Siroc's Sister: Vento Restaurant

Vento ($$), a restaurant owned by the same people as one of my favorite's, Siroc, is a cozy Italian trattoria in West Dupont.  Like Siroc, Vento is known for their homemade pasta.  The pasta is made on-site at Vento for both restaurants. Vento is dimly lit with dark mahogany furniture- perfect for a romantic night out. 

The food did not disappoint. Fresh focaccia and olive oil hit the table first.  I couldn't help munching on the fluffy bread while I waited for my appetizer. The hand rolled gnocchi were out of this world.  At first, I was apprehensive about the Gorgonzola sauce the dish comes with because sometimes Gorgonzola can be overpowering.  The sauce was light and not at all what I expected.  It perfectly complemented the baked Bosc pear, which sat on top of the pasta.  One great deal that Vento offers is half and half portions of their pasta. If you are like me and cannot decide which one to order, this deal allows you to try more than one for the same price.

Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce and Baked Bosc Pear

The Lamb Steak with a Roasted Garlic Aioli was perfectly tender and seasoned. It was some of the best lamb I've had in a while. Vento does not hold back on portion sizes here, so come hungry! The lamb came with roasted fingerling potatoes.  The strip steak was also great, although next time I would order it medium-rare instead of medium for more flavor.  The steak was served on a bed of arugula alongside roasted red potatoes.

Lamb Steak with Roasted Garlic Aioli

Strip Steak with Cracked Pepper, Marinated Tomatoes and Arugula

For dessert, I was tempted by the spoonfuls of homemade Tiramisu, but with the recommendation of the waiter I ordered the Chocolate Ganache layered with Crushed Biscotti and a Raspberry Cream.  This hit it out of the ball park.  The ganache was so rich and the crushed biscotti cookies were a nice crunchy surprise. The dessert came with fresh raspberries on top.

Chocolate Ganache Layered with Crushed Biscotti and Raspberry Cream

I will without a doubt be coming back soon (they can't keep me away from that Gorgonzola gnocchi!) Their brunch menu also looks appetizing, with Pancakes with Roasted Bosc Pear with Ginger-Pear Syrup or Poached Eggs with Crabmeat on Brioche with a Spicy Hollandaise Sauce.  The brunch prices are very reasonable, which is a relief in D.C., ranging from $4.00- $16.00.  Vento is conveniently located near the Dupont metro.  It is in an up and coming area on P St., where a lot of new restaurants are moving in.  Reserve quickly before word spreads about this new Italian hot spot!

J'adore Adour!

I have been excited for weeks about going to renowned chef, Alain Ducasse's, DC restaurant Adour. For those of you who don't know who Alain Ducasse is, he was the chef at the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower and he owns a numbers of restaurants around the world. My friend, Kelsey, and I made a reservation weeks ago to catch the low prices during Restaurant week. Adour filled up so quickly that they extended their restaurant week special for another week. Dressed in our finest, we entered the extravagant and well decorated restaurant located in the St. Regis Hotel in downtown D.C. I was slightly intimidated by the upscale crowd and finely trimmed waiters, but eventually relaxed in my white cushioned chair. From the hostess, to the table presentation, to the overall appearance of the restaurant- there was a great attention to detail.

Inside Seating with White Cushioned Chairs

We excitedly reviewed the menu, and both decided to start with the Sunchoke Parmentier Soup with Bacon Foam. A sunchoke is a cross between a potato and a sunflower seed. The sunchokes were pureed with presumably a heavy cream and seasoning. The waiter served our bowls with two spoonfuls of foam, crispy bacon bits, and small croutons. Immediately I thought to myself, That's all I get?, but the waiter proceeded to pour the pureed soup, from a vase, over the foam right in front of me. The soup was absolutely mouth-watering. I scraped every last bit from the bottom of my bowl. The bacon foam complemented the sunchokes perfectly, and the crunchy croutons and bacon were nice little surprises.

Sunchoke Parmentier Soup with Bacon Foam and Croutons

Our next course was grilled hangar steak medallions, with Yukon gold potatoes and wilted spinach. The presentation was very well put together, as the rare steak was topped with a creamy horseradish sauce and the potatoes had some type of onion topping. The steak was perfectly seasoned and it was delicious with the horseradish sauce. The potatoes and spinach were also very well done.

Steak Medallions with Horseradish Topping, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Spinach

Finally- the dessert. We ordered a coffee cremieux with a Marsala Sauvignon sauce. It essentially was a dark chocolate covered coffee mousse with whipped cream in the center. The dessert was superb. The consistency was so light and fluffy that it melted in your mouth. The flavors blended very well together, and there was the strong liquor sauce on the side that wonderfully accompanied the dark chocolate.

