Did you catch it? I said Canlis. CANLIS!!! The restaurant that I've wanted try since before I even moved. The restaurant that has taken me 3 years to finally experience. The restaurant that one of my coworkers used to work for, and even she only has good things to say about. MATT TOOK ME TO CANLIS!!!
So after work we got all dressed up, and were on our merry way. The customer service was flawless Fah-law-less. As soon as we pulled up to the restaurant, the valets were ready to greet us and opened our doors. Immediately upon entering, a kind lady welcomed us and offered to take my jacket. We were seated in the lounge, where the lovely pianist was playing JAMS! And when I say jams, I mean songs that I hear on the radio and know the words to. Yes, I was definitely singing along. We were only in the lounge because we were 15 minutes early, but I could have stayed there longer. By the time we decided what drinks we wanted, we were seated at our table!
We decided to do the four course menu, and chose the foie gras, potato leek soup, oysters, and scallops for our first and second courses (in order). My favorite of the chosen starter courses was BY FAR the potato leek soup. It was absolutely delicious, and the crepe-like bacon-shaped piece with the creamy sauce and caviar.. WOW. All I can say is WOW. I was truly impressed.
But BEFORE we even got our first and second dishes, we were served these lovely treats! The middle one was a grape coated with fancy things, the one to the right was a sea bass something, the one to the left was a tiny roll (warm) with a rich and creamy cheese filling, and all three of them were equally divine. Even the olive dinner rolls were served freshly toasted and so satisfying.
So for our main courses, we decided to both do the MUSCOVY DUCK FOR TWO, which was a 14-day dry-aged duck breast, roasted whole and accompanied by orange marmalade, fennel purée and chipollini onion brûlée. It was my idea to order it, but I'm sad to say that I didn't really enjoy it. I found the duck to be, yes, perfectly toasted and moist and beautiful; however, the meat was too gamey and greasy for me. It must have been my taste buds, because Matt loved the duck and devoured every last bit on his plate! We have the rest of my plate sitting in the fridge. Unfortunately, we were so excited about the duck that I forgot to take photos. GO FIGURE!
During dinner, we each had one drink and one glass of wine. Matt ordered the Yamazaki 12 year, which he enjoyed very much. I ordered a gin cocktail that was WAY too strong for me. I passed it along to Matt about halfway through, so I could enjoy my wine with dinner. For dessert, Matt chose a tart, and I chose the creme brulee. I thought that my creme brulee was good, but not phenomenal. Matt doesn't usually eat desserts but he sure ate all of that tart!
The whole night I was watching people, watching me. That means that the chefs, servers, hostesses, and valets all had eyes on the tables the whole night. And the service was .... just impeccable. The end of dinner was wrapped up with surprise macarons (espresso and red velvet) from a gorgeous wooden box, and a peanut butter jelly Canlis chocolate bar. They have their own chocolate bars! And it was so good that I couldn't stop myself from consuming most of the bar before remember to take a picture. The bar was so soft, the components so flavorful, and the textures perfectly balanced.
As we paid for our bill, we couldn't have been happier. Even though I didn't love my duck main course, I really loved almost everything else! The view of the city from the restaurant is quite the backdrop for a special night. The music, the staff, the ambiance... I had no complaints at all.
After leaving the table and walking toward the door, a lady popped out of the coat closet with my jacket right as I approached the front of the restaurant. And yes, the rumors are true; our car was indeed ready for us in the driveway as we exited the doors.
What a wonderful and perfect evening to celebrate Valentine's Day with Matt! I'm so glad we went to Canlis, and I feel wonderful that I have someone who I thoroughly enjoyed spending those moments with.
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