The Pirogue Grille is a very comfortable space finished with exposed brick, woods, and metalwork. Local artwork adds a splash of color to the welcoming neutral color palate.
I was anxious to return to North Dakota, knowing I had reservations for another fine dining experience at Pirogue Grill. The very talented chefs continue to impress using a hands-on approach to their incredible creations in the kitchen. Nothing is pre-made. Everything is fresh & homemade. Quality is found across their seasonally changing menu.
I sipped a perfect Belvedere martini, slightly dirty, as I studied the new menu. I quickly determined it would be difficult to make my choice from the tantalizing options. Again, the only negative I experienced this evening were the pimento stuffed olives in my martini. This is easy to overlook considering the experience that followed.
I started with the BBQ Rabbit – tender morsels of rabbit in a BBQ sauce of ketchup, root beer, onion, ginger, brown sugar + a couple of secret ingredients (I was told) rested on a dense but moist wild rice and potato pancake. The plate was garnished with bits of dried apricot and green onion. Yumm!
The first soup I tried was the Roasted Corn and Bison – a delicious veggie based thick stock loaded with roasted corn, tidbits of grilled bison, carrot and onion.
My second soup was the Wild Asparagus – a smooth puree of grilled wild asparagus in a veggie based stock and garnished with bits of grilled asparagus. Fantastic!
For dinner, I ordered the Sautéed Sea Scallops with Fenugreek Curry Cream sauce – the four perfectly sautéed scallops swam in an incredible, light sauce of fenugreek, garlic, curry, lemon juice and cream. Sides of steamed yellow peppers, spinach & broccoli and a mound of fluffy jasmine rice rounded out this over-the-top entrée. Fenugreek seeds are roasted & ground on premise. Fenugreek leaves are one of the world's oldest medicinal herbs. The small stony fenugreek seeds come from the pod of a bean-like plant grown in Egypt, England, India, & the Mediterranean. The ground seeds are aromatic and have a burnt sugar-like flavor, often used in curries.
I discreetly caught the remaining scrumptious sauce with pieces of fresh bread served with the meal. I know this is not appropriate, but the sauce was too good to leave behind. Oh yes, Pirogue scores major points for serving soft butter with their homemade bread. It is so disappointing to try to spread a chuck of chilled butter over a piece of warm, soft bread!
It was now time for dessert – a wonderful wedge of Citrus Honey Custard tart. The very smooth custard was accented with fresh lemon and lime juice. This slice of decadence had a generous drizzle of homemade caramel sauce. I enjoyed a cup of Italian Roast coffee with my final course. Believe me, I had room for no more!
Derrick, our refined and very friendly server, added to this fantastic culinary experience. His knowledge of the menu and the dishes’ preparation was impressive. I hope he is on staff when I return for another meal near the end of the year.
Pirogue has been serving incredible cuisine for a short 3+ years, but it has made an impressive mark. Gourmet Magazine (October 2007) named Pirogue Grille as one of “The 100 Best Farm-to-Table Restaurants in America.” I repeat, Pirogue is probably the best fine dining experience in Bismarck.
Pirogue Grill. . . a “Big City” dining experience found on the plains of North Dakota!
Link to prior Pirogue Grill post
Mmm, Mmm, Mmm…
PirogueGrille.com
$$
+++++
✦✦✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
Showing posts with label Steaks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steaks. Show all posts
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Thursday, December 04, 2008
AL ARGENTINO STEAKHOUSE – Amsterdam
Al Argentino is located on a tiny side street (Zeedijk 29A) two blocks from Dam Square in central Amsterdam. The street is so narrow that 5 bikers could not ride side by side in the same direction. A short 5-minute walk down Damrak from Centraal Station (train station) takes you to this square bustling with locals and tourists. The square was created in the 13th century when a dam was built around the Amstel River to prevent the Zuiderzee Sea from flooding the city. Hence the name Amsterdam. In Dam Square and on the surrounding streets, there are food stalls, restaurants and shops galore, as well as the Amsterdam Diamond center.
The steakhouse has a western ambiance with stressed barn wood, wagon wheels, hides, and wooden tables & chairs. The long narrow dining space has a few tables near the front, a tiny bar that may seat 4 or 5, a partially open kitchen and another small dining space at the rear. Aah, the aroma of the grill caused my tasted buds to jump in anticipation of a great steak dinner.
I began with a hot appetizer – the Empandas de Carne (meat pastries). The 2 piping hot, flaky puffs were filled with minced steak, onion, kalamata olives and a touch of dried red pepper. These tasty puffs arrived resting shredded carrots and red cabbage. Excellent!
