Dally in the Alley - Tasting One

In preperation for the opening of my Aunt's restaurant, "Dally in the Alley", we had the first of many tastings tonight! This posting has the menu from tonight with my honest opinions on the dishes. The best part of this tasting... the first two dishes yielded so much food that we have a second tasting for the remainder dishes lined up for tomorrow night.

Asian Spinach Salad

Fresh spinach, snow peas, asian pear, navel oranges, pickled chili & cucumber, toasted hazelnuts, spicy Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette.

WOW! This salad was amazing and so light. The pork was plated first, so unfortunantly since I ate that first and it was so good I probably ate way too much!

My favorite component of the dish were the asian pears, which I believe were lightly pickled. They have this wonderful, crisp texture to them - like a cross between an apple and pear my Aunt mentioned. The second thing that made this salad was the dressing. It had the perfect kick to counterbalance the sweetness that I naturally find in a good vinaigrette.

Roast Pork

Slow roasted and accompanied by Cabernet [sauce/gravy], roasted shallot and wild mushroom gravy and sauteed greens, parsnip and pear mash

The above equals HEAVEN! This soulful dish left me so full, after I helped myself to seconds that is! It was absolutely amazing. The sauce was rich, but not overly indulgent or thickened with butter and flours. Instead, it was a wonderful combination of cooking juices, reduced wines and a touch of cream. The pork - so tendor and a wealth of flavor.

The pork wasn't the only star hear - everything was outstanding! The parsnip and pear mash was a suprisingly sweet and healthy twist to the usual "mashed potatoes". The texture was wonderful and the flavor so unique, while adding a healthy "starch" to the dish. And well Kale, I just love Kale cooked anyway. Especially when there is still a little crunch to it.

All in all, tasting #1 far surpassed my expectations. I went in to dinner thinking we would be throwing around feedback and ideas to enhance the dishes, instead we found ourselves so wrapped up in the food it was hard to talk... until we were done with our seconds that is.