new restaurant review: 400 highland, davis sq

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

brand-new restaurant in my neighborhood. executive summary: that was GREAT.

. first big hit: basil ginger gimlet. everybody knows about me and infused vodkas, and this was a vodka-infused, overall rather sweet (as well as fresh-leaf-type spicy) drink with ice and a lime slice. mmMMmm.

. appetizer: i had french onion soup, which was hearty and filling, lots and lots of bread and cheese as well as the onions and the broth (a good version imho; i hate the sort with a stupid crouton or so), but each ingredient having a strength to properly complement the overall proportions. my companion had a spinach salad with hazelnuts; i don't think i'd have liked that quite as much in front of me but as something to steal bites of, yum, hazelnuts.

. main course; i ordered the duck confit (secretly an appetizer) with a side of garlic spinach. the duck was salty if eaten alone; on a fork with the fresh greens it was just right, and very flavorful. the garlic spinach imho was fine spinach, but the garlic wasn't as present as maybe it should have been to stand up to spinach. that was my biggest (and only, really) culinary minor complaint of the evening. my companion had the "petit filet" (not petit, there were leftovers) and the "medium rare" was, if not the bloodiest, still rare enough that i took as many bites as i could. the accompanying chanterelles did that lovely mushroom plenty of justice, and the gnocchi were tender and savory. very much wow. (EDIT: and there was a glass of wine in there somewhere, of which i had a mere sip; it was white and hearty and i don't remember anything else about it (no, i wasn't *that* sloshed; it was my companion's drink :) )

. second big hit: they were out of the fruit for making a "forbidden fruit" cocktail, so brought me something else to try (possibly called a "strawberry tartini"?) this was amazing. i dipped the strawberry garnish into the drink and fed it to my companion, and she swooned, and it was beautiful.

. dessert: cappucino with enough foam and no burnt taste to the espresso -- it doesn't get better than that, and it hardly ever gets remotely that good anywhere on this coast at all. and the 'budino' (?) was a sort of chocolate souffle, hot and melty in the middle, topped with a creamy coffee ice cream and more crunchy hazelnuts. a total win.

. service: gave good advice, was present at correct moments, asked if everything was perfect and i could honestly say it was. can't beat that. the manager stopped by with similar questions -- they've opened w/o publicity, i guess so that they could get feedback and word-of-mouth out first. i can only sing their praises. they're wonderful. if anybody wants to take me out to a fancy, decadent, high-end spendy meal anytime soon, i'm there :)

(x-posted: my journal, davis_square, boston_eats)

Comments

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

How high-end spendy are you talking about?

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

probably about comparable to gargoyles? the above-described, alcohol-laden, surpassingly-lavish dinner for two hungry women came to just about $100 before tip.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Not bad. Haven't been to Gargoyles. We keep saying we should try it and never do.

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

i like gargoyle's, but i find the dining room a bit much for me. otoh i really like the bar (where you can order from the bar menu as well as the more elaborate dining menu). warning: the drinks there are VERY LARGE AND VERY STRONG. it is however possible to order any of the cocktails "small", which is to say "average" for any other bar i'm familiar with. imho the nicest feature of the gargoyles bar is that there is NO TEEVEE in it, which renders it just about unique in my experience :) there is jazz on sunday nights, which i find unpleasant, but any other time it's a win with me.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this. I can't wait to try it!

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

I second the part about the drinks being large and strong. One chocolate martini there last year kicked my ass all the way home. I needed an escort, and I was walking!

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the review!

[chumbolly.livejournal.com]

I'm a huge fan of Gargoyle's manhattans, though they've earned me the nickname "One-drink (insert last name here)." When my wife and I go to Gargoyles, we always walk.

[catalyst.livejournal.com]

     yes, but were the subs toasted?

[cold-cold-water.livejournal.com]

was there anything vegetarian?

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

i'm sorry, but i'm afraid i didn't pay close enough attention to say.

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

I glanced at the menu tonight when I was there and saw just one vegetarian entree, though it sounded delicious (and it better be at $21 for a veg entree!).

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

I went tonight to check the place out and visited the lounge area with a friend. She just had a glass of wine but I tried the pineapple-infused vodka martini and the Yukon potatoes. The potatoes were delicious thanks to the curry aioli that came with them and were a hearty serving. The martini was light with a subtle pineapple flavor, satisfying but not overwhelming in pineapple-ness.

The downside to our visit was that the service at the bar was pretty awful. My friend and I went in just before 10 p.m., and there were maybe 2 or 3 other people at the bar, yet it took the bartender a good 10 minutes to even acknowledge us and that was only when we finally flagged him down as he walked by us for the nth time. After that, things were better, but he seemed both oblivious to us and more involved in his conversation with a coworker until that point.

Anyway, I'd give the place another try, to test out some more of the cocktails if nothing else, though I was disappointed to see a dearth of vegetarian options there.

[guxx.livejournal.com]

There's a review in the latest issue of STUFF@NIGHT. Look on the first few pages near the bottom.

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

foo on the bartender! and foo on the lack of veg food! we should hassle them on both counts; those are fixable problems and the plus sides seem worth preserving.

[cold-cold-water.livejournal.com]

i love that they boast that they have a californian chef or whatever, but only have 1 veg entree. hel-lo, that is not the way things work in california!

400 Higland is an amazing contribution to Davis

[beca42781.livejournal.com]

FANTASTIC!!!!!! Friendly service, great suggestions, excellent food and relaxing atmosphere. Try out 400 Highland...it will blow you away. Ask one of the bartenders to make you something yummy, they will be creative and give you a delicious cocktail made with fresh fruit.

[dreda.livejournal.com]

Just as a reference - over half of the brunch dishes are veg. A far cry from vegan, but definitely ovo-lacto veg.

Re: 400 Higland is an amazing contribution to Davis

[azores.livejournal.com]

Really? I don't know. Are these the same owners (some connection to Joshua Tree owners) who started the disappointing "Sauce"? I thought that was the case and if so, I'm still leery. Because new restaurant options around here are rare, I do invest an inordinate amount of hope and optimism in each new place and it's crushing when they don't perform (like Sauce). So forgive me if I'm wary- guess I should try it myself. Gargoyle's rocks, though.

Re: 400 Higland is an amazing contribution to Davis

[beca42781.livejournal.com]

Yes, I believe it is the same owners as the Joshua Tree, and they did open Sauce as well. They own a bunch of restaurants in Boston. I think Sauce went down the tubes due to bad management and staff- but the new place, 400 Highland apparently has all new staff and management. I've had nothing but great food and service when I've been into 400 highland- I hope they can stay consistent with it. Try it out. Yummy Salmon.