Polenta Crusted Shrimp with Mustard & Herb Mayo

While ironing some of Hubby's shirts the other day (I know, fun fun!), I watched Giada De Laurentiis make this tasty little appetizer in a segement about "Hotel Luxuries" - little dishes (like tapas) that you would find at a nice hotel. A little later, I went to the Food Network website and pulled the recipe up. I got a little nervous reading the reviews as many of them were negative - saying the coating was way too thick and too much and that the dipping sauce was flavorless.

Nonetheless, I decided to go ahead an make this. I am so glad I did. The dipping sauce is full of flavor - you definitely get the tarragon, chives and dijon and its perfect with the crunchy shrimp. The coating on the shrimp was delicious. There were a few shrimp where the coating was a little thick, so next time I know just to be careful to really shake any excess polenta off of the shrimp. Hubby really enjoyed these as well.

Polenta Crusted Shrimp with Mustard & Herb Mayo

Mustard and Herb Mayonnaise:

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Polenta Crusted Shrimp:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups polenta
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail-on
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt, for sprinkling

To make the Mustard and Herb Mayonnaise:

In a medium bowl combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, tarragon, and chives. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make the Polenta Crusted Shrimp:

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees F. Cover a heavy-duty baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine the flour, sea salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour the beaten eggs into another small bowl. Mix together the polenta, paprika and thyme in a medium bowl. Working in batches, dredge the shrimp in the flour. Shake off any excess flour. Dip the flour-dredged shrimp into the eggs and then coat with the polenta mixture. Drizzle the shrimp, on both sides, with the olive oil. Place the shrimp on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to12 minutes until crisp and golden. Sprinkle with the kosher salt.

Serve immediately with the Mustard and Herb Mayonnaise.

Well...The Snow Is Good For Something

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What do you cook on a day like today?

There's over a foot of snow in Short Pump, and it's still coming down. Another 3 inches are expected over night. What do you cook for dinner on a night like tonight?

Here, I'm braising lamb shanks and serving over garlic mashed potatoes.

The Wife and I just returned from a adventure which involved a disappointing lunch at the Short Pump Panera, Trader Joe's all to ourselves and a last minute visit to the ABC store.

At Panera I ordered a bowl of broccoli and cheddar soup - this is supposed to come in a bread boule. The bread boule was the only reason I ordered the soup instead half soup and sandwich. When I picked up the order it was in a regular bowl. I asked the girl behind the counter and she informed me that she had thrown all of the bread boules away because she "needed more room on the counter." I saw them all in the trash can behind her. She said "sorry about that" and tossed another piece of bread on my tray. It wasn't the same.

I needed a few things for the braise and we were woefully low on wine, so we headed to Trader Joe's and stocked up. We had the whole place to ourselves. They have this white Cotes du Rhone that we love - Cellier du Rhone. For $6, you can't beat it.

From there we ventured down Pump Road and to our surprise to ABC store was still open - with a sign on the door saying they were closing at 3:00. I snagged a bottle of Reyka for martinis later and The Wife found a new mix called Skinny Girl Margarita - 37 calories per serving. She made the comment that if it didn't taste good she could always add more tequila. I pointed out that might negate the promise of "skinny girl", but it went unnoticed.

What are you cooking tonight if you're snowed in?

Chili Chicken and Basil

This recipe jumped out at me in my Women's Health magazine under the headline "Fight Fat with Flavor". Hubby & I love all things spicy and we are also big fans of basil, so this was right up our alley. This dish is incredibly healthy and yet chock full of flavor, not to mention it was ready in about 20 minutes. Next time I might add a few more chilies and a few drops of sriracha as well - but that's just us (we have a really high heat tolerance!).

Chili Chicken & Basil
adapted from Women's Health Magazine

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders, cut into small pieces
2 serrano chilies, seeds removed
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tbsp peanut oil or canola oil (I used peanut)
1 tbsp red chili garlic paste
1 tsp splenda
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper

Finely chop the garlic and chilies, the use the side of a knife to press them together into a rough paste (add a pince of salt to make this process easier).

Preheat a wok or saute pan over medium high heat.  Add the oil and the garlic-chili paste just made, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the chicken to the pan, cooking until they are lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes. 