Dark Chocolate Covered Coffee Mousse with Marsala Sauvignon Sauce

From the service, to the decor, to the food- Adour was fantastic.

Restaurant Week Part 2: Agraria

I was apprehensive about going because Agraria did not have the best reviews, according to Yelp.com (My favorite review website, where I find all of my restaurants!). My friend, Ruth, assured me it would be delicious because she had been before. Agraria is a spacious restaurant on the waterfront in Georgetown. The atmosphere was nice as it was right in front of the Potomac River, and the tables were lit by candle light. Agraria offered the Restaurant week 3 course prix-fixe menu this week, but I decided to order off of the regular menu. I ordered the grilled salmon with sauteed mushrooms and wild rice. Ruth ordered off of the prix-fixe menu and she got fried green tomatoes, New York strip steak, and the carrot cake.
I tried Ruth's appetizer, and it was very tasty. She had the fried green tomatoes, which came with a goat cheese flan (which was essentially a cube of mild goat cheese), a creamy basil pesto, and a tomato jam. The tomatoes were coated in cornmeal and Japanese panko breadcrumbs (Side note: if you ever coat anything in breadcrumbs- try panko and you will never go back! They are the best!). I have always wanted to try fried green tomatoes, especially after seeing the movie, but this was my first time and I was very pleased. They were sweet and crunchy. My favorite combination was the tomatoes with the tomato jam and a bit of arugula on top. These filling savory bites are a must-have.

Fried Green Tomatoes with goat cheese, tomato jam, basil pesto, and arugula garnish

Moments later, our entrees arrived. My salmon had a very basic seasoning comprised of only salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of parsley. The salmon was satisfactory, but nothing to call home about. I like a kick in my food, whether it's sweet or spicy, but the only word I can think of to describe this salmon is plain. I wish it had another ingredient to make it a little more flavorful. It sat on top of wild rice and sauteed mushrooms and a creamy, white sauce. The rice was moist, but like the salmon I think it could have been better if it had a little more flavor.

Grilled Salmon with Wild Rice, Sauteed Mushrooms, and Cream Sauce

Ruth's steak was very juicy and enjoyable. It was served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a house steak sauce. The serving was huge! Ruth could barely eat half of it.

New York Strip Steak, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and House Steak Sauce

Overall, our trip to Agraria was a positive experience but not necessarily worth the steep prices. I would not mind going back and getting some of those tomatoes, but I do not think I would order the salmon again. This restaurant seems ideal for people, like Ruth, who enjoy simple uncomplicated dishes. For those of you like me, who like innovative variations of traditional dishes, Agraria won't blow you away.

New Restaurant in Town..Siroc

Now, I can not say enough good things about Siroc. This contemporary Italian restaurant is out of this world. The ambiance was simple and classic, and the wait staff was very nice. I went with Tyler for Restaurant Week in DC (35$ for 3-course dinner, 20$ for 3 course lunch), and we savored every last bite.

All of their pasta is freshly made
(picture is from Siroc's website- see link above)

I was tempted to order from the original menu because of the ravioli filled with lobster, chervil, and roasted fennel with a sweet corn sauce. Also, the Veal Ossobuco served over Parmesan polenta sounded delicious. I will have no problem paying the 30 dollars for one of these meals in the future- but tonight, we stuck with the 3 course menu.

At the table, they bring you fresh foccacia with olive oil. For the appetizers, we split an arugula salad with Gouda cheese, poached pear, pine nuts, and a black pepper vinaigrette. The vinaigrette is true to it's name as it was very peppery, but as long as you eat it along with the pear to give it a sweet and salty contrast it is fine. We also split the appetizer of Rabbit and Black Truffle Sausages served over Parmesan polenta. I licked the plate clean off of this appetizer- it was amazing and I highly recommend it if you come.

Handmade Black Truffle and Rabbit Sausages served over Parmesan Polenta

For dinner, we split two courses: Gnocchi with a braised lamb, carrot, and tomato sauce and a Beef Tenderloin with string beans and a garlic potato puree. Both dishes were incredible. The gnocchi was light and fluffy with the perfect amount of sauce on top. The beef was the most tender cut of meat I have ever eaten, perfectly seasoned, and perfectly complimented the sides. It was a little rare for my taste- but none the less, delicious.

For dessert, we had a chocolate covered tiramisu and poached pears with ginger ice cream. Both dishes lived up to the other meals as they were superb. The tiramisu was fluffy and came with an orange nectar sauce on the side. The pear was soaked in a thick sweet liquor and complimented the ice cream perfectly.

Chocolate covered Tiramisu

Overall, an A +. This restaurant is new in town, and lucky for us not many people know about it yet so it was no problem getting a reservation. I have a feeling that will change in the upcoming weeks when the word spreads, so reserve quickly!!