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Shortly after Anne & I first started dating, we had a nice romantic dinner at The Refectory. At the time, we weren’t too accustomed to eating French cuisine and I think some of the flavors were a bit surprising to us at first. I do remember the ambiance being wonderful, and the service top-notch. So nearly six years later we made a return visit for our second wedding anniversary this year with our expectations set even higher now that our palates had matured a bit.
We decided to order a bottle of Champagne to celebrate. We don’t drink a whole lot of it, so we decided to order the ol’ standby that we knew we’d like… Martini & Rossi Asti. They were actually out of it that evening, but our sommelier suggested a similarly sweet option (Rosa Regale) that he thought we’d enjoy, and he was spot on. We’ve actually picked up a bottle at the store since then, we liked it so much.
I decided to start with the Mussel Soup, a hearty bisque with white wine, shallots, and a saffron cream. The mussels were delicious. Anne had a Ceaser Salad. We also ordered the Seafood and Lobster Coulibiac, which was delicious. I can’t say I’ve had anything like it before, and it was one of the first items I had to run home and google to learn more about. I’m not even sure what to compare it to. I guess you’ll just have to go try it for yourself.
For our main dishes Anne went with the Pan Seared Sea Scallops which were served with a linguini and mustard sauce. She’s never met a scallop she didn’t like, and these were no exception. I ordered the “Poisson Du Jour” which I believe was Halibut (I should have been taking notes, but that wouldn’t have been very romantic of me) served crusted with Crabmeat and Artichokes and a lobster sauce. I had seafood for every course and was pretty much in heaven the entire time.
For dessert, we were accosted with multiple offerings to help celebrate our special occasion. I didn’t get a chance to memorize the actual names of the items as they were brought out as a surprise, but we enjoyed a Creme Brule, some sort of Banana Chocolate Cake, several Petit Fours, and some P�tes de fruits. The Creme Brule was excellent, but I wasn’t a big fan of the cake (I’m not a big chocolate eater). Anne loved the Petit Fours, but the P�te was the real winner for both of us. We get them fairly regularly at Pistacia Vera, and while those are very good, the ones at the Refectory were on a whole different level. Highly recommended if you want a small dessert after a filling multi-course meal.
All in all, we came away very satisfied with our anniversary dinner. Beautiful setting, excellent service, and masterfully executed dishes. We may have found our new favorite go-to spot for special occasions. They do offer a more inexpensive Bistro menu as well, which we will definitely be back to try soon as well. I’ve only heard good things about it.
My old man always likes to go to the Refectory for his birthday. He always gets the pan seared scallops. He raves about them every time.
I love the Refectory. They always have duck by which I measure all other duck in the world, and am always disappointed, except with their’s. It’s the best. I only wish they’d have foie gras torchon again. *sigh*
The Refectory totally rocks. I just wish more people were inclined to take advantage of the bistro menu — it’s the kind of thing that makes a restaurant like The Refectory accessible on days other than birthdays and holidays, and I really wish more restaurants did it (props to Black Creek too).
We’ll be going back again soon to try the Bistro Menu. :D
Man, I would have been all over the Bistro menu this week, darn it! Adding this to the ever growing list of places to try, lol.
I was there a couple of weeks ago and also had the Poisson Du Jour. I had the cheese plate for dessert. Can’t remember what I had for an appetizer. I’ve been going there for years, irregularly, and almost always have been satisfied.
I have reservations this Saturday for Handke’s. Haven’t been there in years.
Paul
Wow, I don’t think I’ve never seen coulibac on a menu. I guess I just don’t get out to the high-end places enough. :wink: Cool that they carry it. My recollection is that it is fairly labor-intensive to make.
It is labor intensive and the results can be vary, but in the hands of a master, it is simply sublime!
Does anyone know about this place. I went by there and walked around it looks very nice. So there is a number on the door to call if interested in part time/full time positions. The number was disconnected:( help anyone.
kittyfox
I would call the number on their website:
http://www.therefectoryrestaurant.com
I’ve been to The Refectory twice. Both this year, on Valentines Day with the lady, and then a few months later for the Bistro Menu.
