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The Tasting Room
Mar. 10th, 2010 07:54 amLast night, as part of Frederick's Restaurant Week, Eric and I dined at The Tasting Room, one of the several fine dining establishments that line Market Street. It's usually a fairly expensive place to eat, with an equally (very) expensive wine list, so we took advantage of their prix fixe menu of $30.10.
The place is small and they make very good use of all available space. Despite this, it doesn't feel cramped or crowded. There are four TV's on the wall by the bar and, fortunately, none of them have the volume up. I say this because, as a result of the place being small, it soon becomes fairly loud once the place is filled with customers.
We booked a bistro table by the window, giving us a terrific view of the people that were out (it was a beautiful cool evening), including many pet owners. The restaurant is on a street corner in historic downtown and we both commented how our "view" reminded us of both New York and Montreal.
From the moment we walked in, the service was impeccable: incredibly polite and most efficient. Even for a foodie like me, there were terms on the menu I was unfamiliar with, and our server gladly provided assistance.
Here's what we each selected for our respective three-course meals:
ERIC -- Caesar salad, seared Atlantic salmon w/ herbed mashed potatoes and oil-poached tomatoes, dessert cheese selection.
CLAUDE -- Country pâté, veal shank osso buco w/ saffron risotto, chocolate "wonder" cake
As with many such establishments, the amount of food served comes nowhere near the price you pay for it...but, then again, this ain't IHOP. The food portions were small, but the taste: oh my goodness! Everything was fresh and, most importantly for us, hot food was served hot, not warm. Each bite was satisfying and, in the end, we each had enough to eat so that we left the restaurant satiated but not uncomfortably full.
One drawback for the evening: Eric's first choice of dishes, the strip steak, was sold out, and it was only 7 PM. Boo.
I honestly don't think we'll return there to pay full price, but for next year's Restaurant Week, it's a good contender.
The place is small and they make very good use of all available space. Despite this, it doesn't feel cramped or crowded. There are four TV's on the wall by the bar and, fortunately, none of them have the volume up. I say this because, as a result of the place being small, it soon becomes fairly loud once the place is filled with customers.
We booked a bistro table by the window, giving us a terrific view of the people that were out (it was a beautiful cool evening), including many pet owners. The restaurant is on a street corner in historic downtown and we both commented how our "view" reminded us of both New York and Montreal.
From the moment we walked in, the service was impeccable: incredibly polite and most efficient. Even for a foodie like me, there were terms on the menu I was unfamiliar with, and our server gladly provided assistance.
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Here's what we each selected for our respective three-course meals:
ERIC -- Caesar salad, seared Atlantic salmon w/ herbed mashed potatoes and oil-poached tomatoes, dessert cheese selection.
CLAUDE -- Country pâté, veal shank osso buco w/ saffron risotto, chocolate "wonder" cake
As with many such establishments, the amount of food served comes nowhere near the price you pay for it...but, then again, this ain't IHOP. The food portions were small, but the taste: oh my goodness! Everything was fresh and, most importantly for us, hot food was served hot, not warm. Each bite was satisfying and, in the end, we each had enough to eat so that we left the restaurant satiated but not uncomfortably full.
One drawback for the evening: Eric's first choice of dishes, the strip steak, was sold out, and it was only 7 PM. Boo.
I honestly don't think we'll return there to pay full price, but for next year's Restaurant Week, it's a good contender.
