My cousin H. and his wife C. came into Nashville one evening. They went to see some glass and had plans to see a show in the evening. They were staying in the swank Hermitage Hotel and suggested that my father and I meet up with them for dinner at the
Continental Grille. We were an astounding thirty minutes late for that as a result of my leaving the hospital a little late, and Dad not actually knowing where we were going, and neither of us having H.'s cell number. We worked it out eventually. C. had ordered the smoked trout appetizer while they waited for us, and I had a taste of it, which was good. I decided to have a martini; I asked for it dirty and with three olives, and it came exactly as I liked. Later on, when I took a look at their wine/cocktail menu I saw they had a $25 martini featuring Jean Marc XO Vodka Martini and blue cheese and truffle oil stuffed olives. One day I will be the sort of person to drop cash like it's nothing and try such a cocktail out (maybe) but, even on someone else's tab, that day has yet to come.
I tried their sweet onion bisque with chives, bacon and brie 'sandwich.' It was sweet but the bacon and freshly ground pepper balanced it out nicely.
With our meals we drank Sancerre.
Dad and I each ordered the scallops, which were served without any sides or garnishes, so he tried their vegetable of the day: cauliflower. Now, hmmm, look at that, sure does look like broccoli don't it? There was some confusion and doubt as to whether these alleged cauliflower were, in fact, cauliflower and that was never quite put to rest as far as I'm concerned.
The scallops were marvelously cooked and a bit more generous in portion than I had expected. Served in a cast iron skillet type thing with a nice helping of butter, they were tender and just yummy. Real good.
I went with the truffle mac n' cheese as my side, as much as I didn't really need it. It, too, was quite to my liking.
C. ordered the venison, which she offered me to taste...and that was pretty good too, rare but not gamey. I think my cousin had fish, but I don't know if I tried his food. I don't think so. The graphics for the menu online really are at odds with the dining room ambience and overall chi-chi-ness of the joint. Our waiter was pretty funny and knowledgeable, though one of his helpers seemed pretty uninformed, which was surprising; usually a restaurant of this price bracket makes it a necessity that even the busboys can answer questions about the menu. A great meal.
I tried their sweet onion bisque with chives, bacon and brie 'sandwich.' It was sweet but the bacon and freshly ground pepper balanced it out nicely.
With our meals we drank Sancerre.
Dad and I each ordered the scallops, which were served without any sides or garnishes, so he tried their vegetable of the day: cauliflower. Now, hmmm, look at that, sure does look like broccoli don't it? There was some confusion and doubt as to whether these alleged cauliflower were, in fact, cauliflower and that was never quite put to rest as far as I'm concerned.
The scallops were marvelously cooked and a bit more generous in portion than I had expected. Served in a cast iron skillet type thing with a nice helping of butter, they were tender and just yummy. Real good.
I went with the truffle mac n' cheese as my side, as much as I didn't really need it. It, too, was quite to my liking.
C. ordered the venison, which she offered me to taste...and that was pretty good too, rare but not gamey. I think my cousin had fish, but I don't know if I tried his food. I don't think so. The graphics for the menu online really are at odds with the dining room ambience and overall chi-chi-ness of the joint. Our waiter was pretty funny and knowledgeable, though one of his helpers seemed pretty uninformed, which was surprising; usually a restaurant of this price bracket makes it a necessity that even the busboys can answer questions about the menu. A great meal.
2 comments:
The scallops look great. A million years ago in a former life I was in Connecticut and I stopped with my sister at some roadhouse looking place for dinner. Ordered the scallops. They came in a frying hot ramekin, about 100 of them it seemed. Large sea scallops. Broiled and a hint of garlic butter. So incredibly good.That is my scallop measuring stick.
I bought garlic stuffed olives for the weekend with friends that fell apart. I have yet to open the Costco sized jar, but I am thinking I might have to go to the liquor store for vodka and slap a few of those babies in a glass for a martini. I am inspired....
Where does a restaurant actually get venison?????
I have always been a big fan of vodka martini and I use to think that it's weird that I love it the best with something cheesy. Like cheese fondue for example. I can always rev up an excuse to get myself a shot of vodka martini, more so when there's cheese on the table, lol!
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