Okay, so I don't do many reviews here but I thought it would add some content to the blog.
Last night I went to Cru Wine Bar for restaurant week. For months now my friends have been raving about their steamed mussels. Fortunately for me, the steamed mussels were part of the 3 course meal (which was only $25). We decided to eat at the bar since the all the tables were full and it didn't seem like anyone was leaving anytime soon. We started off with several flights of wine, which I wasn't impressed by, a couple of appetizers - goat cheese beignets and Ahi Tuna tartare. The beignets were absolutely delicious. I was told that the goat cheese was mixed with marscapone cheese as well and the creaminess definitely came through in the filling. The outside was fried to perfection, nice and crispy and just a touch of sweetness from the honey glaze. As for the tartare, if you've had one you've just about had them all. It definitely lacked that extra kicked to set it apart from other tuna tartares.
For dinner we opted for the steamed mussels, petite filet mignon, and the chocolate chip cookie cake with vanilla ice cream. For the rave that I've been hearing about the mussels I can't say that it lived up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong they were good, but they weren't the best I've had. Coming from a person who loves tart and sour dishes, this dish was over the top with its tartness. In my opinion, it definitely needed a more delicate balance to showcase the white wine and lemongrass broth that were both drowned out by the tartness of the dish. The petite filet was a hit, it was cooked perfectly medium-rare and fork tender as can be. The veal/red wine demi glace was probably one of the better sauces I've ever tasted. It was neither too sweet nor too salty and was perfectly balanced. It was great to see that even though the sauce was superb the chef didn't drown the filet in it.
For dessert were initially going to have the chocolate lava cake, but by the time we ordered, they were all out. So they substituted the lava cake with a chocolate chip cake and vanilla ice cream - which was a blessing in disguise (I'm not a real big chocolate fan anyway). The chocolate chip cake was nothing more than a really thick cookie, however, it was delicious and a great ending to a wonderful meal.
I'd recommend anyone to Cru Wine Bar located at the Domain in Austin, TX, especially when you can get a great meal for just $25 during restaurant week (September 19-22 and 26-29, 2010 (FYI - The wine flights and the other appetizers are not part of the $25).
1 comment:
Sorry you didn't like the mussels that much, when we had them they were really good! Maybe it was an off day?
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