For dinner, I ordered Bife de Chorizo (sirloin steak). The slightly charred steak was grilled to perfection and crusted with minced garlic and black pepper. I ordered a side of the Chimmichurri sauce; it did not have enough parsley and garlic and too much onion, red & green pepper for me. The Seasoned Rice was long grain white rice exploding with the flavors of paprika, onion, cumin and flecks of red pepper. I could not resist a side of the Maiz a la Parrilla (grilled corn). The “caramelized” smoky corncob came with melted butter for dipping. A fantastic meal for $29 EUR or approximately $36 USD (food only).
Al Argentino features a short but nice list of wines and liquors from Argentina.
It was very sexy to hear Mathieus, my stunning & very friendly Dutch server, describe the Argentinean dishes. While I was dining, I heard Swedish, German, Chinese, Spanish, English and obviously Dutch – international diners in a very cosmopolitan city. The background music was a relaxing blend of Spanish and English singers.
Walking through the streets surrounding Dam Square, I was surprised by the number of Argentinean and Indonesian restaurants. It seemed like there was one on every block. This is one Argentinean eatery you should not pass by!
Mmm, Mmm…
$$$
++++
✦✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
The steakhouse has a western ambiance with stressed barn wood, wagon wheels, hides, and wooden tables & chairs. The long narrow dining space has a few tables near the front, a tiny bar that may seat 4 or 5, a partially open kitchen and another small dining space at the rear. Aah, the aroma of the grill caused my tasted buds to jump in anticipation of a great steak dinner.
I began with a hot appetizer – the Empandas de Carne (meat pastries). The 2 piping hot, flaky puffs were filled with minced steak, onion, kalamata olives and a touch of dried red pepper. These tasty puffs arrived resting shredded carrots and red cabbage. Excellent!
For dinner, I ordered Bife de Chorizo (sirloin steak). The slightly charred steak was grilled to perfection and crusted with minced garlic and black pepper. I ordered a side of the Chimmichurri sauce; it did not have enough parsley and garlic and too much onion, red & green pepper for me. The Seasoned Rice was long grain white rice exploding with the flavors of paprika, onion, cumin and flecks of red pepper. I could not resist a side of the Maiz a la Parrilla (grilled corn). The “caramelized” smoky corncob came with melted butter for dipping. A fantastic meal for $29 EUR or approximately $36 USD (food only).
Al Argentino features a short but nice list of wines and liquors from Argentina.
It was very sexy to hear Mathieus, my stunning & very friendly Dutch server, describe the Argentinean dishes. While I was dining, I heard Swedish, German, Chinese, Spanish, English and obviously Dutch – international diners in a very cosmopolitan city. The background music was a relaxing blend of Spanish and English singers.
Walking through the streets surrounding Dam Square, I was surprised by the number of Argentinean and Indonesian restaurants. It seemed like there was one on every block. This is one Argentinean eatery you should not pass by!
Mmm, Mmm…
$$$
++++
✦✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
Saturday, December 08, 2007
PIROGUE GRILLE – Bismarck
The Pirogue Grille is a very comfortable space finished with exposed brick, woods, and metalwork. Artwork adds a splash of color to the neutral, welcoming color palate.
My evening was off to a good start when I found 20 creative choices on the martini list. I chose one of my favorites - the Grey Goose dirty martini. I sipped my libation as I perused the eclectic menu featuring duck, bison, homemade venison sausage, rabbit & walleye. I was disappointed to find inexpensive olives in, my otherwise, perfect martini. For my second, I requested olive juice only. The rest of the evening was flawless.
My start to this incredible meal was the homemade venison sausage with grainy mustard and a sweet potato relish/salad. The course ground sausage was delicious. The side of diced sweet potato relish was an unexpected, interesting treat.
Throughout the meal our fantastic server, Kristina, ensured our bread basket was filled with warm, wheat rolls with flax seeds. Soft butter is served with the homemade rolls at Pirogue. This, alone, is a huge satisfier for me! There is nothing more disappointing than attempting to spread cold butter across a warm roll.
For my entrée, I selected the North Dakota raised NY strip steak. The strip was grilled to perfection – slightly charred with a pink center… so tender you could use your butter knife. On the menu, the steak was offered with a sauce. I prefer my steak without a sauce. A side of creamy, buttermilk mashed potatoes with a hint of dill arrived with the steak. Yumm!
The Chocolate Pate with fresh raspberry sauce was my choice for dessert. The smooth, rich slices of deep dark chocolate drizzled with a slightly tart raspberry sauce was decadence at its best.
A treat arrives with your dinner check... a small bowl of homemade caramel popcorn. There are seconds for those who ask; I did. Sweet, crunchy and delicious!
Pirogue has been around for 2 short years, but it has made its mark. Gourmet Magazine (October 2007) named Pirogue Grille as one of “The 100 Best Farm-to-Table Restaurants in America.” Pirogue is probably the best fine dining experience in Bismarck. I never expected to find such a wonderful surprise hiding in the middle of North Dakota!
