Felicidades Fina and goodnight Irene

I had planned to spend today writing about Restaurant Week, and the fifth consecutive visit that Lovely Co-Worker Sarah and I had planned for lunch at L'Espalier.

And then Irene happened. (To rub it in, she's hurling herself against our windows right now.)

See, last weekend we went down to Puerto Rico to celebrate The Boy's grandmother's hundredth (!) birthday. The plan was to fly in on Saturday, help set up the function room, have a blast on Sunday, and fly back Monday.

The first part of the plan went very well.









The birthday girl:



Despite the fact that we knew a hurricane was coming, we were pretty confident that we'd make it out. But then Irene descended, knocking out power to most of the island (including the airport). On Monday morning, our flight was canceled.

The Boy made a call to JetBlue. The next available flight was ... Thursday.

Now, it could have been worse. There were 90,000 people without drinking water; roads were flooded, trees were down, traffic lights were out. Our only problems were not having clean clothes for a couple of days and having to use up the little vacation time accrued since I finished treatment and went back to work.

With the power out (except for the single line from the neighbor's back-up generator to run the fridge and charge our phones) and a forecast of torrential thunderstorms for the next few days, we settled into a routine of Trivial Pursuit and eating.

Luckily, the power was on at some good restaurants.

Metropol (beware! Website is Flash and has music!) supplied us with avocado salad ('tis the season), ham croquetas, and a fabulous Ropa Vieja:







At Zayas in Hato Rey, there was a very tender empanada de pollo with rice and beans. Oh, and avocado.



At La Parrillada Argentina there was a rich, dark morcilla, served with olive oil-whipped mashed potato:



But it wasn't all meat and fried. On Wednesday, once the worst of the rain had passed, we went to the Plaza del Mercado in Rio Piedras to pick up veggies for lunch.



Oh, and avocado.



The Boy's mom put together a beautiful salt-cod salad:



with a variety of local root veggies.

(Before)





(After)





So while our stay was longer than we had anticipated, it was great. We got to spend extra days with the family; we had some peaceful down-time; and — as is always the case in Puerto Rico — we ate very, very well.



So as long as you don't do too much damage up here, Irene, we'll say nothing more about it. Except perhaps goodnight.

Lunch at L'Espalier; Restaurant Week 2011

There are some things so important that nothing, not even cancer, can stop them.

Example: the tradition of Restaurant Week lunch at L'Espalier with Lovely Co-Worker Sarah.

This was our fourth trip (here are one, two and three) and we got lucky. Not only because Restaurant Week coincided with my Good (i.e. Eat! Eat!) Week, but also because, though it initially seemed we'd left it too late to get a reservation, LC Sarah was diligently monitoring the situation; as soon as she noticed a table had become available, she pounced.

Usually we order different things so we can try each other's food; this year it wasn't as easy, as there were a lot of seafood items. Sarah is allergic to fish and I'm staying away from anything that might mess with my weakened immune system (I know, I'm probably safe at L'Espalier, but I'm not taking any risks).

So the mussels with garam masala and cashew-curry sauce were out, as was the lobster BLT with avocado butter.

Not that we suffered, of course. First, a goat cheese curd salad with rhubarb. The curd, which I hadn't tried before, has a texture much like flan: light, almost custardy, with more of a tang than regular goat cheese. I'd definitely look for it again.

In this dish, it balanced nicely with the bite of the rhubarb, the cabernet sauvignon vinaigrette, and the deep, salty Kalamata olives.



Sarah said, "It's like Lily Pulitzer on a plate." It was certainly the preppiest salad I've ever had.



Next, we both went for the short ribs.

Side note: Two breaks from tradition here. One is that Sarah did not get the burger, as she has done the previous three times we've done Restaurant Week lunch at L'Espalier. The other is that the burger is now part of the Restaurant Week menu, rather than being a regular-menu item. (It's also $10 extra.)

Anyway. Short ribs.







Below the meat, a swirl of sweet, creamy parsnip purée; above, some kind of fried, crunchy deliciousness; to the side, more sweetness in roasted red onions and barely cooked carrots.

(As we were leaving, we heard a women remark to the hostess that "the short ribs were a little dry." She was evidently insane.)

We were able to diversify on the dessert options. As usual, there was something involving exotic fruit, fluffiness, and lychee: buttermilk panna cotta with guava-cream cheese mousse.



The little black beads? Chocolate-covered rice. Genius.

And something chocolatey: a dark-choc cake topped with caramel, with a pool of intensely flavored blood-orange gel to the side.



In my last post, I gave thanks for friends who bring food. I'm also extremely grateful to friends who say, "Cancer schmancer — let's go eat!"

So Sarah, thanks for keeping up tradition, and let's plan ahead; by the time the next Restaurant Week rolls around, I'll be back to my full eating potential.

L'Espalier: Restaurant Week lunch time again

For the third consecutive Restaurant Week, LC Sarah and I became ladies who lunch at L'Espalier.

