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Archive for January, 2012

Here in late January, we are just a few short months away from the 2012 summer Olympics to take place in London, England.

Because I know that many people from around the world will be traveling to this venue to watch some of the top athletes in their sport compete to win gold for their country, I decided to find a restaurant in London (so it’s close to all the Olympic action) that looks not only delicious, but absolutely British to the core.

Our pick for best dinner in London has to go to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. I love the Dinner website! It has a modern dictionary-esque take on the concept of dinner, providing the part of speech (Noun), definition, and etymology (From Old French disner.

Let’s Talk about Food

My favorite thing about the Dinner menu is that it is all traditional English food. The appetizers sound positively medieval with names like Meat Fruit (from the 1500’s), Roast Marrowbone, and Rice and Flesh. If you get an appetizer, expect to spend about £15.00, or $23USD.

The main courses follow the same traditional English theme. I would go with the Hereford Ribeye, described as being served cooked in “Mushroom Ketchup, Red Wine Juice and Fries.” You can’t go wrong with a ribeye, right? If you want to go with something else, other choices are Powdered Duck, Spiced Pigeon, or Cod in Cider (yum!). The cheapest dinner is Braised Celery, a vegetarian option for £23.00, or about $36USD. The most expensive is the Spiced Pigeon for £33.00 or about $52USD.

The desserts look absolutely divine! A chocolate bar is on the menu, but it is made with passion fruit jam and ginger ice cream for £9.50 or $15USD. You can also choose from British Cheese (interesting dessert, no?), Lychee Frozen Ice, Brown Bread Ice Cream, or Taffety Tart. I would definitely go for the Brown Bread Ice Cream that comes from the 1830’s.

The Cost

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal is a great deal for all of you fine diners out there. For all three courses, you can expect to leave paying around £55.00, which comes out to $87USD.

It seems like that is a great cost to pay for a genuine traditional British meal.

You can make a reservation online at the Heston Blumenthal website or call to speak with a member of their staff. All of the contact information is on their website.

Happy Dining!

There are few places in the United States can boast of the natural beauty and romance that is abundant in California’s wine country. As would be expected in an area that is famous for wine, there are also many fantastic fine restaurants that are that definitely fit the bill for fine diners out there.

Today, I am going to focus on one restaurant in particular that seems as though it would be a fantastic place to dine: Cyrus Restaurant in Healdsburg, California just of the Redwood Highway.

The fascinating thing about Cyrus Hotel is that it features either an 8-course dinner or a 5-course dinner.

When I looked over the 8-course menu, called the “Tasting Menu,” it had options like “Foie Gras Torchon with Quince,” “Roasted Lobster with Cauliflower Cream, Uni Emulsion,” and “42 Hour Short Rib with Potato, Mustard Greens and Crimini, Sauce Bordelaise.” In addition to these mouth-watering dinner selections, the Tasting Menu has 3 courses of dessert.

Like the 8-course menu, the Five Course Menu has very similar options, but the dishes you can taste are more limited.

For the Tasting Menu, you should expect to pay $135 per person, and for the Five Course Menu, expect to pay $108.

Not only is the food amazing, but as you would expect, the wine is reputed to be fantastic as well. There are 45 pages filled with hundreds of different kinds of wine from all over the world.

After looking over the wine menu, my eyes rested on a pretty impressive number. $6750. That is how much the Cyrus Restaurant’s most expesive bottle of wine costs.

On average, if you come eat at the Cyrus Restaurant, you should expect to pay around $300 for a bottle of wine. It is definitely possible to spend less than this, but from what I have seen $300 is probably the average.

One reviewer said of the Cyrus Restaurant:

“When people ask where I’ve had my favorite meal, this is it. Each one of the eight courses is exceptional beyond compare. Although the menu changes seasonally, it seems as though more often than not they will include the amazing bone marrow custard, pork belly, and short rib, which are all the best I have had in my short but well-fed time on earth.”

Another reviewer said that the Cyrus Restaurant was the “best restaurant in [the] bay area, if not country, bar none.”

So there you have it! If you happen to find yourself in California’s wine country hungry for a fine dining experience, try out the Cyrus Restaurant.