Robin and I thought it would be fun to sample a couple of restaurants we hadn’t been to yet, so we selected Ris (for lunch) and Mintwood Place (for dinner). We were aware of all of the problems with RW - hard to get reservations, over-crowding, rushed service, skeletal menus, and a move ‘em in, move ‘em out mentality. Nevertheless, we made our reservations and hoped for the best.
Ris has a beautiful interior of beige and dark brown colors, comfortable wooden chairs, some with different backs, a few wooden “farm tables” without tablecloths, and attractive but not distracting art on the wall. The decor has a distinct Asian feel. The long rectangular restaurant is broken up into several rooms and this offers a more intimate and reserved dining experience. Sound levels were moderate.
The RW menu, however, did little to show off the skills of the chef. Except for Robin’s appetizer, a lovely mousse of smoked trout and creme fraiche - as well as a complex take on rice pudding that Robin also chose - the offerings were pretty boring. My starter was a pleasant clam chowder. Robin had salmon with a mustard crust, which we do very well at home; and I was persuaded by our waiter to sample the duck confit, which was too crusty and lacked any real flavor. The other main course was ho- hum fried scallops. For the other dessert there was a choice of chocolate bread pudding and home made ice cream and sorbet. Finally the wait staff, although friendly was a bit under-whelming as they flubbed a request for additional bread and forgot to remove crumbs from the table after each course. We did get plenty of water refills, though!
Mintwood Place on a Thursday evening was energized even at the time of our 6:00 p.m. reservation. There is a large bar space with small tables as you enter, and one has a view of the open kitchen in the back. Sounds bounce off the tin walls and wooden ceiling in the back as well as the stressed wainscoating walls and tin ceiling in the front. Comfort is the key here; please feel at home - stay as long as you want and enjoy the vibe.
Our menu at Mintwood Place was quite interesting. We started with an ”extra,” their escargot hush puppies, for $11.00. The idea is clever, but hush puppies are hush puppies, and Robin thought that a half order would have sufficed. When I reminded her that she and I did split an order, she corrected herself to one-quarter order because of the fried, heavy batter, which disguised the escargot. The main attraction was their version of a ranch dressing dipping sauce.
For first, Robin selected the smoked potato, sunchoke and mussel chowder, which was so good that she refused to share it with me. I had a delicious salad of burrata, flash-fried kale (reminiscent of Rasika’s signature spinach dish), hazelnuts, apple, and tamarind. Our waiter recommended another popular dish for our main course: roasted pork for two, with braised lentils and potato gratin. A delicious charcutiere sauce came with the pork. The portion was so large that we took home another full dinner in a paper box. With our waiter’s help we chose an affordable Cote du Rhone, a 2010 Domaine Sainte Eugenie, a mix of syrah, granache and carignan grapes. It went perfectly with our meal. We ended with baked Alaska (for me) and pecan pie with creme fraiche for Robin.
This was delicious meal; our dining experience was excellent; and we will return.
