Archive for July, 2008

Bohanan’s Steak House is located in San Antonio, Texas. I had the opportunity to dine there recently while away from home, and found a very satisfying experience.

You can purchase a high-$20s steak up to the most expensive $135; there’s seafood, some old fashioned favorites (escargot), and a casual yet very professional demeanor to the service and setting. Folks go to Bohanan’s no doubt to relax, enjoy a good meal, and be spoiled by tasty simplicity, knowing everything will be “just so.” Just so, it turns out, is darn good.

I had their “special” carprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, basil, and the typical olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It’s an easy treat to make at home, for sure, and at $15, it seemed overpriced. But you’re also paying for the substantial table, the (again, I know) professional service. And that was one exceptional tomato. It only needed salt, and they thankfully brought me “sea salt” upon request. It wasn’t just Kosher salt, either; it was fleur de sel. Nice touch.

I opted for their pancetta-wrapped diver’s scallops which arrived after some pause. They were perfectly cooked, and served with a perfect size accompaniment of mashed potatoes and bok choy. Substantial, without going overboard. I wasn’t the only pleased one at the table, either. From the appetizers, to the entrées, and the sorbet and excellent bread in between, Bohanan’s has a formula down and hits on all points.

Dessert, shared between three, was appropriate; chocolate is always a fitting dessert: this one featured tiramisù in a chocolate shell. Rich, satisfying, and a fine ending.

I figure people go to Bohanan’s to have an above-average steak, and to be ‘treated’ to a special time. Their food, I felt, was ultimately overpriced. Yet, rarely do you find service that was as well done: not too stuffy, not too much; just right.

This past weekend I had the craving for… soy sauce. I always overdo the chili oil and soy sauce when dining at Full Kee off Horsepen Road in Richmond’s west-end.

But every so often, the taste is both comforting and satisfying.

Several colleagues and I went to a conference this past February, and while all could not make it tonight, I hosted a dinner around the theme of garlic.

Having had such an excellent garlic soup at La Rêve in San Antonio, I tried my hand. I unfortunately needed more potato.

• 20-30 cloves roasted garlic
• one large sweet onion, carmelized with brandy
• vegetable stock
• heavy cream
• one baking potato, riced

After the onion and garlic are prepared, soak them in the broth until the soup comes up to a boil; mix in batches until smooth in the blender with heavy cream, to taste. Return to heat to thicken, adding riced potato.

I reserved garlic cloves for each bowl, and also prepared some spicy garlic croutons. Combine chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, and EVOO in a pan, and toast large bread cubes. Float 2-3 on each bowl of soup.

Next up was the “salad.”

Interleave two colors of tomatoes with sea salt, EVOO, basil, and garlic; between each slice add smoked mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with more EVOO.

Flash sauté the shrimp with EVOO and garlic, add seafood stock, and reduce stock by itself with garlic and balsamic vinegar.

I marinated the shrimp in garlic for 5 hours.

And then the “entrée,” my new take on “Sun Chicken.”

I used a quick-cook polenta, and augmented it with heavy cream and parmesan. It became the bed for each dish.

The chicken gets coated in flour and parmesan cheese, quickly sautéed, and left to warm in the oven. The sauce was composed of:

• oil cured olives
• oven-dried (5 hours) roma tomatoes with garlic
• 1/2 large sweet onion
• broad beans
• white wine
• lemon juice
• basil garnish

It got good reviews. In fact, each person liked one of the different courses best. I thought the chicken was the most successful.

For dessert, something I found in Gourmet magazine, a fruity yet light dessert.

Combine 1-2 mangoes with sugar and lime juice; blend until smooth with 1 cup of heavy cream in the blender. Mix in blueberries and lime zest; store to refrigerate for at least an hour. It’s thick and delicious; very refreshing.

I recently visited San Antonio, TX, and had the great opportunity to visit La Rêve, a French restaurant tucked-away on Pecan St., near the riverwalk area, downtown.

Before I start, I should note that I did not read this review/exposé/article in the NY Times before co-selecting it with a colleague. Had I done so, I would have arrived with higher expectations and anticipation.

La Rêve in French means the “dream” and it was indeed a dreamy dinner. The small restaurant is formal modern, but not in a stuffy or fussy way; rather grown-up, and sophisticated, perhaps. Everything from the great information from the sommelier, to the oven-hot rolls, to the details afforded the service of new silver at each of our 10 courses, was all done exceedingly well. As the Times article suggests, “The Dream” is indeed a significant dining experience.

I opted for their tasting menu with seven official courses and matched wines. I like variety, smaller portions, and I like an expert who can show me what great wine paired with food can do. It’s drama, synergy, and a sum greater than its parts when done right. La Rêve does it right.

• Lobster Ravioli Amuse-Bouche
• Garlic Soup with Morels and Escargot (Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2006)
• Onion Tartin with Chimchurri Crème Canelle (Trimbach Gewurztraminer Cuvee des Seigneur de Ribeaupierre 2000 Alsace)
• Foie Gras with Sour Cherry Broth (Chateau Cantegril 2005 Sautemes)
• Tuna with Wasabi Salad (Siduri Pinot Noir 2006 Santa Lucia Highland)
• Grapefruit and Vermouth Sorbet
• Tilefish in Broth with Clams and Broccolini (Joseph Drouhin Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2004 Burgundy)
• Beef with Purple Potatoes (Chateau Duhart Millon 2004 Pauillac)
• Cheese Course with Honeycomb (Warre’s 1999 LBV Port)
• RockyRoad Dessert (Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Yellow Label)
• Petit-Fors Bite-Sized Desserts

Yes, on top of that, special servings of wines, pepper rolls, Parker House rolls, and sourdough baguette rolls were all to be had with a choice of two excellent butters: one studded with chives, the other aggressively salted with sea salt.

The details afforded to each course, the purity of flavors, and the “just right” richness and harmony of flavors were extraordinary. Add to that that beforementioned synergy with a correctly-paired wine, and we had good things going on, for sure. Among my favorites were the breads, the broth served with the tilefish, the foie gras, and of course, that garlicky canelle served alongside a +6 hour tart of onions. While the rocky-road inspired chocolate-marshmallow wedge was nice, it wasn’t exactly my schtick. But, their mini caramleized crème-brûlée was superb.

This was a dining adventure and one that had few disappointments, save for the reality that the “dream” had to come to an end. So very highly recommended, and of course, I afford it the highest of ratings.