Welcome to the new "It" restaurant...

I'm purposely not using the name of the place as I don't want to draw any undue attention to the restaurant or my blog. I don't want this to show up in search engines lest my secret get out and suddenly ruin my chances of getting a reservation.

That doesn't mean I'm not going to show you all about it.

This is the bar in the private dining room pre-opening. The bar itself is made of an exotic stone. I'm not sure if it's granite or marble, but it is cut thin and looks like wood at night. Very cool.

This is a picture of the main bar as the guys were putting some of the finishing touches on it.

The shelves that hold the bottles are made of the same material. Nice touch. Now it's covered with all of the necessary liquor and accoutrement to build their cocktails, which are definitely constructed. There are no Alabama Slammers going across this bar, unless you ask nicely. They make their own bitters here. I like that.

This is the best view of the bar...sitting on a comfy banquette with a Manhattan.

The view from the free valet parking...

This is a pre-opening shot of the kitchen from the dining room. There is now a chef's table in the obvious spot.

A view from the area where the chef's table is now into the kitchen.

That is a ton of stainless. Literally.

And it's all shiny.

On to the food..I'm not sure, but I think this was the lobster poached in butter. Yummy. It was accompanied by a short rib ravioli. I could have made an entree out of a couple of either item.The bread was excellent...I haven't tasted any house-made bread this good since I ate at 2941. Maybe the baker is the same guy?

Ok...I couldn't let this go without giving it a try. This was my favorite dish. Fois Gras with various flavorings around...check out the presentation..See detail below:
Someone paid attention in art class.

This is the steak, also with various sauces, reductions, emulsions, flavorings....I wish I had saved a menu so that I could explain them, but I didn't even think about it. My mistake.

So, have a free night? Got a baby sitter? Give it a shot. It's adventurous and unique for this area. They're still new and still experimenting, but the food is good, the atmosphere is comfortable, the wine list is big. There were people there in polos as well as suits and little black dresses, so this should be a good place to get a nice cocktail after work or enjoy a night out with friends...

If any of you are feeling like J. Gotrocks they have a nice 1995 DP Brut Rose on the list. Let me know when you're ready to crack that. I'll spring for dinner if you're buying the wine.

Enjoy.

Until next time...