Add the soy sauce, red chili garlic paste and sugar, and continue to cook until the chicken is done all the way through, another 3-4 minutes.

Add the pepper and basil, and cook until the basil is just wilted, about 2-3 minutes.  Serve immediately with brown rice.

Roasted Green Cabbage Wedges

I like cabbage. Hubby, well let's just say he gave me one of those skeptical looks when I told him I was making cabbage as a side to a BBQ Mango Tilapia a made the other night (recipe to come!). He didn't really grow up eating vegetables like I did. So there are some vegetables he loves but quite a few that he wrinkles his nose at! But I'd seen this recipe in my Martha Stewart Living magazine and I knew I wanted to try making cabbage this way. Typically, growing up my mama would sauté it or my grandma would use it for her amazing cabbage rolls.

I can tell you that Hubby had finished off most of the cabbage before he even touched the fish. This method cooking cabbage blows any other out of the water - in my opinion. Roasting it gave it a rich, carmelized flavor and the lemon finish gave it just the zing it needed.

Roasted Green Cabbage Wedges
adapted from Martha Stewart Living

1 small head green cabbage (about 2 1/2 pounds), cut into 8 wedges, core intact (I used 1/2 small cabbage)
1 1/2 tsps extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Arrange cabbage on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush both sides of wedges with oil. Season each side with garlic, salt and pepper.

Roast, flipping halfway through, until edges are brown and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Squeeze lemons over cabbage.

Eggplant Lasagna

I had a large amount of the delicious spaghetti sauce I made earlier this week leftover. I wanted to use it but did not want to actually do "spaghetti" again. I thought about a typical lasagna, for which this sauce would be amazing, but since we had pasta once this week, I really did not want for us to eat it again. So, instead I decided to try a lasagna using slivers of eggplant in place of noodles.

This worked out really well, and tasted a lot lighter than my typical lasagna. Also using the lighter cheeses and ricotta made us feel a little less guilty about indulging in this Italian comfort food.

Eggplant Lasagna

1 large eggplant (or 2 if you wanted to make a thicker lasagna)
1 packed cup part skim ricotta
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups spaghetti sauce

2 % milk shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
part skim shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and slice eggplant into thin long strips. Lightly salt the eggplant and let sit for 10 minutes. Pat dry with a paper towel. Place on baking sheets coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Combine ricotta, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper in small bowl and set aside.

Coat a rectangular or square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Spoon a tablespoon of sauce in the bottom of the dish. Place slices of eggplant in dish so that eggplant is slightly overlapping and the bottom of the dish can no longer be seen. Alternate dropping spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture and the spaghetti sauce. Top with shredded cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan (I usually use about 2 tbsp of each per layer).  Then start over again with the eggplant and repeat the same steps until you use the eggplant up (about 4 layers).

Cover final layer with more cheese than previous layers - enough to cover the top entirely with cheese.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and bubbly.

Balsamic Roasted Potatoes

These potatoes accompanied the Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers that I made the other night. I made these in place of the marscapone mashed potatoes the receipe suggested serving them with. These worked very well with the chicken and I liked the balsamic theme running through the whole meal. Hubby is a meat and potatoes sort of guy, so naturally he inhaled these along with the chicken. And of course, we all know how I feel about anything containting rosemary!

I pulled this super simple recipe from Southern Living's Ultimate Quick & Easy Cookbook, which was a gift from my in-laws this past Christmas.

Balsamic Roasted Potatoes

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp bottled minced garlic
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp salt (I used sea salt)
1/4 tsp pepper (I used fresh black)
2 lbs red potatoes, cut into wedges
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Add potato wedges, tossing gently to coat.  Arrange potato wedges in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove potatoes and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar.  Bake for 5 more minutes. Serve immediately.

Brandy Alexander Cheesecake

There are a few things I made over the holidays that I really wanted to share, but the craziness of my job prevented me from doing so until now. But trust me, the wait was worth it for this gem.

I had seen this recipe in the issue in the holiday (I think December) edition of Southern Living magazine and it was love at first sight. Okay, I exaggerate, but really. I love cheesecake and I love brandy alexanders (though I indulge in them very rarely). I knew I wanted to make it for our Christmas Eve dinner with my family.

