Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Paul Martin's American Bistro - my Food Adventure

I ventured one more time to the local restaurant to find out what makes their dish attractive.  What keeps the guests satisfied and come back.  It was a rainy Sunday.  Wet and cold.  It's a perfect day for hot soup.  Once I stepped into the restaurant, I forgot about the weather.  The place is cozy, warm color coordinated, rustic and romantic at the same time.  There were several large parties, including babies and kids.  While I was deciding on what to order, squash soups for the party across from my table have arrived.   I heard immediate reaction of "wooo!"  then, when their salad arrived, some of the comments are: "This salad is so good.  So fresh.  This place is so good.   I love the taste."  I was going to order the squash soup, too, but when I found out that the fresh market fish - Mahi Mahi is served with grilled squash, I decided on grilled prawns salad.  It was a good choice.
I had mimosa, limosa, salad:  grilled prawns butter lettuce, pt. reyes blue cheese, candied walnuts, apples slices, maple vinaigrette.  Market Fresh Fish - MahiMahi with Pineapple salsa and roasted squash.  Devil’s Food Cake - three layers with rich ganache made from Valrhona chocolate and garnished with sour cherries and whipped cream. 
There was just enough vinaigrette and expounded on the blue cheese.  Apple slices was a good choice to cut that bit of bitterness in the blue cheese and butter lettuce tasted so fresh.  Grilled prawns could use a bit more salt and some kind of spice, but the they were grilled perfectly.
MahiMahi dish was very colorful and delicious to look at.  Placing on top of banana leaf added the tropical flavor.  Glad to have that grilled lemon.  Its juice gave the MahiMahi the boosts.  I felt that MahiMahi is bit bland also.  But since my palate has been in this food adventure, it could be that it has gotten a bit tired.  The pineapple salsa saved the MahiMahi and I would have enjoyed it if there were just a tablespoon more to finish the fish.  As for the grilled squash, I thought it was a bit too chunky for the beautiful Mahi presentation placed on top of beautiful green banana leaf and grilled lemon halves.  Some of them were too chunky and there was not much taste toward  the center - bland.  But nevertheless fresh and beautiful.
I think people love to support local produces and organic products.  They also know who is cooking with fresh ingredients and others from out-of-can.  It was a good lunch experience.

 

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