First off, I'd like to apologize for the snarkiness of my Scene and Heard thing in the SNR this week. It's not extreme, but there is a low-level snark. It's pretty easy to default to if you're pressed for deadline.
Second, I guess Knock Knock is playing tonight at Old I? I had no idea. They are playing with Agent Ribbons and Dog Party.
Third, I had a superb meal last night. As Die Antwoord would say, it was some next level shit. Ella is having this deal that MH clued me in to that is pretty unbelievable. In fact, I didn't believe it until the bill came. Through the month of March, they are offering a weekly menu of dinner for two with a bottle of wine for fifty bucks!!! All of the upcoming menus sound scrumptious (you can read about them next week in the SNR), but if you can make it today or tomorrow I strongly advise it. Oh yeah, and I didn't notice it on the menu, so you have to know to ask for it.
The dinner is an entree and a side served family-style, so DKK and I ordered an appetizer off the menu. Roasted bone marrow still in the bone topped with parsley, capers and onions. We pried it out and slathered it on buttered toast points.
If there ever was a time to use the word unctuous, this would be it.
I forgot to take a picture of the wine that the sommelier paired with the meal, but it's the 2007 Glatzer gruner veltliner. Delicious. The entree this week is crispy skate wing in brown butter, also with capers. What catapulted this dish into the stratosphere? Those celery leaves you see strewn about the top. I love celery, and I love bitter notes in food. I am going to steal this idea for flavoring. The texture of the skate was also really nice, with crispy bits.
Here's the whole shebang, including potatoes Lyonnaise. This was just one of my servings. This was a lot of food.
We still had room to split one light dessert so we got the Asian pear with ginger sorbet. Just one of the top ten desserts of my life. No big deal for Ella apparently. So smooth, interspersed with pleasant pear graininess. The ginger was subtle, it was mostly just the perfect essence of pear.
And then there's the general elegance and comfort of the restaurant. The total for this whole beautiful night was 47 bucks each. And if money is tight, you could definitely skip an appetizer. Go tonight! Or tomorrow! Or sometime this month for sure.
if you "fan" the Selland Family Restaurants on facebook, they post a lot of "fan deals" - including this one at Ella. They've also had a lot of specialty cocktails that you have to know to ask.
ReplyDeleteI love the Huber Gruner Veltliner! It's the house wine at Castle d'Amour Gentile.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up Madeline, the sellands version of the dinner is only 25 bucks and comes with your option of beer or wine.
ReplyDeleteAs a non wine drinker that always makes me happy.
I may have to hit that up.
-Natalie.
Didn't seem to snarky, but I've never heard the term "chuffed" before. Did you make it up?
ReplyDeleteNo, it's British. To be pleased with yourself. Proud of yourself.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really say anything positive about the new venue and I bagged on the beer. I guess they just had that specific beer because of something to do with beer week. Hopefully they'll get something more quaffable in the future.
thanks for the tip! is there some catch, like weekdays only?
ReplyDeleteIt's Monday through Friday (including Friday nights!)
ReplyDelete-mh
Um.. we're Americans Becky. The Queens english was booted out in 1776!! ( But then it's not, right!)
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, bagging on the Rubicon is really a responsibility of any good citizen concerned with brew. They aught to know they just brew headaches in a keg!!
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmarrow! That was truly one of the best appetizers I've ever had, and as you showed, the presentation was beautiful. Way nicer preso than my sweet, old Hungarian grandma handing me a spoon and plunking a bone into my bowl.
ReplyDeleteMH, that wine was awesome! Is it also at Taylor's or Corti's?
And, Becky's right about that pear and ginger sorbet - the ginger gives it a nice kick. They've had it on the menu pretty consistently for awhile, so I'd urge folks to give it a try.
DKK
Actually I think Ella is the only one in town that has it right now. Try the Hiedler Gruner Veltliner at Taylor's!
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