Falling for Fred's Again

My wife and I enjoyed a sensational meal at one of our fave spots in town last night. Fred's at the Vinoy Hotel in St. Pete has recently re-invented itself to become a much more traditional Steak House, what with the a la carte menu, the raw bar, etc. We've found ourselves there for many a celebratory night out, and this one didn't disappoint...
Opened up a nice Napa Cab (Castle Rock); We shared the French onion soup, which was rich with sherry and well-balanced with the onions and melted Gruyere. Always a good starter!
The wife got rainbow trout, which was light but flavorful and abundant! There were 2 huge filets on the plate (good news for me, considering I am a huge fan of leftovers, and my wife almost never cleans her plate!). I couldn't resist ordering the Kobe burger. Served on a toasted challah bun, with a sweet, caramelized tomato jam, and melted, shredded cheese that all worked so well together. If you've never tried kobe beef, it's worth a shot. It's richer, a bit gamier, approaching bison (which I love, too). The sides we ordered were awesome: creamed spinach that had a bit of a crunch to it with panko bread crumbs toasted on top, cheese and just the right balance of cream so it was rich but not overly goopy and/or watery. Almost a misnomer to even call it creamed. Recalled to mind a favorite chef friend of mine, Tim Love, making "fried" spinach for me once; the crispiness of the outer edges of the spinach take on a fried onion consistency. Just terrific. But the surprise of the meal had to the spaetzle. The chef prepares hers with peas, prosciutto, and mushrooms folded in to the potato/pasta mixture. If you like gnocchi, then you will LOVE spaetzle! Not dumplings per se, but the flavor profile is a close cousin. Forks were flying in an effort for both of us to get our fair share of every plate!
The attentive staff topped off our meal with a complimentary Anniversary dessert of Hazelnut Chocolate mousse, which was, it goes withut saying, decadent.
Great way to top a memorable meal...

New Site I Like

Once you're done perusing my blog, of course (!)... check out this site...
www.findeatdrink.com

Passover coming up shortly... gotta love the food-centric Jewish holidays! Stay tuned...

Yes, Masters

In an unintended, ironic twist, Top Chef Masters debuts at exactly the same time THE Masters tees of in Augusta, GA. Take that, Tiger!
Found a preview of the new season, which premieres on Bravo April 7th at Grub Street.

http://newyork.grubstreet.com