Text 34938, 86 rader
Skriven 2016-01-09 04:28:38 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: tastes 781
==================
Jimmy's Steer House, Arlington. This is the closest restaurant to
the house, so I can easily walk there, which I do at least twice
a year, the draw being the lunch prime rib special. This was a
14-16 oz (often more) cut that when I started visiting regularly 
was $4.95 with a starch and a vegetable or soup or salad, then the
price crept up by a buck every few years, then the salad option
became extra and the soup disappeared, then when the price hit $9 
or  10, the starch and vegetable became starch or vegetable. Now 
it's $10.95 and the portion is down to 10 to 12 oz. Ah, for the 
olden days.

The beef is now better than it has been recently, as good as it
was in my youth; there's plenty of fat (the Trip Advisors seem
to complain about this), so I get enough flavor and calories.
And this time, ordering my usual "rarest piece you've got" I got
a nice rare piece with the middle just jiggly without the grain
fully developed. The exterior was crusted with a Montreal-like
rub, which must be now a commercial product, because if it were
formulated in house, no way would there have been half a dill
seed, which of course I got and which almost made me cry. My side
order was the famous rice, which is an agreeable pilaffy thing 
shot full of green shreds of spinach and flavorized by leftover 
"au jus" and a generous helping of MSG.

There was just enough food, for a decent price, in contrast to 
the olden days when there was abundant food for a great price.
Or the real olden days when I could take back 6 oz as a gift
to my friends down the way (the serving had often been a pound
back before those meddling dietitians and accountants took over 
the world).

A pint (now 15 oz, formerly 20) of Sam Adams was fine, but when
it came time for a second, the tap sputtered and coughed, so
being impatient, I substituted a Winter, which please don't
do, because it tastes like sour spoiled gingerbread.
--
Les Zygomates - I've been going here as comfort station for
some decades - when it opened up in I believe the early '90s
it used to have jazz evenings, and some of my friends played
there, so being then a loyal sort of friend, I'd go and have a
glass or two of wine and pretend to listen for a while. That was 
one of the places I'd meet my friend J.J. after we broke up, and 
every couple years we'd have a reunion there. I understand 
there has been a change in management, and she was eager to see.

The host seated us in the far corner at a little table where
a party of two had to play kneesies. This was not a bad thing
but a little presumptuous.

Our waiter, a very tall suave black guy, treated us like a dating 
couple. This was not a bad thing but a little presumptuous.

I got that bistro classic the (menu description) Grilled Hanger 
Steak Frites (Marrow Butter, Spinach, Bordelaise Sauce). This
was an about 8 oz steak rare as ordered, bizarrely tender as
though Kafkaized or papainized, with frites well done well done
as ordered. The so-called marrow butter was an orange-flavored
compound butter that I scraped off into the totally supernumerary
but harmless sauce, which was about as bordelaise as I am. The
meat was actually pretty tasty; the spinach likewise but dead
salty.

J.J.'s Seared Salmon Salad (Spinach & Pickled Beet with Almonds 
& Creme Fra˙che) was a thinnish fillet about the same size, 
done crispy outside and moist inside, which bespeaks a really
hot griddle, over spinach and unidentified greens with a slice
of avocado, some almonds, and a whole lot of craisins. It was
excellent.

My wine choice was a second wine from some modest Bordeaux
chateau, kind of tasteless but the cheapest wine on the list
that would go with a steak. It was dryish, tannins going away
with age (I think it was a 2010), peppery, fruit going away,
pretty neutral actually but nice with the meat. I mighta shoulda
oughta have got a beer.

J.J. had the Domaine des Pasquiers Cotes du Rhone (Sablet) 11, 
which was corked, so I summoned the waiter, who whisked the 
glass away without demur and fairly soon replaced it with a 
pour from a new bottle; this revealed a sweetish, plummy raisiny 
rather nice Grenache blend that was excellent with the fish.

The bill - probably three or four times what I'd have spent 
when the place opened, but such is life.
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Check Out Doc's QWK Mail  Via Web BBS > DocsPlace.org  (1:123/140)