A little time consuming, like most great cheesecakes are, but definitely worth it. Everyone loved it, even my younger brother and cousin devoured this. I will definitely add this to my permanent collection.

Brandy Alexander Cheesecake

1 (10-oz.) box chocolate-flavored bear-shaped graham crackers, crushed (about 2 1/4 cups)
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar, divided
4 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 large eggs, at room temperature
4 tablespoons brandy, divided
4 tablespoons crème de cacao, divided*
1 (16-oz.) container sour cream
Garnishes: blackberries, currants, raspberries, strawberries (I used blackberries & blueberries)

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Stir together crushed graham crackers, butter, and 1 Tbsp. sugar. Press mixture on bottom and halfway up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Freeze 10 minutes.

2. Beat cream cheese, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and cornstarch at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating at low speed just until yellow disappears after each addition. Add 3 Tbsp. brandy and 3 Tbsp. crème de cacao, and beat just until blended. Pour into prepared crust.

3. Bake at 325° for 1 hour or just until center is almost set.

4. During last 2 minutes of baking, stir together sour cream and remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. brandy, and 1 Tbsp. crème de cacao.

5. Spread sour cream mixture over cheesecake. Bake at 325° for 8 more minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; gently run a knife along outer edge of cheesecake, and cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 1/2 hours). Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.

6. Remove sides of springform pan, and place cheesecake on a serving plate. Garnish, if desired.

*Coffee liqueur may be substituted. We tested with Kahlúa.

Note: We tested with Nabisco Teddy Grahams chocolate graham snacks.

Spaghetti Sauce from Scratch

There are lots of spaghetti sauce recipes out there. I have a few that I have come up with over the past few years that I like to use. This is one of my favorites. This a thicker, chunkier sauce. I really find that tasting as I go - and often has helped me to perfect this recipe and tailor it to our taste.

Oh, and 2 quick side notes - I usually use mushrooms as well, but we did not have any and really it's still fantastic without them. Also, the few pinches of splenda or sugar during the browning of the meat are key. This adds a background layer of slight sweetness that really is phenomenal and is a great contrast to the garlic and savory spices.

Spaghetti Sauce from Scratch

1 1lb ground red meat (I used venison)
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 14.5oz cans peeled whole tomatoes
1 14.5oz can peeled crushed tomatoes
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1/2 large onion (or 1 small onion), chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 - 3/4 cup full bodied red wine
1 tbsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tbsp mexican oregano
1/2 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp majoram
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp parsley
2 tbsp garlic powder
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
splenda (or sugar), to taste

Cover a large saute pan with a thin coating of olive oil. Heat over medium high. Season with salt, pepper and a few pinches of splenda. Cook ground meat until browned and cooked through. Set aside.

Cover the bottom of a large pot or dutch oven with olive oil. Heat to medium high. Add bell pepper, shallots and onion. Saute for several minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and saute for an additional 1 - 2 minutes. Add in browned meat and stir to combine. Stir in tomato paste, tomatoes and red wine. Mix in remaining seasonings.

Reduce heat to low. Simmer for at least 2 hours.

Thai Chicken, Zucchini & Tomato Curry

Food & Wine is quickly becoming one of my go to magazines for great dinner recipes. I also love that all of their recipes are paired with at least one wine (or beer or cocktail). I pulled this dish from the May 2009 issue under a section entitled "Speediest Stir-fries".  I'm not usually a big stir-fry fan, but I love curry, zucchini and cherry tomatoes - all of which makeup this recipe.

This was super easy and quick - it took me no longer than half an hour start to finish. Hubby loved it and asked me to make more dishes like this one. F&W suggests pairing this with a strawberry-scented Rosé, specifically a 2008 Domaine du Bagnol. We did not have that particular bottle, but I did open a nice dry Washington Rosé that was excellent with this curry dish.

Thai Chicken, Zucchini & Tomato Curry

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced crosswise 1/3 inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 zucchini (1 pound), cut into 2-by-1/2-inch sticks
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk (I used light)
2 tablespoons water
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Rice, for serving (I used Basmati)

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until just white throughout, 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add the remaining oil to the skillet. Add the onion and stir-fry over moderately high heat for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and cherry tomatoes and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the curry paste, coconut milk, water, lime zest and lime juice and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and stir for 20 seconds. Stir in the cilantro. Transfer to bowls and serve with rice.

Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

When I saw this recipe is January 2010 edition of Cooking Light, I knew I would make this because Hubby & I both love balsamic vinegar and bell peppers. This dish was very easy and it was delicious. The chicken alone was packed full of flavor with the coating of fennel, garlic and oregano. The balsamic pepper topping was perfect and the colorful peppers really brightened the plate.

I served this with roasted balsamic potatoes (I'll share that super simple recipe later).

Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper (1 pepper)
1 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper (1/2 large pepper)
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450°.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Brush chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle spice rub over chicken. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until done.

Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.

Restaurant Review: Coast

The Wife and I stopped by Coast last night for dinner. We both left wondering how we had not heard of this place sooner, apparently it's been around for a while.

Coast is a very small restaurant with maybe 4 booths and a handful of tables, and a bar. The atmosphere is dark and cozy. We arrived about 8:00, it was half full and we were seated immediately.

We started with the mussels for an appetizer. The were great. There were a ton of them, and they were cooked perfectly. The tomato broth/sauce that they came in was rich and smoky.

The Wife and I decided to each get something different and share. I got the lamb chops and she got one of the specials - Chilean sea bass.

The lamb chops were rare-medium rare. They came five to a plate over mashed potatoes and broccolini. The chops were outstanding. The sides were great as well. One of the things we both remarked about was how the sides weren't over seasoned. One of the pitfalls of eating out is how salty a lot of sides turn out to be. Not the case here. Everything tasted fresh.

The Wife's sea bass was equally as good. Hers came over rice and had a blood orange reduction on the plate. The fish was firm, but flaky and had a great flavor.

We would both return here in a heartbeat.

Almost Ellie Kreiger's Balsamic Chicken with Spinach and Tomatoes

This is an easy, super healthy meal that takes almost no time, but yields big flavor. I made a few changes to this Ellie Kreiger recipe - I added the onion, and used Roma tomatoes instead of canned.

Sorry no pictures.


Ingredients:
Olive Oil
1Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 Medium Onion
Chicken Breasts, sliced thin - almost like cutlets
8 Ounces Leafy Spinach
1/3 Cup Chicken Broth
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 Roma Tomatoes Diced


Directions:
Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until onions turn translucent. Brown chicken in onion/garlic mixture on each side, until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.


Add Spinach and cook until just wilted, then remove from pan and set aside.


Add chicken broth and balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan, and add tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.


Serve over couscous, with tomatoes on top of chicken on top of spinach on top of couscous.


I also tossed some fat free feta cheese in with the spinach when I set it aside.

Red Curry Shrimp Skewers

This couldn't be simpler, and is a great alternative to standard shrimp cocktail. I wanted something that would let us take shrimp from an appetizer to an entree. Myself, I could eat shrimp for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the rest of my life and die a happy man, just steam them with beer and give me some Old Bay and butter, but The Wife needs a little more.

I still had the red and green curry from the Christmas Curry Chicken Soup last month and wanted something spicy for the shrimp. I ended up pulling together things from my pantry to make this easy marinade. I mixed the marinade and then tossed the shrimp in it and let them sit for about 30-45 minutes then did them under the broiler.

Ingredients:

Shrimp

2 Tablespoons Red Curry Paste

1 Tablespoon of Honey

1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon of Red Pepper Flakes

1 Teaspoon of Soy Sauce

1 Teaspoon of Curry Powder

1Tablespoon Olive Oil

Directions:

Whisk everything but shrimp together in a large bowl. Add shrimp and combine with your hands to get even coverage.

Let shrimp marinade for 30 minutes.

Skewer shrimp and broil for 90 seconds on each side or until shrimp are pink and cooked through.

Green Curry, Asparagus and Sweet Potato Soup

We had asparagus in the fridge that we needed to use, and I'm still excited about the immersion blender from The Sister-in-Law so I've been into soups lately. I wanted something healthy, so I modified the black bean soup recipe from earlier in the week to thicken it with sweet potatoes instead of so much milk.

