gils-grillins

[gils-grillins]

Sacramento Waterboy Review

WHAT WE ATE:

Drinks:

A glass of some kind of Pinot Noir

a "Tequila Honeybee" (??)

a "Hemmingway's Daiquiri" (??)

I'm not 100% certain on the names because I cannot find the cocktail menu we had online.

First course:

Bruschetta: Toasted Focaccia, Burrata, Roasted Local Stone Fruit (We Had Peaches and Cherries), Watercress, Basil, Balsamico

Cheese Plate: Selection of Four Cheeses with Toasted Bread, Crostini & Olives

Seasonal Vegetables (Heirloom tomato)

Main course:

Sonoma Liberty Duck Breast “Panzanella”: Toasted Focaccia, Local Cherries & Grilled Peaches, Arugula, Glazed Spring Onions, Balsamico

Mixed Grill of Lamb Chop, Quail & Bacon: Tomato-Eggplant-Zucchini Gratin, Crispy Fresh Corn Polenta, Rosemary-Shallot Jus

Dessert:

Summer Fruit (Strawberry) Crostata with Housemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Affogato: Warm Pachamama Espresso Served Over Housemade Vanilla Ice Cream

I had the Duck and the Affogato, so I can not give a proper review of the "Mixed Grill" or the Crostata, though I did have a nibble here and there.

THE COCKTAILS

We were seated outside on the patio and although it was the early evening and still hot, it was quite nice because they had misters (??) spraying mist essentially directly on us, at least until some troublesome trout WASP women came in during the main course and had it turned off. We started off with the cocktails. Let me be frank, and do not let this tarnish your view of the establishment as a whole: they were mid. Despite, nay, because of the many ingredients that went into each one, they were extremely one-note and surprisingly acidic. The creator of these drinks clearly believed in cocktails being boozy, and boozy they were, but they were so at the cost of taste; my Honeybee did not taste of honey at all, but luckily I am a fan of raw tequila, so I wasn't too mad. My heartburn, however...

FIRST COURSE

Soon (the service here was very timely and friendly, a small but crucial sticking point when it comes to Finer Dining) we were served the First Course. We had ordered the bruschetta because the last time we had it, at the same seemingly ridiculous price point, it was Life Changing. Who knew that bread, tomatoes, and balsamic could be so damn good?

To my horror, the bruschetta had no tomatoes whatsoever. It was all peach hunks and cherry halves, sat atop a healthy serving of burrata (a good sign) along with some kind of herbs, many of which were entire leaves (I Do Not Like this, I wish restaurants and spring rolls would give up Entire Leaf as the means by which to give an herbaceaus flavour to the dish, it is too firm and fibrous compared to everything else in any given dish and therefore I am still stuck chewing it when all else has already been masticated and swallowed. It's disgusting. Stop.). The crostini was soaked with oil (butter?) and was delightfully crisp and greasy.

I'm on team Fruity Bruschetta now. It works. It's great. The sweetness and acidity of the fruit contrasts with the salty creaminess of the burrata, and then the crisp oiliness of the crostini brings it all together by giving you that delightful and drawn out crunch.

I'd be damned if I could remember exactly what the cheeses were supposed to be on the Cheese Platter, but they were some kind of Brie, some kind of French cheese that was aged in ashes (to be referred to as Ash Cheese), a Blue cheese that, we were told, had been aged in fig leaves soaked in whiskey, and a semi-firm that tasted very mild.

My personal favorites, in order from best to worst, were Brie, Ash Cheese, Semi-Firm, and the Blue. I have nothing to say about the semi-firm nor the blue, they were very generic for their kind and frankly, I have never been a fan of Blue Cheese or stinkies as a whole.

The brie was also fairly generic for a brie, but it was somehow extra Fine in its taste, perhaps because it was served at room temperature, as brie is supposed to be served, and not directly out of the fridge, as I tend to consume it.

The ash cheese had a strong, cheesey flavor, somewhat akin to a gouda, and was very appallingly gummy? It stuck to the roof of my mouth like it had decided it wanted to be peanutbutter, and a single bite of it took me several minutes to really swallow down. Tasted good though.

The platter itself did not have enough bread, so we resorted to eating cheese, particularly the non-offensive semi-firm, on the heirlooms. This was a delightful combo; always feel free to get creative with your meals, do not feel constrained by a chef's intents. Sometimes they don't know the correct cheese-to-crostini ratio. The almonds and olives in the centre were a nice touch, and the apricot (?) jam helped the blue cheese become something genuinely delicious rather than a painful, smelly chore. Strong cheeses are best when contrasted with something else. They did not give me enough of the jam, which is a shame.

The heirlooms were essentially a caprese salad without the mozzarella, and would've been only improved by the simple chopping of the herbs.

MAIN COURSE

I came out of the first course feeling extremely enthusiastic about the main course. After all, if all of the appetizers were stunning and lovely, how could the main course not be? But lord, have mercy...

My dinner was simple. Seared duck breast, sliced thinly and sat atop a simple arugula salad, accented with toasted focattia, slices of grilled peach, and cherry halves (a requiem of the bruschetta; these fruits are what's in season). Wonderful, except for one fatal flaw; the duck was rare. The skin was crisp, yes, and I know duck is a red meat, but...it was rare enough to be quacking. I am not bothered by this psychologically, but texture-wise...eugh. Chewy, gross, and because the inside is essentially uncooked, cold. Additionally, only the skin was seasoned, and in a very limited fashion, at that, so what would happen with each bite was much like the problem with using herb leaves as seasoning; I'd finish and swallow all the good stuff first (skin), then be left with the worst part last. This is where the wine comes in; I know that red wine and red meat are best buddies (if you don't know why, why are you even reading this?), so in a moment of brilliance I simply requested that the waiter give me whatever red wine suits the duck best. He gave me Pinot Noir. This, along with cutting the duck extra small and seasoning it further, saved the meal more or less, though I will not be ordering it again.

My dining partner's meal, the grill mix, was done much better in every conceivable way. I'm really, truly confounded as to how they can cook a lamb rib right but not duck breast. I tried every aspect of the meal except for the bacon, and the only complaint I had was that they oversalted the quail.

DESSERT

I ordered the affogato because none of the other desserts appealed to me (I was under the impression they'd have key lime pie, they did not) and the caffeine sounded nice. If you've never had this, simply make some espresso and pour it over a scoop of vanilla (ideally French vanilla) ice cream or gelato while it's still hot. Eventually, the whole thing melts into a tasty slurry of coffee and vanilla. You can also do what my mother used to do, and put a scoop of the same into a cup of regular coffee.

My only complaint is that the coffee was too sour; I really don't like sour coffee.

CONCLUSION

In my experience, a lot of restaurants do an amazing job with appetizers, but fumble when it comes to the main course. Black Angus and Lazy Dog both come to mind. I am not sure why this happens, but I will eventually return to Waterboy and give them another chance. After all, the apps were mind-blowing, and the only major issue (unrelated to my personal preferences) was the duck, which may very well have been an issue due to my muscle weakness making it difficult for me to chew. I often struggle with meats others don't consider to be tough, and this may have been the case. Also, their scallop and pork belly platter is calling my name.

[gils-grillins]

dip ur hashbrowns in egg yolk and ketchup or die, thx

[gils-grillins]

FIRST POST

Hi, I'm Gil, I'm a foodie, and I collect Sonny Angels