As always, it was delightful, not least for the fact that lunch involving white tablecloths and smartly be-suited waitstaff is eminently more civilized than a sandwich at one's desk and an afternoon spent dislodging cheese from one's keyboard.

And extra points for good record-keeping; without prompting, our waiter acknowledged Sarah's food allergies, information gained from previous visits. I wish more restaurants were this diligent.

L'Espalier's Restaurant Week lunch menu this time was not too different from our previous visits — soup or salad; pork or salmon; dessert of chocolate or fruit — but that isn't a bad thing. There are still seasonal elements, and new flavor combinations, that make each meal new.

Sarah's on a gazpacho kick, so she had to get that. It came with a saffron-infused crème fraiche and airy cucumber foam.



I ordered the salad, and ... I just realized something. The menu described it as:



And while it definitely had perfectly ripe melon, and fresh greens in a light yet creamy dressing that nicely complemented the shrimp, the dish was squidless. Last-minute change of plan or plating oversight?



As she has at the previous two L'Espalier lunches, Sarah ordered the burger, which came topped with pulled pork and Roaring 40s cheese (not oozingly melted this time, but rather in a satisfying chunk):



As I have at the previous two lunches, I went for the pork. This time it was belly, nicely varied in texture — crispy, meaty, fatty — which paired well with sharp pickled turnip and slightly bitter greens.



Oh, and with insanely lovely creamed corn, buttery and sweet, cooked only lightly so it still had a just-off-the-cob color and crunch.



And then dessert. Sarah chose the napoleon, which came deconstructed: chocolate and espresso mousse skewered with a wedge of puff pastry and finished with a swirl of intense blueberry.





My dessert looked almost exactly like Sarah's dessert from our last Restaurant Week lunch at L'Espalier.

That was then:



This is now:



Last time, it was blood orange, guava, lychee; this time, coconut, peach, lychee. Apparently their lychee supplier is persuasive.

So the question is: What happens next Restaurant Week? Back to L'Espalier for salad and pork, soup and burger, chocolate and lychee?

All signs point to well, duh.

Restaurant Week 2010: lunch at L'Espalier

Last year, Lovely Co-Worker Sarah and I did Restaurant Week lunch at L'Espalier.

This year, we could have tried something new (that's the point of Restaurant Week, right?). But instead, we went back to L'Espalier. Which now means it's a tradition. Them's the rules.

Wanna see?

We both started with the salad: endive with olives and feta. I don't remember having had olives so good; perhaps the brine was lighter, but instead of an strong, deep flavor, they were light and fresh.



The salad was finished with a red pepper coulis that seemed to contain the intensity of dozens of peppers reduced to their essence. And a generous wedge of chickpea fritter, dense and nutty, that was perfect for mopping up the coulis and the black olive vinaigrette.



Then the mains; as she did last year, LC Sarah went rogue and ordered the burger from the regular, non-Restaurant Week menu. She had her reasons.





I stuck to the prix fixe menu, and almost chose the roast salmon with saffron couscous over the pork loin. But didn't.



The meat was thick and juicy; the mushroom sauce was deeply flavored without being heavy; and the greens underneath the pork were perfectly balanced (not too bitter, not too sweet) and the best part of the dish.

And then to dessert. I ordered the chocolate cake: layers of fluffy mousse topped with caramel, served with delicate almond cookies and chocolate krispies and finished with an intensely orangey foam.



But LC Sarah most definitely won dessert. Layers of vanilla and blood orange mousse, delicate and subtle, with a guava sauce and lychee foam.



Her description: "A mattress of heaven."



She said, "I wish I was tiny so I could lay on it."

I said, "How about being rich enough to buy a really really big one?"

Either way, the lounging-in-mousse concept was deemed agreeable. And so was the idea of celebrating next spring by coming back to L'Espalier for Restaurant Week.

Restaurant Week: Lunch at L'Espalier

Q: What's better than going to L'Espalier for lunch?

A: Going to L'Espalier for lunch during Restaurant Week. Three courses: $20.09.

Q: What's better (or perhaps worse) than having to read a long, rambling post about how well crafted, beautifully plated and generally delicious the food was?

A: Having to look at a whole bunch of photos. (Sorry.)

To begin, a salad of spring greens with rhubarb vinaigrette and Three Sisters cheddar:



And a light, sweet Vidalia onion soup dotted with licorice sugar (dark and explosive on the tongue)



with a tiny island of light, fluffy parmesan flan, topped with roasted almonds.



Next, pork belly with caraway-roasted potatoes and pickled-ginger sauerkraut.





And, for a little extra, one of the spécialités de la maison: juicy, salty sirloin burger with pulled pork (!), served in a toasted brioche bun with Roaring Forties cheese and slaw ...



The burger came with thick fries that were more like roasted potato (a slight crunch to the outside; light and fluffy inside), and a trio of condiments that included a homemade barbecue sauce and a lovely garlic-truffle ailoi.



For dessert: chocolate brownies with crumbled white chocolate ...



And a mango mousse with macademia nuts.



This is allegedly Restaurant Week for Winter 2009. But as of this dessert, spring has officially begun.