Link to additional Priogue Grill post
Mmm, Mmm, Mmm…
PirogueGrille.com
$$$$
+++++
✦✦✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
My evening was off to a good start when I found 20 creative choices on the martini list. I chose one of my favorites - the Grey Goose dirty martini. I sipped my libation as I perused the eclectic menu featuring duck, bison, homemade venison sausage, rabbit & walleye. I was disappointed to find inexpensive olives in, my otherwise, perfect martini. For my second, I requested olive juice only. The rest of the evening was flawless.
My start to this incredible meal was the homemade venison sausage with grainy mustard and a sweet potato relish/salad. The course ground sausage was delicious. The side of diced sweet potato relish was an unexpected, interesting treat.
Throughout the meal our fantastic server, Kristina, ensured our bread basket was filled with warm, wheat rolls with flax seeds. Soft butter is served with the homemade rolls at Pirogue. This, alone, is a huge satisfier for me! There is nothing more disappointing than attempting to spread cold butter across a warm roll.
For my entrée, I selected the North Dakota raised NY strip steak. The strip was grilled to perfection – slightly charred with a pink center… so tender you could use your butter knife. On the menu, the steak was offered with a sauce. I prefer my steak without a sauce. A side of creamy, buttermilk mashed potatoes with a hint of dill arrived with the steak. Yumm!
The Chocolate Pate with fresh raspberry sauce was my choice for dessert. The smooth, rich slices of deep dark chocolate drizzled with a slightly tart raspberry sauce was decadence at its best.
A treat arrives with your dinner check... a small bowl of homemade caramel popcorn. There are seconds for those who ask; I did. Sweet, crunchy and delicious!
Pirogue has been around for 2 short years, but it has made its mark. Gourmet Magazine (October 2007) named Pirogue Grille as one of “The 100 Best Farm-to-Table Restaurants in America.” Pirogue is probably the best fine dining experience in Bismarck. I never expected to find such a wonderful surprise hiding in the middle of North Dakota!
Link to additional Priogue Grill post
Mmm, Mmm, Mmm…
PirogueGrille.com
$$$$
+++++
✦✦✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
Monday, May 28, 2007
PRIMEHOUSE - Chicago
As we were driving through Chicago, I made a comment that I craved “a really great steak.” 2 days later, Tony and I are walking into The PRIMEHOUSE – located in downtown Chicago within the James Hotel. David Burke's Primehouse is a contemporary steakhouse with meats from the Creekstone Farms in Kentucky. The superb beef is dry-aged on premise in a salt-tiled aging room.
We began our dining event with martinis. Isn’t this the appropriate libation when reviewing an incredible menu? Unable to narrow our selection to 1 or 2 choices, we choose to share several selections.
Our first appetizer was the gazpacho. This soup of the day contained the freshest garden vegetables imaginable, including tomatoes, celery, scallions, peppers, cucumber and garlic. The surprise was a mound of succulent chopped crab placed in the center of the soup at the table just prior to serving – slightly chilled. Fantastic!
Our second appetizer was the Surf & Turf Dumplings. These golf-balled sized nuggets exploded with intense, unique flavors. The surf was Lobster Mousse dumplings with a delicately seasoned lemon chive butter. Our turf was Braised Short rib dumplings served with a smoky, slightly sweet barbeque dipping sauce. Both variations of dumplings were wrapped in very thin pasta, resembling a “lollipop.” Delicious.
Yes, we ordered a third appetizer. The indescribable Kobe Beef Sashimi was sprinkled with coarse ground Himalayan salt and mushroom chips. The very thin slices of beef were drizzled with a truffle mayo – unbelievable! This appetizer was the ultimate; it left us wanting more. I highly recommend this as an option for anyone who loves beef.
Before the steak arrived, Tony ordered an amazing bottle of red from California off their extensive wine list. Unfortunately, I can not remember the vineyard.
It was now time for our entrée. We ordered the Kansas City Sirloin; this 14 ounce steak (excluding the bone) was aged for 38 days. This terrific cut had the right amount of marble and was cooked to perfection. No knife necessary to cut the steak into bite size pieces. If that was not enough, we had an 8 ounce lobster tail added to the plate. The very fresh, sweet lobster tail was the ideal size for the 2 of us.
We selected the quick-grilled asparagus drizzled with lemon as our veggie. A fresh, light side for an amazing meal.
I don’t know how we could have had any room left for dessert, but we ordered the Reverse Root Beer Float. This refreshing choice for dessert offered surprises – the root beer flavor was in the ice cream and the vanilla in the soda. The float was served in a tall, chilled glass – 2 spoons required.
The staff was friendly; our server was outstanding. She offered great suggestions and maintained perfect timing of our evening. Flawless!
This was simply one of the finest dining experiences I have had. Period.
