Author – Grant
Based In – New Orleans
Today’s Photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/32017704@N03/sets/72157613837908174/
Despite a visit to the dentist for Kate just a few days ago, today was unfortunately going to be a another sore tooth induced migraine day for Kate which was to leave her good for absolutely nothing. Unfortunately it coincided with Valentines Day which clearly means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things (the CEO of Hallmark should be publicly flogged for encouraging such sentimental nonsense in my eyes…and whoever thought of such drivel as Grandparents Day, I say roast them in their own juices) but Miles had offered us first dibs on his parents booking at Mila (the restaurant he works in) because they could no longer use it. As such, the only action Kate saw that day was sat opposite me as I devoured both my dinner and hers which I figured was the chivalrous thing to do.
I’m getting ahead of myself. Rewind 12 hours and the day starts with a call to the vet to get Molly an appointment for a bunch of x-rays on her ever-worsening limping leg. Five x-rays and $350 later we have nothing conclusive so they go off to a radiologist on the other side of town who…can’t find anything either. It’s good news that she has nothing disfiguring wrong with her bones but it’s annoying that we still don’t kno
w what’s wrong with her. More worryingly was that there was another dog in there who had similar symptoms that required two surgeries (one involving 6 months recovery with NO moving) and they STILL hadn’t figured out what was wrong. So the next step is to see a orthopedic specialist as early as we can next week who will pull her around like pizza dough and hopefully come up with a magic cure without having to slice her. Rewind three years and I knew we should have got the little black fluffy one in the next cage along at the SPCA…
I found out that “my” entry for the Great North Run (the half marathon in Newcastle in September) had been successful so that encouraged me to go for a run today despite Kate obviously not going thanks to the migraine and there being a mountain of chocolate to plough through being Valentines Day. I put “my” in quotations because Kate made the application on my behalf as part of the ongoing Make Grant Thin campaign. We’re back for another wedding in September (come on people, either stop getting married or have one mass joint wedding…think of the economies of scale) and Kate thought it convenient to tag on a half marathon 400 miles north of the wedding venue and one week later. I am still yet to be convinced exactly what is convenient about it but it’s a god opportunity to visit family who we won’t have seen for an age by then unless they come out to join us somewhere on this trip. So today I bashed out a really dull 5.5 mile run involving three laps of the same park in mid-70 degree heat and upper 90% humidity. On the last lap I was being overtaken by Valentines Day couples strolling hand in hand and I could swear I was lapped by a guy in a motorized wheelchair.
Why do I tell you all this nonsense in such detail? Because I am trying to convey that by the time we got to dinner, I felt that my physically and emotionally draining day fully justified me having two dinners. Perhaps the two desserts were a bit excessive but they’re in me now so that’s that.
Cue Mila, so named because the married co-owners and lead chefs are from Mississippi and Louisiana. The place is really interestingly deco
rated as ion one hand it seems ultra modern but it manages to retain a hip 70’s feel thanks to a few natural prints on the walls and the abundance of booths. I’m not explaining it very well but it’s a really nice dining room that made for some spectacular people watching. Speaking of which, why do old people insist on snogging in public? In fact, why does anyone? As it was Valentines Day I let it slide without bloodshed just this once. I must explain Kate’s demeanor at this point. For the duration of the meal she either had her head in her hands or, as for the entire duration of the main course, in the bathroom. Throughout the meal I had various members of staff asking me if everything was alright as I basically dining alone and I cannot describe the incredulous look on the face of the lady dining opposite our table who witnessed me leaning across to scoff
my partner’s food and chug her champagne (courtesy of Miles, thanks Buddy) whilst she wasn’t there.