This turned out great.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 Small Onion Chopped

2 Tablespoons of Garlic

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 Tablespoon of Green Curry

1 Teaspoon Curry Powder

1 Sweet Potato Peeled and Chopped

1 Bunch of Asparagus - 6 stems set aside

1 Cup of Chicken Stock

1 Cup of Milk

Directions:

Heat olive oil over medium heat and add garlic until fragrant. Add chopped onion and saute until translucent. Salt and pepper to taste and stir in curry paste and powder. When curry paste is incorporated, add chopped sweet potatoes and stir. Let this cook for about 10 minutes, until sweet potatoes begin to soften about 5 minutes - you might need to add more olive oil. Make sure to stir occasionally to keep from burning.

Chop you asparagus into one inch pieces and add to mixture with chicken stock and milk. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Using a hand mixer (or food processor) puree mixture. It will be very thick, but puree until smooth. At this point you'll want to add about 1/2 cup of water - depending on how thick you like you soup.

Return mixture to stove top and reduce heat to medium low. Chop remaining stems of asparagus into one inch pieces and add to soup, letting cook through about 5 minutes.

Keep warm until ready to serve.

Easy (and good!) Black Bean Soup

I was looking for something different to do with black beans. It's easy to just open the can and simmer adding a piece of bacon, hot sauce and be done with it. But that gets old.

I found this recipe on Recipe Zaar.

Using the Cuisinart hand held blender I got from The Sister-in-Law for Christmas, I made this soup that only takes about 20 minutes, but tasted like it took a lot longer.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Small Onion, chopped

1 Tbsp of Cumin

2 Tbsp Garlic

1 Tbsp Butter

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 Can of Black Beans (1/2 reserved)

1 Cup of Chicken Broth/Stock

Directions:

Saute chopped onions in olive until translucent. Add Cumin and stir for 30 second. Add in garlic, stir and let flavors come together for one minute. Add the butter and stir.

Season with Salt, Pepper and and stir to combine.

Add 1/2 of Black Beans and Chicken Stock and bring to a simmer.

Let simmer for 5-10 minutes, until beans are tender.

Use a handheld blender, or transfer mixture to a food processor and pulse just until beans start to break up, but before mixture gets watery.

Combine the mixture with the remaining black beans and let mixture simmer for another 5 minutes or so.

Garnish with sour cream, red onions or sriracha.

The Water Grill: Eh...

I took a group of clients to Water Grill in Carytown in November and loved it. I raved to the wife about this new seafood place that we HAD to try. She loves fresh fish, and I knew she would love

the modern atmosphere. We came back from a New Years trip to Roanoke and wanted to go out to a new place for dinner. Since The Wife wanted fish Water Grill was the perfect place, or so I thought. I remember loving it. I expected to love it again.

Tonight was my second time and The Wife's first time at Water Grill. It wasn't bad...but it wasn't great. For me a restaurant needs two out of three things to warrant a return great service, great food or great atmosphere. This time around Water Grill had great atmosphere and great service, but the food was just slightly off.

We started with the appetizer special, shrimp skewers with a blood orange sauce. The portion size was disappointingly small. Two skewers with three shrimp each - but the shrimp were small. They had to be 41-50 count, barely the size of a folded pinkie finger. There was a blood orange slice on the plate, but the sauce was more of a marinade, there was a lighter fluid chemical taste to the shrimp and they were over cooked to the point of being almost rubbery.

For entrees, I had the seared scallops and she had the days special - rockfish.

There were three huge scallops. I can't complain about the portion size, as they were about the size of my fist, but they lacked flavor. They were served over a prosciutto, mushroom and asparagus risotto. It was OK...a little bland.

The Wife's rockfish was topped with a fruit salsa and served with scalloped potatoes. She loved the fruit salsa, but the fish was thin. It was well cooked, and tasted great but thin nonetheless. The potatoes were rich and creamy with cheese and bacon - the best part of her plate.

I saw another waitress bring out a filet that looked slightly larger than a fifty cent piece.

All in all, it hits two of our three requirements for a return visit but like The Wife said on the way home great food should not be a compromise. In this economy, especially for a $100+ meal I expect more. Restaurants have to go above and beyond to wow customers. Small shrimp and thin fish don't do that.

The food is good, but not great. It needs to rise to the level of the atmosphere and the service - those are great. The food, just, good and where there are so many great spots...well, you know.

I'll give it one more try at some point - maybe when the patio opens in the spring, but it didn't live up to my first visit - nor to my expectations.