Gabriel

We ate at Gabriel for my wife's birthday and in a word, dinner was superb. Chef Burrell sent out an amuse of the Crispy Tuna, wild mushrooms and a braised scallop for each of us. Jake started with the Mascarpone Ravioli with Roasted Wild Mushrooms. It was served with thyme butter and arugula. He then had the Saffron Tagliarini with Braised Artichoke, confit tomatoes, nicoise olives and lamb sausage. His next course was the Crispy Tuna with Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms, baby bok choy and sea urchin soy foam. His last dish (before dessert) was the Balsamic Poached Lamb with rapini, oven roasted tomato, goat cheese and black olive jus. <br> My wife started with the Chestnut Bisque with Pear and Blue Cheese Strudel. Teh bisque was creamy with a not overpowering taste of chestnuts. Excellent. She then had the Grilled Shrimp and Grits with Andouille sausage, haricot vert, lemon and tomato butter. For third choice she had the Seared Scallops with wild mushrooms ... more

We ate at Gabriel for my wife's birthday and in a word, dinner was superb. Chef Burrell sent out an amuse of the Crispy Tuna, wild mushrooms and a braised scallop for each of us. Jake started with the Mascarpone Ravioli with Roasted Wild Mushrooms. It was served with thyme butter and arugula. He then had the Saffron Tagliarini with Braised Artichoke, confit tomatoes, nicoise olives and lamb sausage. His next course was the Crispy Tuna with Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms, baby bok choy and sea urchin soy foam. His last dish (before dessert) was the Balsamic Poached Lamb with rapini, oven roasted tomato, goat cheese and black olive jus. <br> My wife started with the Chestnut Bisque with Pear and Blue Cheese Strudel. Teh bisque was creamy with a not overpowering taste of chestnuts. Excellent. She then had the Grilled Shrimp and Grits with Andouille sausage, haricot vert, lemon and tomato butter. For third choice she had the Seared Scallops with wild mushrooms, fingerling potatoes and thyme cream. <br> I started with Mixed Greens with Roasted Shallot Dressing, bleu cheese, sliced pear and crispy onions. Next came the Shrimp with Grits and I chose the Grilled Benison with Juniper Roasted Pear. <br> For dessert I had the cheese plate, Jake the vanilla and chocolate ice cream, and my wife the trio of sorbets (green apple, lemon and prickly pear) Coffee for the wife and I, a double expresso for Jake finished the meal. <br> Of course we all tasted each other's meals, and I think that the Mascarpone Ravioli, the grilled shrimp, and the seared tuna were the definite dishes of the night. Of course, everything was great. Presentation was delightful and each dish was just large enough that you enjoyed it but didn't feel stuffed. Three or four dishes makes for a great meal, and everything was the kind of dish where you took a bite and then put down your fork so you could savor it before going for the next bite. less