Here it is, my last flashback. I truly saved the best for last. This was perhaps one of the best meals I have ever had. Simply delicious from start to finish. Standing ovation for Chef Neal Frasier.As previously mentioned, I review the menu prior to visiting the restaurant. Most menus are posted on the website or on http://www.menupages.com/. Everything looked so appetizing, I just could not decide. So, I had to revisit the menu when I arrived at the restaurant.
One of the more interesting items on the menu is boar. On the web site, there is a picture of the boar chops. I have to admit, they looked very good. Also, I'm a wannabe foodie. Foodies are culinary adventurers. In the end, I decided that I needed to take baby steps. The key word was WANNABE. Next time, I might try the boar. Because there will be a next time. But, I'll get to that in a minute.
For my first course, I had the red wattle pork belly with purple sticky rice and roasted fig. Pork belly is everywhere. I've noticed it on quite a few menus. Again, my parents are from the South, so I've had my fair share of pork. However, I'm not really a huge fan of all types of pork. I hate bacon. I will eat pancetta and prosciutto though. Other ham, no thank you. Pork chops, eh. love Pork loin, yes. But, I suspect I enjoy cooking it more than eating it. My pork aversion aside, I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Verdict: the pork belly was very tasty. It took me a minute to adjust to the texture. After my first bite, I had not yet decided if I liked it or not. Soon, as I took in all of the components of the dish, I really enjoyed it. Pork has an element of sweetness. The purple rice with the fig complemented and heightened that aspect of the pork. It was unlike any pork dish I have had ever eaten in the past. The texture is hard to describe. It was fatty, yet throughout there were nice tender pieces of pork. Different, yet familiar.
When it was time to order my entree, I vacillated between the pork shanks and boar. Considering my first course and the season, I felt braised pork shanks were too heavy. Boar? Do I really want to eat boar? I thought about the first Top Chef episode and their exotic protein challenge. Boar was the winning dish (and the losing one). Bourdain went on to extol the greatness of wild boar. Blah, blah, blah. In the end, I decided it was another pig. So, I nixed it. Oh, but that was just the regular menu. I forgot about the specials. There were quite a few specials. I noticed sand dabs. I haven't had sand dabs in quite some time. I recall fishing trips when I was a girl and coming home with loads of them. They are delicious little fish. But then, Bourdain popped back in my head. He mentioned that restaurants have specials on Tuesday and Wednesdays because they are trying to get rid of fish. So, it's not that fresh and one should avoid ordering fish on Wednesday. *sigh* In the end, I decided on steak. That's not exciting, but hey. I ordered the NY Steak with bleu cheese ravioli. OH MY GOODNESS! That dish was freaking awesome! Most know that steak and bleu cheese complement one another quite well. On occasion, I have cooked steak with a bleu cheese filling. However, I never thought about a ravioli. I ordered the steak medium, and it came out perfectly cooked. It was tender and juicy. Next to the steak were a few perfect pasta pillows filled with a fine bleu cheese. The two flavors were beyond divine. I'm sure a "mmmm" escaped from my lips as I ate. All the while, I was thinking, THIS is food.
Although, I wanted to eat every bit of food on my plate, I refrained. Why? Three words: Donut Shoppe Wednesday. The reason I decided to dine at Grace on Wednesday night is because of donut shoppe night. Every Wednesday, the pastry chef presents an array of gourmet donuts. I had a selection of five donuts and two ice creams. I cannot remember all of the donuts. I recall a tiramisu, meyer lemon, butter brown sugar, and butterscotch. The ice cream flavors were vanilla and pecan rum caramel. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. My favs were the pecan rum caramel ice cream. It was really delicious. I'm a big fan of ice cream with nuts. The sweetness with a hint of saltiness and crunch is always nice. I'm also a big fan of rum. So, I was in heaven. All of the donuts were light, fresh, and delectable. However, the standout for me was the meyer lemon donut. Meyer lemons is a favorite of many chefs. Since I usually try to stay clear of citrus(allergies), this is my first time experiencing meyer lemon. Native to China, the meyer lemon is widely grown in California. They look alot like a lime, and flavorwise they are a cross between an orange and lemon. The donut was delightfully sweet with a hint of tartness. It was so good. The flavor was memorable. I soon realized why chefs love meyer lemons.
If one can fall in love with a restaurant, consider me smitten. I enjoyed everything about Grace. I cannot wait to go back. My long list of restaurants to visit is the only thing preventing me from taking up residence in the restaurant. Honestly, I went to sleep dreaming about the meal. In case you missed it, I highly recommend Grace. It is a bit expensive. However, the portions are extremely large and it is worth every penny.
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