Anyway, on to the food. They were offering a four course tasting menu with two options for each course so, as there were two of us (in body if not in stomach), that allowed me to fulfill a mini-ambition of ordering “The Lot”. And what a fine feast it turned out to be. Miles later told us that they threw the menu together in a few minutes the previous day which just makes them a bunch of
smarty pants as there wasn’t a bad dish on the menu…and I can say this with the authority of someone that ate the entire menu. First up was either Virginia Oysters on the half shell dressed with a Blood Orange Mignonette and Dill (oooh so good) and a Pistachio Crusted Goat’s Cheese Salad dressed with Pomegranate Molasses (fantastic and the sickly sweet dressing worked really well but perhaps the goat’s cheese could have been seared to give a bit of hot/cold contrast to the dish?). Next were a couple of pasta dishes with a Lobster and Farm Greens Cannelloni in Bechamel (the pasta was super-light, almost like a crepe and the greens were crunchy adding some nice texture) and, my favourite dish of the night, Veal Cheek Ravioli, Caramelised Carrots and Reduced Madeira Sauce (apparently sweetbreads were added to the pork cheek to give it an alm
ost sticky centre…I’m going to be dreaming of these for a while). Four dishes into the meal, four thumbs up from me, four bathroom visits for Kate. The main courses were a choice of beef or salmon. The beef dish was Grilled Kobe Flat Iron with Broccoli Rabe, Shitakes all in a rich soy reduction. (beautifully cooked, melt-in-the-mouth beef although the powerful reduction slightly masked the flavour of the beef so there was no way I could have told you it was Kobe…but then again I have a palate that still enjoys the occasional Pot Noodle) and the salmon dish was herb-crusted on a bed of Melted Leeks and a Beet Dijon Jus (this was a really interesting and well executed dish as the salmon was perfectly cooked, the leeks were indeed melted the blood red jus had a real subtlety that complimented the entire dish). I’m looking forward to making that salmon dish soon, hopefully when my partner is eating again.
At this point, I thought the torture should end for Kate so after a quick word with Chef Miles we got desserts to go, walked away from the parade agonizingly taking place just one block away and headed back to Chez Dump where my wife could puke at her free will and I could watch the remainder of the annual Slam Dunk Competition whilst eating two desserts. Whilst the frozen part of the desserts (cherry sorbet and banana ice cream) had al but melted away by the time we got home, the rest had remained in tact. The Chocolate Ganache Tart was seriously indulgent and a really hearty portion (but I suppose you weren’t supposed to have eaten six courses by this point) but the staring dessert was the thick pineapple ring roasted with rum and ginger, a flavour combo I adore which both satiates the sweet craving and leaves the palate relatively fresh.
My only gripe is that the menu said that the meal cost “$65 per head” and I only have one head so how did the food cost come to $130? For legal reasons they should more accurately declare the cost as “$65 per stomach”. It’s not every day you discover you have the digestive system of a ruminating cow. Bravo Miles and Mila for a truly outstanding meal. I would love to go back when they are offering the full menu but, quite frankly, I’m too embarrassed.
It’s Barkus tomorrow. I’ll explain later…
Based In – New Orleans
Today’s Photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/32017704@N03/sets/72157613837908174/
Despite a visit to the dentist for Kate just a few days ago, today was unfortunately going to be a another sore tooth induced migraine day for Kate which was to leave her good for absolutely nothing. Unfortunately it coincided with Valentines Day which clearly means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things (the CEO of Hallmark should be publicly flogged for encouraging such sentimental nonsense in my eyes…and whoever thought of such drivel as Grandparents Day, I say roast them in their own juices) but Miles had offered us first dibs on his parents booking at Mila (the restaurant he works in) because they could no longer use it. As such, the only action Kate saw that day was sat opposite me as I devoured both my dinner and hers which I figured was the chivalrous thing to do.
I’m getting ahead of myself. Rewind 12 hours and the day starts with a call to the vet to get Molly an appointment for a bunch of x-rays on her ever-worsening limping leg. Five x-rays and $350 later we have nothing conclusive so they go off to a radiologist on the other side of town who…can’t find anything either. It’s good news that she has nothing disfiguring wrong with her bones but it’s annoying that we still don’t kno
w what’s wrong with her. More worryingly was that there was another dog in there who had similar symptoms that required two surgeries (one involving 6 months recovery with NO moving) and they STILL hadn’t figured out what was wrong. So the next step is to see a orthopedic specialist as early as we can next week who will pull her around like pizza dough and hopefully come up with a magic cure without having to slice her. Rewind three years and I knew we should have got the little black fluffy one in the next cage along at the SPCA…I found out that “my” entry for the Great North Run (the half marathon in Newcastle in September) had been successful so that encouraged me to go for a run today despite Kate obviously not going thanks to the migraine and there being a mountain of chocolate to plough through being Valentines Day. I put “my” in quotations because Kate made the application on my behalf as part of the ongoing Make Grant Thin campaign. We’re back for another wedding in September (come on people, either stop getting married or have one mass joint wedding…think of the economies of scale) and Kate thought it convenient to tag on a half marathon 400 miles north of the wedding venue and one week later. I am still yet to be convinced exactly what is convenient about it but it’s a god opportunity to visit family who we won’t have seen for an age by then unless they come out to join us somewhere on this trip. So today I bashed out a really dull 5.5 mile run involving three laps of the same park in mid-70 degree heat and upper 90% humidity. On the last lap I was being overtaken by Valentines Day couples strolling hand in hand and I could swear I was lapped by a guy in a motorized wheelchair.
