Last year my parents and I went to the
Ritz's 10 Arts Restaurant for Thanksgiving, and we had quite a nice time. We really enjoyed the whole spread, from the caviar to the turkey, and so when Thanksgiving became imminent we decided that we would go back and partake of the buffet again. Problem was, 10 Arts wasn't doing it, so I had to find a new option that would be equally satisfying to our oft gluttonous hearts. In the end we landed upon
XIX's buffet. This proved to be a good decision. Among their offerings there were: stone crab claws, shrimp, three different kinds of raw oyster, one kind of raw clam (which I have yet to find any desire to try, strangely enough), a cured meats table, about 10 sides and three main course options. And cheese. And soup. And dessert. Below is the seafood and salad table.
The soup was Butternut Squash, which I usually don't like. While my feelings about squash cannot rival my intense aversion to bananas, I don't ever get excited about the gourd, no matter what form it might come in. That said, this soup was pretty good.
Shrimp!
!
I could have just stuffed myself with the crab claws, but I kind of held back. Kind of.
Here they had about four or five different kinds of cured Italian/Spanish (?) meats. I tried the salumi and another non-prosciutto kind of meat. Both were tasty. Of course they were. I mean, really. The meats were sliced to order, which seemed kind of silly since there was only one dude/slicer and if someone wanted a little of each meat, well, you'd be standing there waiting your turn for quite some time. The slicer guy was pretty funny though, so that was good.
Their cheeses weren't really all that exciting, as far as cheese goes, but I'm always happy with a little Boucheron in my life.
Main course options included beef, turkey, pork belly and salmon. I didn't try the salmon, but the rest I definitely did. The Pork Belly came with a crackly crackly skin that was both pleasing to chew on and probably dangerous for one's fillings. The beef was intense in its meaty-ness and the turkey was great. Mashed potatoes and gravy didn't disappoint, nor did the cranberry relish (though mom makes it better). Their 'pulled chicken' mac n cheese was maybe the weakest thing I tried (it was really not to my liking).
Their dessert table was silly ridiculous. I tried a few of the things they had on offer, but there were a lot of other goodies that I just had to pass on by. We sat in what I think is usually the 'tea room,' with this really huge domed ceiling that led to funny acoustics. And by funny acoustics I mean that I could hear the conversation of some guy who was sitting somewhere in the room, but I was never sure where. It was really disconcerting, especially as neither of the parents heard him and seemed to doubt my auditory (auditory?) abilities. I really did think, at first, that maybe I was losing my mind.
S. and his friend M. made their own Thanksgiving dinner, which made the apartment smell great for about two days. I was still stuffed by the time I came home, and couldn't even think about trying any of their spread, but thought it looked so nice that I would take a picture.
While I do miss a more
home-based Thanksgiving, these buffets certainly involved a whole lot less time in the kitchen (re: none at all). Maybe one day the fates will combine so that I can once again cook a turkey with bacon on top and have a nice crew of friends and family enjoy my sometimes drunken hospitality, but I don't think it will be any time soon. This doesn't exactly make me sad, but it does make me glad that I have gotten the chance to play that role a few times so that I can better appreciate not having to do any of it.
The soup was Butternut Squash, which I usually don't like. While my feelings about squash cannot rival my intense aversion to bananas, I don't ever get excited about the gourd, no matter what form it might come in. That said, this soup was pretty good.
Shrimp!
!
I could have just stuffed myself with the crab claws, but I kind of held back. Kind of.
Here they had about four or five different kinds of cured Italian/Spanish (?) meats. I tried the salumi and another non-prosciutto kind of meat. Both were tasty. Of course they were. I mean, really. The meats were sliced to order, which seemed kind of silly since there was only one dude/slicer and if someone wanted a little of each meat, well, you'd be standing there waiting your turn for quite some time. The slicer guy was pretty funny though, so that was good.
Their cheeses weren't really all that exciting, as far as cheese goes, but I'm always happy with a little Boucheron in my life.
Main course options included beef, turkey, pork belly and salmon. I didn't try the salmon, but the rest I definitely did. The Pork Belly came with a crackly crackly skin that was both pleasing to chew on and probably dangerous for one's fillings. The beef was intense in its meaty-ness and the turkey was great. Mashed potatoes and gravy didn't disappoint, nor did the cranberry relish (though mom makes it better). Their 'pulled chicken' mac n cheese was maybe the weakest thing I tried (it was really not to my liking).
Their dessert table was silly ridiculous. I tried a few of the things they had on offer, but there were a lot of other goodies that I just had to pass on by. We sat in what I think is usually the 'tea room,' with this really huge domed ceiling that led to funny acoustics. And by funny acoustics I mean that I could hear the conversation of some guy who was sitting somewhere in the room, but I was never sure where. It was really disconcerting, especially as neither of the parents heard him and seemed to doubt my auditory (auditory?) abilities. I really did think, at first, that maybe I was losing my mind.
S. and his friend M. made their own Thanksgiving dinner, which made the apartment smell great for about two days. I was still stuffed by the time I came home, and couldn't even think about trying any of their spread, but thought it looked so nice that I would take a picture.
While I do miss a more home-based Thanksgiving, these buffets certainly involved a whole lot less time in the kitchen (re: none at all). Maybe one day the fates will combine so that I can once again cook a turkey with bacon on top and have a nice crew of friends and family enjoy my sometimes drunken hospitality, but I don't think it will be any time soon. This doesn't exactly make me sad, but it does make me glad that I have gotten the chance to play that role a few times so that I can better appreciate not having to do any of it.
1 comment:
i would have been an embarrassment to myself and others at both the shellfish station and the cured meats area. was there a "guardian" of the shellfish, or could you just have your way with them? because i *so* would have had my way with them.
meaning i would have taken way more than my probable fair share.
maybe.
if i had wine beforehand. otherwise i'd be properly self-conscious. i'm a hedonist glutton in my head, but i usually reign in the urges before they turn into actions. usually!
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