Mmm, Mmm, Mmm
http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/primehouse/index.php
$$$$
+++++
✦✦✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
We began our dining event with martinis. Isn’t this the appropriate libation when reviewing an incredible menu? Unable to narrow our selection to 1 or 2 choices, we choose to share several selections.
Our first appetizer was the gazpacho. This soup of the day contained the freshest garden vegetables imaginable, including tomatoes, celery, scallions, peppers, cucumber and garlic. The surprise was a mound of succulent chopped crab placed in the center of the soup at the table just prior to serving – slightly chilled. Fantastic!
Our second appetizer was the Surf & Turf Dumplings. These golf-balled sized nuggets exploded with intense, unique flavors. The surf was Lobster Mousse dumplings with a delicately seasoned lemon chive butter. Our turf was Braised Short rib dumplings served with a smoky, slightly sweet barbeque dipping sauce. Both variations of dumplings were wrapped in very thin pasta, resembling a “lollipop.” Delicious.
Yes, we ordered a third appetizer. The indescribable Kobe Beef Sashimi was sprinkled with coarse ground Himalayan salt and mushroom chips. The very thin slices of beef were drizzled with a truffle mayo – unbelievable! This appetizer was the ultimate; it left us wanting more. I highly recommend this as an option for anyone who loves beef.
Before the steak arrived, Tony ordered an amazing bottle of red from California off their extensive wine list. Unfortunately, I can not remember the vineyard.
It was now time for our entrée. We ordered the Kansas City Sirloin; this 14 ounce steak (excluding the bone) was aged for 38 days. This terrific cut had the right amount of marble and was cooked to perfection. No knife necessary to cut the steak into bite size pieces. If that was not enough, we had an 8 ounce lobster tail added to the plate. The very fresh, sweet lobster tail was the ideal size for the 2 of us.
We selected the quick-grilled asparagus drizzled with lemon as our veggie. A fresh, light side for an amazing meal.
I don’t know how we could have had any room left for dessert, but we ordered the Reverse Root Beer Float. This refreshing choice for dessert offered surprises – the root beer flavor was in the ice cream and the vanilla in the soda. The float was served in a tall, chilled glass – 2 spoons required.
The staff was friendly; our server was outstanding. She offered great suggestions and maintained perfect timing of our evening. Flawless!
This was simply one of the finest dining experiences I have had. Period.
Mmm, Mmm, Mmm
http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/primehouse/index.php
$$$$
+++++
✦✦✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
Thursday, October 26, 2006
ROSSI'S STEAKHOUSE - Minneapolis
Rossi's Steakhouse is located in the lower level of a new multi-purpose building in downtown Minneapolis. Upon entering Rossi's, you feel like you have entered a private club - well appointed and quiet.
For lunch, I had the Martini Burger. It is a very large burger of high quality beef with vermouth sautéed green olives wrapped in a blanket of Swiss cheese on a pumpernickel rye bun. The burger was perfectly cooked, slightly charred on the edges. The green olives provided an interesting contrast to the thick slice of Swiss. The overly buttered bun was too small for the burger and toppings, making this finger food somewhat cumbersome to eat. The golden brown french fries served on the side were piping hot. Lukewarm fries can easily ruin a meal; this won't happen at Rossi's! The small side of cole slaw had a nice chunky texture, but was too sweet for my taste buds.
Rossi's Steak Seasoning (dry) found on each table adds a fantastic zing to both the fries and burger! Serving tiny bottles of soda (approx 6 oz) is a bit pretentious for me. Order the ice water with lemon - free refills.
The service was adequate and friendly. The dining room was 60% occupied at 12:30; once the order for our table of six was placed, it took 26 minutes for the food to arrive. The food was hot - the wait was not.
Mmm...
www.rossissteakhouse.com
$$
+++
✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
For lunch, I had the Martini Burger. It is a very large burger of high quality beef with vermouth sautéed green olives wrapped in a blanket of Swiss cheese on a pumpernickel rye bun. The burger was perfectly cooked, slightly charred on the edges. The green olives provided an interesting contrast to the thick slice of Swiss. The overly buttered bun was too small for the burger and toppings, making this finger food somewhat cumbersome to eat. The golden brown french fries served on the side were piping hot. Lukewarm fries can easily ruin a meal; this won't happen at Rossi's! The small side of cole slaw had a nice chunky texture, but was too sweet for my taste buds.
Rossi's Steak Seasoning (dry) found on each table adds a fantastic zing to both the fries and burger! Serving tiny bottles of soda (approx 6 oz) is a bit pretentious for me. Order the ice water with lemon - free refills.
The service was adequate and friendly. The dining room was 60% occupied at 12:30; once the order for our table of six was placed, it took 26 minutes for the food to arrive. The food was hot - the wait was not.
Mmm...
www.rossissteakhouse.com
$$
+++
✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
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