Sorry For The Neglect (But I Was Eating Well!)

I spent the weekend in Dallas, so I wasn't able to post any blogs, but I was able to write--so stay tuned to some refreshing entries.

I did want to share my interesting dining experience while I was in Dallas. I was treated to The French Room (ooh la la!). I am not really what one would consider a foodie, but I loved it. The atmosphere was great and the food was even better. Some of the accolades The French Room has received:

*The 2006/2007 Zagat Survey named it the #1 hotel restaurant in America.
* Travel & Leisure chose it for its rankings of “America’s Top 50 Restaurants” and the “twenty-five best dining experiences in the world.”
* USA Today recently featured the Zagat Survey's 100 Top Hotel Restaurants in America. Based on on food quality, decor, and service, The French Room is #1.....
* "The French Room is only one of two Zagat rated restaurants worldwide to receive ratings of 29 (of 30) across the board in the last five years." - Tim Zagat
* "A Religious Experience....Five Stars for Food, Service, and Ambiance" - Dallas Morning News
* "One of World's Top 25 Dining Experiences" - Travel & Leisure Magazine

* "Top 11 American Restaurants" - AOL Food

We dined on exquisite French cuisine under 18-foot cathedral ceilings covered by frescoes. Louis XVI high-back chairs, silver, crystal and fine china exuding Old World grandeur rounded out the experience. I was pleasantly suprised by the amuse-bouche: pork loin served with diced watermelon and curry. The amuse-bouche is served right before the hors d'oeuvres and literally means "to amuse the mouth." It sets the tone for the meal to come and give you a glimpse to the chef's approach to cooking. Under the romantic glow of a single taper candle, I indulged on Maine Lobster with white asparagus soup. Between the first and second course, we were presented with an intermezzo to cleanse the palate: refreshing raspberry sorbet. What I liked most about the intermezzo was the presentation! It was served in this lovely glass lilly that was frosted in the freezer. I almost thought it was an ice form. Presentation is everything and, unfortunately, I didn't have my camera. For my second course, my gulf red snapper was broiled to perfection, with three large gulf shrimp garnishing it and served with steal-cut oat risotto. The second intermezzo was banana soup with a banana nut crouton. And for my final act, I finished with the French Room chocolate souffle.

It is almost sinful to eat such rich and sumptuous food all in one sitting! And we only had the three course meal. Can you believe that they offer a prix-fixe thirteen course meal? My favorites included not what was on my plate, but what was on my friend's plate: the signature jumbo lump crab cake served with lemongrass-ginger infused lobster sauce and perfectly seared pecan encrusted foie gras. My absolute favorite: white chocolate and goat cheese polenta. I wanted seconds and thirds although they would seem to be such strange bed fellows, the white chocolate and goat cheese. . .

As you can see, I can talk about this food all day! And I haven't even mentioned the impeccable service (three cheers for Francisco!). But, I wanted to let you all know why I hadn't been posting in the last few days. The French Room and the Adolphus Hotel get my recommendation if you are in the Dallas area. Now--back to our regularly scheduled program. . .