Restaurant Review

Husband and I had a disappointingly, not quite 'bad' new year, but less than stellar. We had reservations at a restaurant that we both have really enjoyed in the past. In fact, it has been quite excellent the last few times we have been. We were quite shocked with the food that was put in front of us last night. Here's the low down.

• t'afia, Houston, TX - December 31, 2009

The evening started with the two of us ordering almost the exact same meal off of the 5 course menu. We also went with the recommended wine pairing and the 3 1/2 course addition. We were excited and the anticipation was high.

• First course: Savory Macaroons

The savory macaroons were unfortunately the best thing we had all night. One was green (!) and the other was brown. They looked like little cookies. I ate only the green one as the brown macaroon had mushrooms. The surprise to the green macaroon was that it had a minty flavor. This was quite interesting and unexpected. Husband also like the macaroon containing mushrooms. We thought we were in for a treat.

• Second Course: Butternut Bisque

This was also a good course. The bisque was a rich orange flavor and the texture was nice and slightly thick. The flavor would have been more complete with a little bit of cream. We both added a little salt and pepper and again had a yummy course.

• Third Course: Spinach Ricotta Gnudi, Brown-Butter Sage Sauce

With high expectations once again, I cut one of the dark colored gnudi with my fork. I love butter/sage sauce and was excited to see this option on the table. I put the gnudi in my mouth and was surprised at the slightly crunchy texture, not unpleasantly though. The filling was tasty and the portion was more than enough. It was an adequate third course. Husband's third course was down right disgusting. Cream filled mozzarella. The texture was very disturbing and I admit I was glad it was not my dish.

• Three 1/2 Course: Pork Rillette with Black Bread

I guess the failure of this course might be my own fault. I did not know what a rillette was. I do now. This rillette was filled with ground pork and lard. Yes lard. Check out the picture below. They must fill the cup with the concoction and put it in the fridge to let it 'harden'. Ick-o-rama. As you can see, I didn't eat much. In fact, the idea of eating pork in its own fat made me want to throw-up. Ah well.

• Fourth Course: Veal, Saltambocca Style

Also known as chicken fried steak. (who knew?) Wow. What a let down. After losing 11 pounds since late September, I just could not eat this with a clear conscious. I had about 5 bites and pushed the plate away. If the flavors has been noteworthy, I would have eaten every bite, but honestly, this dish was not worth the calories.

• Fifth Course: Sour Cherry Chocolate Bread Pudding

An OK finish to a disappointing meal. It was passable, but I have definitely had better. The cream anglaise was satisfying, but again, no flavors that really stuck out as incredible.

Overall, the evening was a let down. Husband and I were expecting a lot from the "Chef of the Year 2009" and either the Chef had the night off or there was a little too much partying going on in the kitchen. Nothing we ate was memorable (in a good way at least) and it will take quite a bit of cajoling to get me to visit t'afia again. Which really is a shame.