I’ve been to many great restaurants in my days, and these were without question two of the best meals of my life.
“We decided to order a bottle of Champagne to celebrate. We don’t drink a whole lot of it, so we decided to order the ol’ standby that we knew we’d like… Martini & Rossi Asti.”
This is Wine 101 and forgive me for being pedantic and predictable. In case you don’t know what I’m referring to, it is this. Champagne is not synonomous with any fizzy white wine in a heavy bottle with a mushroom shaped cork. Martini and Rossi Asti is about as far away from true Champagne as Columbus OH is from Scranton PA, by my reckoning (although I have East Coast relatives who would tell you that Columbus and Scranton are fairly indistinguishable). Perhaps that is really the same thing going on here-a matter of perspective. However, for a restaurant reviewer, it is important to maintain some sense of credibility and uh, reliable perspective, n’est-ce pas?
And now I will quickly plunge from pedantic to predictably wine-snooty so forgive me in advance; I am surprised The Refectory has M&R Asti on the list. So many fine and equally affordable Prosecos have come into the marketplace that offer so much more!
Well, the being predictable part is forgivable, certainly.
As far as putting Champagne on a pedestal above all other sparkling wines, my sense is that the world has really moved on. Even though, admittedly, we toasted our engagement with a Veuve, if you put a Marquis de la Tour Brut next to a J. Schram or a top-notch Cava, I suspect reasonable people will quickly choose the latter.
As to why The Refectory carries Asti Spumanti, rather than a variety of Proseccos…. My sense is that their top priority is the customer, period. And they recognize that different people have different tastes, and their wine cellar is big enough to accommodate a wider range of tastes than their own. I think they seek to celebrate the enjoyment of food and wine, not dictate the form that it should take.
I’m not a professional restaurant reviewer, so pardon my amateurish mistake. I just had a lovely evening with my wife and thought I would share to the best of my ability.
:D
I’m not a professional restaurant reviewer, so pardon my amateurish mistake. I just had a lovely evening with my wife and thought I would share to the best of my ability.
:D
And I loved reading your review. I think it is completely refreshing to read non-snobby reviews. I am surrounded by snobs all the time and it gets really tiresome.
Also my friend Nick said he waited on you!
+many
The snob thing gets truly old, and it takes all the fun out of food. When you spend all your time nitpicking about whether someone’s wine is a sparkling wine or a Champagne, or pooh-poohing the fact that it’s even on the wine list at all, you’re not only taking pleasure out of that dining experience, you’re just setting yourself up for an even bigger snob to come along and shoot you down. (Someone who can spell “Prosecco” correctly, for example.) I mean, how boring is that?
Flame me all you want. I apologized in advance suspecting my post would draw the kind of ire it did. I never claimed the author was a “professional restaurant reviewer”, but he did a restaurant review, and has done many others, as we all know. I appreciate his enthusiasm and his work in bringing this great site to the web.
If he did not know the difference between a sirimi-based “crab cake” and a real, Chessapeake Bay style crab cake, would I be wrong for pointing out the difference? Doesn’t pointing out the difference, in some small or not so small way, discourage restauranteurs from stooping to such tricks?
Martini and Rossi Asti Spumante. Just the name alone happens to be an advertising jingle. It is cloyingly sweet and a spoofulated, mass-manufactured product. If someone says they love it, I can’t say they are wrong, but I can suggest many alternatives that they may find they like much more. IMHO, M&R Asti is the sirimi “crab cake” of the wine world.
I’m very sorry for coming across as a snob. There has to be some fair middle-ground, however, between being a snob and being, for lack of a better word, naive.
No one is flaming you.
I appreciate that you pointed out the difference. Thanks! :D
While I don’t have any real issue with it, I would have a hard time typing this statement and then not expecting to come across like a bit of a snob…
:lol:
Awww, now you’re being too nice to me. Thanks though. I appreciate it, and I truly mean it when I say I this is a great website and thank you for doing what you’re doing. No one likes a “know it all”, myself included.