.
On to the steaks. I ordered medium rare and Brian ordered rare. This is a good strategy for us, as I cannot usually finish all of mine and will have Brian eat it, taking some of his home for leftovers. Reheating is only successful if you have truly rare steak to work with. Again, we were not disappointed, though I don't think anything will come close to Brian's duck experience for a long time. Frequently being disappointed with the results at other restaurants, we were pleased to see that these folks knew what rare and medium rare were all about. We got exactly what we ordered. The meat itself was very well marbled and tender, with lots of flavor. I don't think it was seasoned with anything but salt and pepper, and we were very happy about that, as the rich flavor of these cuts of beef didn't need much else other than being cooked properly.
We opted to skip any dessert, as the meal was quite filling. Our server was attentive and friendly throughout the meal. Our food and drinks arrived on time and we never had to ask for water refills - she was there with our "special carafe" before our glasses were empty.
All in all, I couldn't have asked for a nicer experience. We're eager to go back again - well worth the 20-minute drive, and just as satisfying as any downtown restaurant without the parking hassle. When I can drink wine again, I want to try out their special prices on Monday nights. Check out their Web site JohnPalmers.com.
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You got lucky. Have been there 3 times. The 1st time was enough. The 2nd and 3rd time had to go as the group I was with chose the restaurant. In summary, just because a restaurant looks in appearance like a fine dining restaurant, and charges exorbitant prices like fine dining, doesn't mean you will get top notch fine dining food. Would suggest trying Bistro 185 (better food, lower price), or Gavi's (similar price but food worth it). Don't sit at the patio either during the summer or you'll be smothered by cigarette smoke from the cooks sitting on the curbs in the rear parking lot. Do they wash their hands before going back in the kitchen???
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