Why do I tell you all this nonsense in such detail? Because I am trying to convey that by the time we got to dinner, I felt that my physically and emotionally draining day fully justified me having two dinners. Perhaps the two desserts were a bit excessive but they’re in me now so that’s that.
Cue Mila, so named because the married co-owners and lead chefs are from Mississippi and Louisiana. The place is really interestingly deco
rated as ion one hand it seems ultra modern but it manages to retain a hip 70’s feel thanks to a few natural prints on the walls and the abundance of booths. I’m not explaining it very well but it’s a really nice dining room that made for some spectacular people watching. Speaking of which, why do old people insist on snogging in public? In fact, why does anyone? As it was Valentines Day I let it slide without bloodshed just this once. I must explain Kate’s demeanor at this point. For the duration of the meal she either had her head in her hands or, as for the entire duration of the main course, in the bathroom. Throughout the meal I had various members of staff asking me if everything was alright as I basically dining alone and I cannot describe the incredulous look on the face of the lady dining opposite our table who witnessed me leaning across to scoff
my partner’s food and chug her champagne (courtesy of Miles, thanks Buddy) whilst she wasn’t there.Anyway, on to the food. They were offering a four course tasting menu with two options for each course so, as there were two of us (in body if not in stomach), that allowed me to fulfill a mini-ambition of ordering “The Lot”. And what a fine feast it turned out to be. Miles later told us that they threw the menu together in a few minutes the previous day which just makes them a bunch of
smarty pants as there wasn’t a bad dish on the menu…and I can say this with the authority of someone that ate the entire menu. First up was either Virginia Oysters on the half shell dressed with a Blood Orange Mignonette and Dill (oooh so good) and a Pistachio Crusted Goat’s Cheese Salad dressed with Pomegranate Molasses (fantastic and the sickly sweet dressing worked really well but perhaps the goat’s cheese could have been seared to give a bit of hot/cold contrast to the dish?). Next were a couple of pasta dishes with a Lobster and Farm Greens Cannelloni in Bechamel (the pasta was super-light, almost like a crepe and the greens were crunchy adding some nice texture) and, my favourite dish of the night, Veal Cheek Ravioli, Caramelised Carrots and Reduced Madeira Sauce (apparently sweetbreads were added to the pork cheek to give it an alm
ost sticky centre…I’m going to be dreaming of these for a while). Four dishes into the meal, four thumbs up from me, four bathroom visits for Kate. The main courses were a choice of beef or salmon. The beef dish was Grilled Kobe Flat Iron with Broccoli Rabe, Shitakes all in a rich soy reduction. (beautifully cooked, melt-in-the-mouth beef although the powerful reduction slightly masked the flavour of the beef so there was no way I could have told you it was Kobe…but then again I have a palate that still enjoys the occasional Pot Noodle) and the salmon dish was herb-crusted on a bed of Melted Leeks and a Beet Dijon Jus (this was a really interesting and well executed dish as the salmon was perfectly cooked, the leeks were indeed melted the blood red jus had a real subtlety that complimented the entire dish). I’m looking forward to making that salmon dish soon, hopefully when my partner is eating again.At this point, I thought the torture should end for Kate so after a quick word with Chef Miles we got desserts to go, walked away from the parade agonizingly taking place just one block away and headed back to Chez Dump where my wife could puke at her free will and I could watch the remainder of the annual Slam Dunk Competition whilst eating two desserts. Whilst the frozen part of the desserts (cherry sorbet and banana ice cream) had al but melted away by the time we got home, the rest had remained in tact. The Chocolate Ganache Tart was seriously indulgent and a really hearty portion (but I suppose you weren’t supposed to have eaten six courses by this point) but the staring dessert was the thick pineapple ring roasted with rum and ginger, a flavour combo I adore which both satiates the sweet craving and leaves the palate relatively fresh.
My only gripe is that the menu said that the meal cost “$65 per head” and I only have one head so how did the food cost come to $130? For legal reasons they should more accurately declare the cost as “$65 per stomach”. It’s not every day you discover you have the digestive system of a ruminating cow. Bravo Miles and Mila for a truly outstanding meal. I would love to go back when they are offering the full menu but, quite frankly, I’m too embarrassed.
It’s Barkus tomorrow. I’ll explain later…
2 comments:
seriously,
check the toenails
I dreamed it
Checked and Double Checked. Nothing nail related for Molly although I have just busted my thumb nail with a potato masher. The things we do for mash...
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