Restaurant Week: Charlie Palmer

Today Stacey and I had lunch at Charlie Palmer for Restaurant Week. Let me tell you, we are not cheap dates! Below are a few pictures courtesy of Stacey's phone and some of my impressions on the experience.

The restaurant is beautiful. Elaborate flower arrangements surround you and yet don't overwhelm the space. Even the bathrooms are pretty in their minimalistic design and Asian influence. Most of the clientele was slightly older and male, but we received superb service. I think at least 7 men took care of us...one can get used to it.

Cocktail

Aurora (Stoli vanill, fresh raspberry puree, dash of framboise, fresh lime juice). The picture is courtesy of Charlie Palmer's website. This was a lovely cocktail! It warmed me up after the first sip and tasted great till the last drop. And it was super pretty.1st Course

As soon as we saw the menu, Stacey and I chose Butter Poached Prawns (with chive risotto, kaffir lime, black sesame puree, spiced shellfish oil). You know how I mentioned we are not cheap dates? Of course there was a $9 supplemental fee for this appetizer, but we decided to splurge. It was well worth it, even though we had to remove the head and the tail from the prawns ourselves. The risotto was perfectly cooked, the prawns almost sweet, and I've never before tasted black sesame puree: very pleasant!

2nd Course

Both Stacey and I chose Charcoal Grilled Strip Loin (with olive oil crushed purple potatoes, honshemeji mushrooms, snow peas, soy balsamic glaze) cooked medium rare. The plate was really pretty. I loved the mushrooms and snow peas. This was my first time trying purple potatoes, and I could not really tell the difference from the normal ones, but they were tasty. The strip loin was just fine. Nothing extraordinary, a bit disappointing for a steakhouse.

3rd Course

For dessert, Stacey and I finally made different choices. Stacey opted for Chocolate and Hazelnut Pave (chocolate caramel, frozen praline custard, candied hazelnuts), and I chose New York Style Cheesecake (blackberry compote, citrus lace tuille). The desserts were absolutely fabulous! Nothing else needs to be said. We also had coffee, which was lovely.

This was a lovely girls' lunch out. Would I come back? Not necessarily. Am I glad I went? Absolutely.