It's sad that I'm still doing Restaurant Week shit from almost three weeks ago, but it's really pathetic that I have a good five posts prior to that still needing edited and posted. I'm sure you'll find a way to deal with it, Chubs.
So, our first RW experience was at Dublin Pub, and was mostly assy. For the big-baller event, I wanted to go to Sunrise Cafe. (I always *try* to go The Winds, but am never impressed with their menu.)
Despite the fish offerings, Mr. FvF took one look at Sunrise's menu and he was all, "Ewwwww, that's bourgie. Do not want!" Luckily, my homegirl Carly was into it, so she and I made it a gal-date.
We both ordered the same appetizer - Toasted Sesame Flatbreads with Caramelized Onions, and the same entree - Garlic-Stuffed Wagyu Kobe Sirloin (mid rare), with polenta and roasted carrots. The starter came out quickly and looking great, but it was astonishingly a little too much onion.
Now, considering that I can barely get caramelized onions into recipes because I stand over the stove and eat them with a fork, that's a really bold statement. I will say they were caramelized perfectly, though. Sweet as jam. What I actually liked more was some sort of bacon-infused butter that was in the center of the plate. I ended up scraping off 90% of the onions and smearing it with the pig-buttery goodness, and that took it up a notch. The flatbread was more like a really weak pita, too - not exactly the thin & crispy goodness that I had imagined.
We were both such Motormouth Mabelles that we weren't even halfway through our apps before out entrees were on the table.
The photo doesn't do the steak justice at all. It was beautiful and the chianti-sundried tomato reduction over top of it had a great aroma. It was perfectly cooked, and the garlic stuffed inside it was surprisingly not overwhelming. The only thing I would change is the seasoning. A cut of meat that nice isn't helped by much but a good pinch of salt, but it needed it. The carrots were - well, they were carrots. A bit hard to fuck that up. But, letting them swim in the juices and reduction rendered by the steak dialed them up a notch. I'm not a huge polenta fan, and this wasn't out of the ordinary. It was pretty, but bland. I highly doubt that blending it with ricotta, the Jennifer Aniston of cheeses, helped matters much.
The desserts were both seriously kick ass. I had the chocolate hazelnut flourless torte, which knocked my socks off. It didn't have the sometimes annoying gooey, pudding-like consistency that some flourless treats have. It was dense, rich and so good that I kept eating, regardless of how full I was.
Carly ordered the biggest piece of carrot cake in the Midwest, wearing big gems of candied ginger as a crown. The cream cheese icing was tops, and there were plenty of tiny bits of carrot dotting the body of the cake.
Service was pretty great, too - no complaints. They went up a notch when we realized you could bring your own wine in. They have a somewhat limited wine menu (but at reasonable prices - under $7 a glass), so that's a nice touch. The ambiance is interesting, as with most places in Yellow Springs. Sunrise Cafe is a very quaint, unassuming and tiny restaurant. Older floors and furniture, nifty art on the walls, and the clientele is a mixed bag. Older folks, hipsters, couples - a little bit of everyone, but very comfortable.
THIS is what I'm in the market for when I'm paying $25 for a Restaurant Week meal. No surprises, no tiny portions, and very little of the dumbing-down of dishes that I've witnessed in previous RW week meals.
4.5 out of 5 sporks!
