Rendezvous Rec's

[Karl]

Heading to rendezvous next week, anyone have any recommendations?

[enhF94]

there's a new dessert on the menu as of two weeks ago; a rice pudding with mangoes steamed in a banana leaf. I thought it was pretty good, and there's a nice wine pairing you can ask for too.

[Luther]

When I got it the thing was totally inedible. The rice wasn't cooked all the way through, and there was way too much cardamom flavor. Crunchy + acrid = not good dessert.

[MC Slim JB]

There's one new dish on the menu that I have to heartily recommend, an app of sauteed squid in a very complex tomato-based stew with Maraş peppers (a mildly hot Turkish chili I'd never heard of before), onions, black olives, saffron, maybe some fennel. Purportedly inspired by Johnson's recent trip to Barcelona. I bread-mopped that plate clean. Fantastic.

[bella_sarda]

I will second MC's rave for the squid dish, which is a first course but quite a generous portion. You could order a salad (shaved artichoke!) and the squid and then have the fabulous lemon buttermilk pudding and it would be a great meal.

[heathermb]

That's what my father had for his starter...thanks for reminding me. He LOVED it and also did the bread-mopping to get every last bit.

[tzag]

I absolutely love the gnocci and the meatballs as well. I'm a big fan of the short ribs, which are unfortunately not on the new menu.

I also second the recommendation for the lemon-buttermilk pudding with huckleberry sauce.

[MC Slim JB]

The new seasonal menu is full of things I haven't tried. Time for a revisit. Some things I do see that I've liked: vegetable antipasto, charcuterie plate, lemon pudding with huckleberry sauce. Cocktails are always well made here.

[heathermb]

I was there last week and had the following:

celery juice cocktail (delightful and refreshing!)
oysters (how could they not be good?)
pea/spinach soup with creme fraiche (very, very good)
duck three ways (their version of a choucroute and so delicious - the duck sausage and confit leg were especially good)

my father had the braised meatballs with orechiette and piave cheese and he loved it. I could barely steal a bite!

[voodoocheese]

I second the meatballs- they are outstanding! The roast chicken is also great- but I didn't like the gnocchi very much..

[pemma]

I thought the vegetable antipasto was really different and good.

[EllenMM]

The chicken liver app. is amazing, if you like chicken livers!!!

[heWho]

I've only been there once, but if the skate wing is on the menu, by God make sure you get it!

[Luther]

I was really disappointed with the food (skate included) that's come out of the kitchen after Deepak Kaul left. The skate (and a similar preparation of halibut) in the good ol' days were good indeed...