What To Have

This is a first, I dont usually promote upcoming events but i recently found out about this tasting/pairing at Fins feb 28th. It’s only $45/per person (plus tax/gratuity). give them a call at 919 834-6963 to make a reservation. I’ll definitely be there and wanted to let other people know.

This thursday (2-28) Fins will be doing a tasting/pairing with George Sparks of Wilson Daniels Ltd of Napa Valley. Chef William D’Auvray will be pairing with the following:
Champagne Delamotte Brut
Domaine Marc Kreydennweis (alsace)
Sauvignon Republic (south africa)
Felton Road (central otago, nz)
Silverado (silverado trail, napa)
Royal Tokaji (hungary)

–Matt

Parking:
park on the street or in the deck of the progress energy building.

–Update -03/04/2008
The tasting at Fins was amazing. The chef made some dishes that aren’t on the menu. Some included a special version of his chilean seabass rib-rack, mushroom hot-pot and almond crusted brie. I wont be missing these when they come around.

–Matt

As long as I’ve lived downtown I have never been to Caffe Luna…until tonight. I’ve walked by there hundreds of times and as i expected the experience was exceptional. The service was great and the food showed me why they’ve been around for so long.

I started with Caesar Salad. This was unlike any Caesar I’ve had before. The ingredients were the same, but dressing was different. Instead of dressing and croutons and different textures of cheese, the dressing incorporated the cheese. It wasn’t too overpowering and made the dish. I liked having crunchy lettuce and croutons as the only main ingredients. The dressing was spread evenly and really worked.

My main course was Tortelli Crostacci which was fresh pasta sutffed with various seafoods (crab/lobster/prawns i believe) in a ricotta tomato cream sauce. This dish was hearty but light, filling but not over done, great example of the amazing food downtown.

Parking:
Several options here, you’ve got on street parking around moore square and various roads. There is also a public deck one block north on Blount Str.

–Matt

I had an amazing wild mushroom soup at Fins tonight. It was the soup of the evening, and it really worked for me. It included a wide range of wild mushrooms in a creamy base. The chef often serves cream based soups, this was one of the best I’ve had.

My main course is quickly becoming a steady thing for me. While I generally go to Fins for the fish (makes sense right) I’ve also noticed that the other offerings are just as amazing. The chicken stuffed with proscuitto and cheese is one of those non-fish dishes. The outside of the course is crispy and delicate, the inside is tender and juicy. Add proscuitto and melted cheese and you’ve got amazing almost comfort food. But to take it a step further, the chef pars the chicken with grilled ramps and some type of starch, usually potatoes. I know, chicken at a fish place, but I can honestly say that this dish amazes me like everything else on the menu.

Parking: Parking at Fins is easy. either park really close with on street parking on Davie Street. Or park in one of the decks adjoining the Progress Energy Building.

-Matt

I hadanother enjoyable meal at Riviera tonight. I started with the Portabella con Cangrejo, i simply can’t get enough of this app. See my previous review here. I finished up with the Proscuitto Wrapped Chicken. This dish is fairly lite even though it’s wrapped in proscuitto. The chick is grilled, tender and stuffed with an assortment of pine nuts, mozzarella and fresh herbs. It sits on a tomato-basil risotto that is lite and fluffy. Try this one out.

-Matt

I had another one of those spectacular dishes at Fins sat night. The special was a pan seared grouper. The star of this dish was a fresh filet of grouper pan seared for a slight crispyness on the outside. It was tender, flaky and tasted as if it were in the ocean hours before. An assortment of mixed japanese mushrooms sat atop the grouper. To round this dish out, the chef quick wok’d green beans and cashews. This mixture added firm texture of the beans and richness of the cashews to the dish. All of it sat atop pureed edamame. I’m an edamame fan and I’d never seen this treatment but I’d have this in another dish in a heartbeat. Overall I liked how the freshness of the fish blended well with the richness of the cashews and the flavor of the edamame…keep it up Fins. Try this out, they continue to amaze me.

-Matt