Saturday, May 18, 2013
Nine perfect 10s
Indy food writers pick their favorite dishes from 2008
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This year has proven rough on many economic fronts, and the local restaurant scene has reflected as much. We've seen failed launches, like Palapa's Surfside on the east side, and closures of longtime staples, like Par Avion down south.
Fortunately, promising openings have flouted the market: a brewpub (Trinity) and Thai spot (NaRai) on the north side, another gourmet spot in Pueblo (Restaurant Fifteen Twentyone), two ambitious ventures in Old Colorado City (Metropolis and Pizzeria Rustica), new bakeries/diners (Flavors on Tejon and Smiley's Bakery & Caf) and the city's first taste of Sri Lankan food (The Curry Leaf) downtown.
As a look back, each food writer has chosen an appetizer, entre and dessert consumed during the year that deserves a good gush some from new places, others from golden oldies.
Monika Mitchell Randall
Starter: Cured salmon tartar, "Gravlox" style
The Blue Star, 1645 S. Tejon St., 632-1086, thebluestar.net
I loved this take on a classic. Cured in a sweet and salty mixture, the chopped salmon pairs perfectly with the creamy, brandied Dijon crme fraiche and touch of dill. A warm crispy potato latke and American caviar topping make it even better. Beautiful, delicious and at just $9, champagne on a beer budget.
Entre: Tableside filet
Joseph's Fine Dining, 1606 S. Eighth St., 630-3631
I had some serious issues with Joseph's, and thumped it good for the things I didn't like. But I couldn't shake the filet, prepared elegantly tableside by Joseph Freyre himself. Pan-seared in fragrant butter, just enough cracked black pepper and sweet chutney, a simple cut of beef morphs into tender deliciousness. I've been trying to replicate the dish ever since.
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Dessert: Croissant bread pudding
Danny's Corner Bistro, 609 W. Midland Ave., Woodland Park, 687-2233, dannysbistro.net
When you bring a friend to dinner, you don't expect it to end in a hair-pulling slap-fest. But Danny's croissant bread pudding almost had us fighting over the take-away. When it comes to dessert, I like egg, cream, butter, only a touch of chocolate and tartness, easy on the sugar. This dessert hits every note, mixing a few tangy cranberries and chocolate chips with the croissant's buttery goodness. Pure joy.
Matthew Schniper
Starter: Coconut sambol salad
The Curry Leaf Restaurant, 26 S. Wahsatch Ave., 447-0608, thecurryleaf.net
Disclaimer: I go cuckoo for coconuts, so I'm probably totally biased here. But I also get excited for new flavors, and this salad delivers one. That's thanks to the Maldive fish flavoring basically a fish jerky used as a spice in Sri Lankan cooking. Add to it a restrained use of hot chilies and the grated coconut base, and you've got a great starter.
Entre: Pan-seared Australian sea bass
Restaurant Fifteen Twentyone, 123 N. Main St., Pueblo, 719/542-9999, restaurant1521.com
Chef Duy Pham changes his menu frequently, but some version of the sea bass tends to co-star. The evening he captured my heart, he'd poised the crispy-skinned, delicate filet atop a shrimp rice cake with a euphoria-inducing miso beurre blanc (fermented rice or soybean paste with white wine and butter) drizzled about. Truly unforgettable.
Dessert: Goat cheese cake
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Restaurant Fifteen Twentyone, 123 N. Main St., Pueblo, 719/542-9999, restaurant1521.com
The real credit here belongs to Pueblo's Hopscotch Bakery, which makes this dessert exclusively for Fifteen Twentyone. Pastry chef Mary Oreskovich subs in a sensible amount of fine goat cheese, reduces the cream cheese by a touch, and adds a dollop of mascarpone to make it "more ethereal." The result is a light but rich, complex and elegant cheesecake.
Andrea Wenker
Starter: Shrimp cocktail
Super Carniceria Del Norte, 3819 Maizeland Road, 573-5993
You often pay about a buck a bite to tickle your palate with shrimp, but I discovered a secret. It's Del Norte's pummelo-sized goblet of icy, briny shrimp swimming in hand-cut pico and cocktail sauce going for $4.50, last I checked. In the interest of science, I've kept a crustacean count, and laughed my way to 25.
Entre: Pizza Rustica
Pizzeria Rustica, 2527 W. Colorado Ave., 632-8121, pizzeriarustica.com
Of course the crust is as yeasty and toothy, the sauce as tangy, and the cheese as fresh and delicate on all of Rustica's pizzas. Nevertheless, those translucent pink ribbons of prosciutto, the pile of nutty arugula and a steaming pocket of ricotta in the crust beckon every time.
Dessert: Lemoncello sorbetto
Pizzeria Rustica, 2527 W. Colorado Ave., 632-8121, pizzeriarustica.com
Summer in a bowl. As if the puckering lemon and chilly yellow sweetness melting on your tongue aren't enough, you get a drizzle of blood-orange balsamic reduction and a sprinkle of fresh ruby strawberries to dazzle your mouth and your eyes.
