I was very fortunate to be selected to attend a dinner with fellow food bloggers at David Burke’s Fishtail thanks to FoodBuzz (and Visa Signature).
(I plan on providing a review as I would any other restaurant and try to not consider the fact that it was free and I won the opportunity.)
One nice thing about being with other bloggers, there was no need to apologize for pulling out our cameras or using our flash. We also hardly had to ask before taking our forks and digging into each other’s plates to sample the dishes.
My first glance around impressed me with the decor. It was quite eclectic and in some ways whimsical, but overall, it had an interesting touch that seemed to be a compilation of things that the decorator just happened to like.
Our drink selection was a red, a white, or a “signature cocktail.” I’m still not sure what it was, but it was delicious and STRONG. It tasted like a combination of a mojito and a gin and soda.
The passed hors d’oeuvres began immediately and our waiters were understanding enough to pause for photo-ops. (In fact, our waiters throughout the meal were very impressive and attentive).
My first sample was asparagus wrapped in prosciutto.
The bread they served was a pretzel like croissant roll that was absolutely delicious. Not quite BLT popovers delicious, but worth sampling. The other passed apps included California Rolls (average), mini tuna sliders (delish even with the wasabi, which I’m not a huge fan of!), chicken wrapped escargot (waste of escargot, tasted only like chicken), and oysters with ginger (?) roe. The stand-out, however, was the lobster dumpling (center). Perfection.
The one appetizer I couldn’t try, the spicy tuna tacos (allergic to peppers), was also one of the prettiest. It sounded as though others enjoyed.
The menu provided us with the appetizer options of:
Dry Roasted Angry Mussels- chili oil, basil and lemon
Pretzel Crusted Crabcake- confit orange and poppyseed honey
Warm Octopus- hearts of celery, avocado, and lemon garlic aioli
Due to my allergy, my only option was the Octopus. It was good, but I just think the chewiness of octopus is not for me. Flavors were great, however, and the avocado was probably the best I’ve ever tasted.
I did manage to get a pic of the Angry Mussels, however, the pretzel crabcakes were across the table so you’ll just have to take my word for the fact that they looked scrumptious.
Our entree selection was:
Roasted Branzino- asian mushroom vinaigrette
Pan Roasted Wild Salmon- braised bok choy and two curries
Pan Roasted Diver Scallops- sweet corn and lobster risotto and citrus butter
While branzino has quickly become one of my favorite fishes, I love scallops all too much to pass them up. Add the words lobster, risotto, and citrus and there was just no contest. Luckily, the friendliness of my fellow food bloggers allowed everyone at the table to sample from each other.
The branzino was a whole fish and it was phenomenal. Cooked perfectly and great balance of flavors that didn’t overpower the fish but added to it.
My scallops were very good and I enjoyed the risotto, although I wish there was more flavor to the entire dish.
The salmon was really good as far as salmon goes.
My biggest concern when looking at the menu was dessert. They all sounded amazing and I had no idea how I was going to choose just one. Luckily, they provided us with a sampler of ALL of the desserts:
Peaches & Cream- white chocolate pudding, georgia peaches and strawberry sugar wafers
Chocolate Caramel Cake- chocolate mousse, “cracker jacks,” and peanut butter ice cream
“Can o’ Cake”- molten chocolate cake with all the fixins
David Burke’s Cheesecake Lollipops- raspberries and bubble gum whipped cream
The cheesecake lollipops came out first, and apparently they are a signature of David Burke. They were VERY good and the waiter was nice enough to wrap some up for me to bring home to the very deserving Mike.
The peaches and cream was my least favorite. It was just bland to me. I love peaches but I think they need to be warm and in some conjunction with butter, brown sugar, or cinnamon.
The chocolate caramel cake was pretty good, but the cracker jacks nearly pulled out my teeth (though they tasted great). The peanut butter ice cream was Oh.My.Goodness. Good. It was so flavorful and so delicious and seemed to be everyone’s favorite part.
The “can o’ cake” was a pretty big undertaking. It required quite a bit of prep and wound up being served by the spoonful with what tasted like sesame bits on it. Now I LOVE molten chocolate cake, but this just didn’t have the complete “wow” factor I was hoping for.
The pièce de résistance (count it… three French words I had to look up how to spell), however, was the food lovers dream, in my opinion. Beaters covered in chocolaty goodness. This put me very near heaven. There is something just so nostalgic and wonderful about licking something gooey straight off a beater.
The perfect way to end the meal.
Overall, I think the dining experience itself (and getting to dine with kindred spirits) slightly outshined the food. While it was good, it wasn’t great. If you go in there and order the lobster dumplings, branzino, and the peanut butter ice cream, you’d be absolutely thrilled with a fabulous meal. I noticed that they have “crispy artichokes” as a side on the menu (we didn’t get to try, much to my dismay), and with that added I think it would be a close to perfect meal.
Total Nom Points: 7 out of 10
Another THANK YOU to FoodBuzz for making this happen. It was a great experience. I do wish they introduced us to each other as I felt a bit settled in my small table so I’m not sure who else was there. I also think that the chef stopped in, however, I could only guess from overhearing bits of conversation. I would have loved to hear a word or two from him!
To check out the other blogger’s takes on our evening, check out these blogs:
High/Low Food/Drink
Zen Can Cook
Blondie & Brownie
Chez What?
Eating the World in NYC
Little Girl Big Appetite
Midtown Lunch
The Pink Spoon
Taste As You Go
