mary eats

As I write my belly is swollen and sore. Thoughts of breakfast are shocked into reality by stabbing pains of fullness. Memories of fillet mignon with foie gras butter, seated vanilla encrusted hamachi with osetra caviar and arugula and cilantro micro-greens make their presence known. All the plates seemed so small, but man are they coming back to haunt me now.

Last night to celebrate my and Kevin’s 5th wedding anniversary my parents treated us to the Columbia Winery’s wine makers dinner at Meritage, in the Redmond Town Center. My snob-dar instantly switched on when I was told that we would be eating in the Marriot, in Microsoft-y Redmond none the less. Hotel restaurants a: have a reputation for being over priced, over taxed and not very good, and b: location, location, location? A hotel in a shopping center near Microsoft? Not exactly a see and be seen type of joint.
I was proven wrong however, as executive Chef Ken Harper and Wine Maker Kerry Norton put out quite a spread. Our server, cute and friendly, could have used a crash course in the menu, as every question I asked, “What is this sauce?” “What kind of caviar is this?” “What kind of mushroom is this?” was answered only after she ran off to the chef to ask.

This morning, still a little starry-eyed over this fantastic meal I ate at the Marriot, THE MARRIOT, I am questioning how long I will have to fast before I can eat again.

The Menu

agnozing over the beef or the chicken or the pork

Vanilla encrusted hamachi with osetra caviar, micro greens, and a sweet pea puree. This truly was the essence of the seal, light, salty, sweet, and I wanted more.

The second course started off with good intentions, broccoli soup poured tableside over spiced pecans and cream fraiche, yet instead of velvety soup flowing out of the crock, lumpy broccoli puree plopped into the bowls, barely making a circle around the garnish. The taste was fine, but for fine dining, it should have been smoother and more refined.

The broccoli soup was paired with a 2005 Columbia Valley Chardonnay that had been frozen cold by the restaurant. The most unsuccessful course of the menu.

Beets topped with a delicate fleur de sel, green with shaved black truffle tossed in a Gewurztraminer vinaigrette, paired with a tres fruity 2006 Columbia Valley Gewurztaminer. Presentation on the plate was askew. I think a smaller plate, a square plate, or a streak of something to the right of the beets would have filled the void nicely.

Our third course offered duck confit and lobster mushrooms layered upon each other in a napoleon style, crowned with a segmented orange and savory hollandaise sauce. If our first dish was the essence of the sea, then this dish was the essence of the earth. The lobster mushroom, my first taste of such, was toothsome, but over powered by the hollandaise. The fig and duck, were perfect, a nice game-y flavor complimented by the sweet of the fig. This we ate with a 2003 Red Wilow Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

The pear sorbet meant to refresh our palate, was to sweet for my taste, and, frankly, too much of it. This ain’t Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors ya’ll. Ding dang.

At this point in the evening I have consumed too many glasses of wine to keep up my critique and constant analyzing of flavors. Now passing judgement came in one of two grunts. Mmmm, and uh.

My fillet mignon, topped with fois grais butter and resting on a bed of blue cheese and caramelized onion whipped potatoes, asparagus (really? In September?), and syrah peppercorn demi-glace. Mmmmmmm

Kevin and my Father’s roasted garlic maple brined pork tenderloin on a bed of clam polenta with broccolini. Uh. The pork was fab, but that clam risotto was like a mouth full of sea water plus corn. I guess if you like clam dip you’d be into it.

My mother’s prosciutto wrapped, duxelle wild mushroom stuffed roasted airlpane breast of chicken served atop butternut squash risotto. I think they could have cleaned up that bone sticking out of the breast a little better. One of those white poofy things reserved for turkey drumsticks at least.
Uh.

Nothing compared to those mashed potatoes. Which were heavenly paired with a 2001 Red Wilow Vineyard Milestone Merlot and a 2002 Red Willow Vineyard Syrah.

Dessert was a cappuccino joconde (which, after many google searches, turned up pictures of the Mona Lisa- even after eating it I’m still confused as to what it was- a cake, with a truffle like chocolate center), too heavy after the main course, but the port it was paired with went down fine, -probably the reason why I don’ have a picture of it.
The Marriot. Who knew?