Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Uptown Billiards

Cynthia and I have a new favorite haunt. A co-worker recommended a place called Uptown Billiards Club and...well, we haven't gone anywhere else for dinner since. I'm sure that's an unsustainable trend, but this place is more than just a great dinner - it's an experience.


Looks nice, no? Kinda feels like a millionaire's bachelor pad. But the real reason to dine here is because of the gimmick.

Ever seen Iron Chef? The whole secret ingredient in each course idea? That's what they use for the five course meal at Uptown Billiards. And the chef knows what he's doing!

Here's the menu for the first time we went. The ingredient was one of my favorites, figs. (sadly, these pictures straight from their website are nowhere near as good as the food looked when we dined there)

Fig and Arugula Salad
This was a pretty standard salad, done well but nothing to write home about. I was a bit worried about the whole fig theme because TLC is not a fan of figs. After she tried this first fig, I think she was receptive. But the next course sold her completely... 

Sweet Potato Creme Brulee
This is the dish I'll tell my grandkids about someday. The creme brulee was perfectly executed and the fig on top added the perfect note. The plate also included a seared foie gras on wilted spinach and caramelized figs in a sherry gastrique. There are no words to describe the party in your mouth this dish created.

Prosciutto Wrapped Scallop
with a fig balsamic reduction and risotto. Did I mention that TLC loves scallops? Even after the life-changing second course, I think we were wondering if we should have just ordered a huge plate of these scallops. 

Roasted Lamb Rib
In case you were wondering if chili and fig go together, this course answers affirmatively. Lamb also happens to be my favorite animal protein.

Fig Layer Cake and Fig Pistachio Ice Cream
This looked SO much better at the restaurant. Not only can their chef whip up an incredible meal, he can act as a great pastry chef too! Just an amazing meal from start to finish.

And when the meal is done, you get an hour of pool time. Such a great place! I'm sure we'll be here MANY more times.

Christmas Card 2012

We never truly sent out all of the Christmas cards and newsletters that we intended. By the time mid-January rolled around, I figured it just wasn't worth the effort anymore. So if you didn't receive something, I'm very sorry...we'll try to be more prepared next year. In any case, here's the newsletter we sent for 2012.