Monello - November 26, 2015
(I’m catching up. When I do I’m going to put up a post about why I’ve been doing these. I’ll keep up through December, but may take a short hiatus after the New Year, not for any sort of resolution or anything, but to finish up a side project.)
Thanksgiving. A time when families get together to eat and tolerate each other before falling asleep from overstuffing themselves or heading out to brave the masses and do their capitalistic duties by greasing the economic wheels. At least that’s what the narrative generally is.
I have a coworker that heads up to Winnipeg because his family is half the country away and he sees them over Christmas. I have another set of friends that go to a bunch of movies. Lots of friends do local 5Ks. Some friends consider it just another day. Many follow the narrative.
Me? Given my fondness for food, Thanksgiving should be a favorite holiday, and sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.
Lately my family, for a variety of reasons, has eschewed tradition and opted to go the restaurant route when celebrating Thanksgiving. While being with my family is nice, these dining experiences were not. In the future, I’m cooking, and they’re invited.
I used to celebrate with my Sergeants’ families when I was in the Air Force long ago, five years ago I went to Hawaii over the holiday. I used to go to movies, but stopped because I don’t want to support the practice of people needing to work to fill my popcorn instead of being with their families. I’ve never gone out to shop on Black Friday Eve. But this year, for Thanksgiving, I did my first (of hopefully many) 5Ks. I’ve already signed up for another in February. (I’m collecting tips for surviving the cold.)
My “Thanksgiving” meal was the traditional fare, and completely forgettable, so this isn’t about that.
My good friend Kat ended up busy and couldn’t celebrate during the day proper, and I remembered that Monello was open - the advantage(?) of being a hotel restaurant, so I suggested we at least grab some dessert to make the day at least a little eventful.
I hadn’t been to Monello since opening night, long before I was doing detailed write-ups (collage here). I’ll always remember it, because I couldn’t get the wine I wanted because the Rolling Stones were downstairs having a birthday party for Ronnie Wood. That was a good reason and makes it memorable.
I want to go back soon for the tasting menus, but we were going light.
Lamb ribeye, olive oil, salt, and black olive: Even though we weren’t ordering a lot of food, we were treated to this solid amuse bouche.
Torchio with Braised Rabbit, Créme Fraîche & Artichokes: There were a couple of dishes that I had been craving since that first night and thought Kat might want to try too, this was one of them. I’ve probably mentioned it before but rabbit is one of my favorite terrestrial proteins, and I think this dish is an excellent showcase of it. Really good pasta with the right texture and a shape that lends to carrying small bits of the braising liquid, a slight sour and creaminess from the creme fraiche adds excellent balance to it.
Sea Urchin with Smoked Marrow & Apple: I used to think I didn’t like Sea Urchin (Uni) after an experience at a soon to be closed sushi restaurant in town. I thought it was grainy and not entirely pleasant. Then I had this. The presentation has changed since my first experience, but it’s still well executed and very tasty. A nice citrus from the sabayon cuts the marrow, the crispiness of the rose apple contrasts well with the urchins impermanence. I will probably always get this dish.
(Kat’s photograph [it’s a really good shot])
Chocolate Crepe Cake with Passion Fruit, Almonds & Chocolate Gelato: (I’ve emailed the chef asking him to help break this down for me, when he does I’ll update this. Specifically I was wondering where the passion fruit and almonds were incorporated). I will say this is a pretty dessert. I also enjoyed the sugar glass with cacao nibs, the lighter colored gelato, and the smear on the plate.
Caramelized White Chocolate with Hazelnut Mousse, Burnt Honey & Coriander: Wrapped in a hibiscus gel that provided a bit of floral tartness, this was the preferred dessert. I particularly enjoyed the candied hazelnuts, but the contrast of the torn cake and near semifreddo consistency mousse was nice too. I’m not sure the coriander brought enough to the party, but it didn’t detract from the experience.