So after brief email banter with a bunch of friends about my never having been on a date, Shawna took me out to dinner last night. It was spur-of-the-moment, and made possible only by Laura coming over to watch Grammy.
We went to Hazelnut Kitchen in T-burg–it’s where Simply Red used to be. We’re always a bit wary when a new restaurant opens in town, and we’ve finally learned to give the place a couple of months before having a meal. Anyway, we went last night at 7:45 and they were pleasantly un-packed–though they filled up while we were there.
The decor is eclectic–they didn’t change much about Simply Red’s decor. We always think that’s a smart move for new restaurants–we *tsk* when we see a new restaurateur dump all of their capital into unnecessary improvements, and then smirk when we see them go under…I know, we’re horrible! Anyway, the theme was a little incongruous–I think they intend to be upscale comfort food-esque. The wine glasses and flatware are intentionally mismatched, and the water glasses are from Ikea! But in spite of the bipolar nature of the decor, we were happy because we never feel like dressing up. Somehow the menu (and prices) made us feel underdressed.
We were pretty excited about the menu–they had about a half dozen each of first and second courses. We got even more excited at the specials on the board, as well as the desserts! We decided to get a bottle of Torrontes for the meal.
The bread was pretty good–a couple of rolls and a few slices of what looked like whole wheat baguette. And it came with a nice chive butter, always a plus. For the first course, I had a venison carpaccio (a special), which came peppered and drizzled with olive oil, and topped with sliced asparagus, capers, red leaf lettuce, and a tiny dollop of horseradish. I’m always fascinated with carpaccio, so I have to get it if it’s on the menu. The venison was delicate–a lot lighter than beef. The whole plate was cool and fresh, which was nice since it was still so hot out. Shawna got a baby spinach salad with hazelnuts and dried cranberries–she raved about it! I can’t for the life of me remember what the dressing was, but it was well-tossed and coated the salad evenly–perfect. She said she’d go back just for this salad!
For my second course, I picked the seared Atlantic salmon with oyster mushrooms and farro pilaf with raisins–and it was AMAZING. I generally do not rave about restaurants, I always think they’re *ok*. But this dish was worth writing about, and I’m a little sad that it’s just a special! The salmon was perfectly grilled, and arrived at our table hot–I know, I have such low expectations these days! It was nicely crusted–probably just salt!–and they left the skin on, which was crispy. I loved it! At first I thought it was a bit salty, but with the combination of the sweetness of the pilaf and the silkiness of the oyster mushrooms, the salmon incorporated itself well into the dish. The pilaf was slightly chewy because of the grain, and had carrot shreds and of course raisins. The dish was in perfect textural harmony! I had to eat the whole plate, in spite of the size (all their entrees were well-sized), and even eschew dessert because I knew that the crispiness would be gone the next day. It was too perfect to give up!
Shawna had the free range chicken and handmade buttermilk dumplings. We had to ask our server about it before ordering and explain that Shawna loves her mother’s chicken ‘n dumplins–and asked if she would be disappointed. The dish came out more of a braise than a stew–there was no soup/broth with it really. And it was chock full of veggies, which I’ve always wanted to add to Shawna’s mom’s recipe, to much protest. There were carrot chunks, peas, celery?, and some greens. The report is that it was good, but she wouldn’t order it again. If you were expecting chicken n’ dumplins, you’d be disappointed. The chicken was not stewed to the point of being threads, and the dumplings were not as tender–hence my theory that it was more of a braise. Shawna’s mom’s both melt in your mouth. Probably with the assistance of a stick of margarine…
Anyway, as the restaurant filled up, we got to dessert. We had originally planned on two desserts, but after two appetizers and bread and wine, let alone the main course, we could only fit one. We had to go with the flourless bourbon chocolate cake with ice cream and chocolate sauce. Theirs was *okay*–I think the biggest concern was the graininess. We expect flourless chocolate cakes to be smooth–like a dark chocolate bar that’s gotten softened on your dashboard! I think the alcohol caused the graininess–having unsuccessfully to make a flourless chocolate cake once before (wouldn’t I be in trouble had I gotten it right!)
The prices were *okay*–not a middle-of-the-week-I-don’t-feel-like-cooking place. Our first courses were $7 and $10; entrees were $13 and $17, dessert was $6. I couldn’t justify getting the carpaccio again–7 or 8 paper-thin slices of meat for $10 is ridiculous. But, if we came again, we could handle skipping the expensive appetizer and attempting to share (fight over) a salad (okay, maybe we’d get two), likewise with the dessert. Obviously the bottle of wine put us over at $19–we’d be at a respectable $60-$70 meal without. But how can you eat dinner without wine??!
Verdict is: Love this place, would go back again. But must work overtime to afford!
