Thursday, August 29, 2013
8/23/13
Ah, Alana's! She is always known for her local, natural, individual approach to fine dining in a relaxed atmosphere. I managed to get a prime porch seat with my date under a fern after the heat of the day had cooled to a comfortable temp with a nice breeze.
We were treated to a vegan amuse bouche that was simple and tasty, but technically required more than one bite. I'm not complaining, though.
I was quite disappointed to learn from our pleasant server that Alana would not under any circumstances alter her famous Tomato Stack to be vegetarian. Taking out the crab meat seems like a no-brainer, but I have unfortunately found in the past that, though Alana's claims to be flexible for vegetarians, the reality is actually quite far from that.
We ordered the savory martinis, apparently all the rage now, but when they came we were underwhelmed with both their weak flavor and weak alcohol. My Tomato Martini with basil was just bland, both flavor-wise and in its potency. Same for my partner's Cucumber Martini. Honestly, Jeni's cucumber water has more cucumber essence than this. And at $9 apiece, they were very disappointing.
Next came the soups. My Tomato Soup was fine...fresh, tomatoey, and tasty enough, but it didn't knock my socks off. It included a few croutons. My partner's Chicken Soup was by all accounts also fine.
When our main dishes came, she enjoyed her Risotto du jour, and I was treated to a very fresh Simple Salad. It was a bit too simple for my taste, however. The greens tasted freshly-picked, so kudos there. But the dressing was nearly nonexistent and consequently lacking in much-desired flavor. There was also some shaved parmesan, so that helped some.
I ordered the bread, something which used to be free, but is now $2. It was tasty and fresh, but nothing to write home about.
None of the desserts appealed, but after-dinner drinks sounded good, so we imbibed. My date's Irish coffee was apparently drinkable, but lacked whipped cream. I believe that is a required ingredient of Irish coffee. And my True Spirit, mixing many liqueurs with coffee, was potent, but surprised me with its coffee, which was not clear from the menu.
Overall, a much more enjoyable evening meal on the patio for the company than the food and drink, but it will not prevent return attempts.
http://alanas.com/
Ah, Alana's! She is always known for her local, natural, individual approach to fine dining in a relaxed atmosphere. I managed to get a prime porch seat with my date under a fern after the heat of the day had cooled to a comfortable temp with a nice breeze.
We were treated to a vegan amuse bouche that was simple and tasty, but technically required more than one bite. I'm not complaining, though.
I was quite disappointed to learn from our pleasant server that Alana would not under any circumstances alter her famous Tomato Stack to be vegetarian. Taking out the crab meat seems like a no-brainer, but I have unfortunately found in the past that, though Alana's claims to be flexible for vegetarians, the reality is actually quite far from that.
We ordered the savory martinis, apparently all the rage now, but when they came we were underwhelmed with both their weak flavor and weak alcohol. My Tomato Martini with basil was just bland, both flavor-wise and in its potency. Same for my partner's Cucumber Martini. Honestly, Jeni's cucumber water has more cucumber essence than this. And at $9 apiece, they were very disappointing.
Next came the soups. My Tomato Soup was fine...fresh, tomatoey, and tasty enough, but it didn't knock my socks off. It included a few croutons. My partner's Chicken Soup was by all accounts also fine.
When our main dishes came, she enjoyed her Risotto du jour, and I was treated to a very fresh Simple Salad. It was a bit too simple for my taste, however. The greens tasted freshly-picked, so kudos there. But the dressing was nearly nonexistent and consequently lacking in much-desired flavor. There was also some shaved parmesan, so that helped some.
I ordered the bread, something which used to be free, but is now $2. It was tasty and fresh, but nothing to write home about.
None of the desserts appealed, but after-dinner drinks sounded good, so we imbibed. My date's Irish coffee was apparently drinkable, but lacked whipped cream. I believe that is a required ingredient of Irish coffee. And my True Spirit, mixing many liqueurs with coffee, was potent, but surprised me with its coffee, which was not clear from the menu.
Overall, a much more enjoyable evening meal on the patio for the company than the food and drink, but it will not prevent return attempts.
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