The fact that the hostess gave us a brunch menu without handing us a restaurant week one was the first sign that things here were not going to go the way I thought they were. However, I thought my luck was turning around when I asked the hostess about it and she said "Oh we started on the 15th!" and handed us the special menus. Strange that she didn't know to hand those out as well but I thought maybe she had just forgotten. She also offered to take our drink order because they were down to one waiter due to a staff emergency and he was carrying at least 6 tables by himself.
When our waiter was finally able to take our order, after at least 15 minutes of waiting, I started to read my selections off of the special menu and was met with a "Wait, who gave you that?" Looking at him puzzled I said that the hostess had and was then told that Sundays they still only offered their brunch menu. At this point I was more than a little salty, and starving, now compounded with frustrated because we needed to look at the brunch menu and I wasn't sure how long it would take the waiter to come back to place our order. I wasn't upset with him because I knew he was extremely busy but someone else really needed to be helping to serve tables. Leaving had crossed my mind but we already had our drinks and I really didn't want to wait anywhere else so we decided to stick it out hoping that at least the food would be good.
I opted for the Chesapeake Eggs Benedict and Lauren picked French Toast. The eggs benedict was fine, if not a little salty, but it did have a decent amount of crabmeat. The thing that I was really disappointed in was the side of home fries. Home fries are supposed to be simple, all you need is a nice crunchy outer shell, some salt and pepper, and maybe some ketchup or whatever else you like to dip them in. These were red skinned potatoes doused in some kind of red seasonings, maybe a little cayenne or chili powder and maybe some paprika. It was a taste I knew but couldn't name. It did not work with the potatoes at all and there was absolutely no crunch. Lauren liked them more than I did and fortunately her French Toast was very good, but I left the restaurant with an overwhelming sense of disappointment about the whole experience. I contemplated going back for lunch later in the week but I'm not so sure.
Even after this experience, I still had/have other plans for restaurant week. Last night we had an absolutely delightful evening at Galloping Goose Vineyards in Hampstead, MD. I have a goal to make it to every winery in Maryland and Justin pointed out that he had seen this place on the list of restaurants participating. They were offering a wine pairing that was reservation only. Done.
Initially it seemed like the weather was going to be yucky for the duration of the evening, but as we were driving there the clouds burned off giving way to beautiful blue sky. When we pulled up to the vineyard we were greeted by the owner, a wonderful lady who was extremely friendly and just seemed absolutely tickled that we were able to come. Apparently everyone else that had made reservations that night bailed because of the weather. Their loss! And really you could've sat inside their awesome tasting room if it was pouring and still had a nice evening.
Our host led us to their pavilion on the hill overlooking their vineyards and the farm. The table was set romantically and she encouraged us to take our wine and wander around. After snapping a few pictures of the vineyards and the grapes, we settled down for dinner, a catered menu of hor dourves.
A white and a red pairing were offered, so naturally we chose one of each so we could share. The first option was their Flirting Heart Cabernet with radishes with whipped butter, Himlayan Pink Salt, and red and black Hawaiian salts, Tuna Tataki with Soy Honey, and Pan Fried Polenta Cake with Fig Preserves and Prosciutto del Parma and Goat Cheese cream. The second option was their Rose of Cabernet with Vegetable Summer Rolls with Soy Dijon, Smoked Salmon Mousse in Phyllo cups, and Thai Shrimp Salad in Endive leafs. Everything was delicious, but our favorites were the tuna, the salmon, and the shrimp.
We were unaware that we also got dessert, and were served a trio of different brownie bites that were so good! After dinner we wandered down to the tasting room and chatted with the owner for a few more minutes and selected a bottle to take home. We also got the story of how the vineyard got its name. The owners met racing horses, hence the Galloping, and had a horse that used to like to steal things off of people, hence the Goose. Such a clever name. The vineyard holds other events throughout the year including picnics and a candlelit catered dinner near Christmas, so we're hoping to go back!
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