…there were two students who both liked food. And when I say “liked” food, I mean really liked food. L. has made it a point to visit every hole-in-the-wall, highly rated restaurant in the greater metro area, and I have Restaurant Week marked as a holiday on my calendar. Eventually we realized what we had in common, and after a brilliant blog-title suggestion from another friend, L. and I set out to write a food blog. After all, we reasoned, L. has journalism experience, and I (much to the Hubster’s chagrin) document practically every dining experience I have. What could possibly be a better idea than a co-written dining blog? So off we went to WordPress, registering the blog name and gearing up for the great summer of posting ahead.
And then we remembered another important thing we both have in common – we’re not really regular students. We’re law students, meaning that every time we think we have free time, we’re sorely mistaken. That free time is quickly filled with assignments, reading, work, family, or friends. And so, the great blogging summer of 2012 came and went with nary a blog entry, as Arbitrary & Delicious sat empty.
Until now that is. Yes, that’s right, what better time to actually write the blog we’ve started than during our third and final year of school?
Before I get started, let me just apologize in advance for my crappy photography skills. As I mentioned, the Hubster is not fully on board with my need to document awesome meals, so I don’t drag a camera when I go out – I surreptitiously sneak out the phone to try to stay inconspicuous…or not, when the flash is required in super-dark places. But yeah, no pro photos here.
Unfortunately (though fortunately for my bank account), I’ve only had the chance to hit up two Restaurant Week places this time around. If you don’t know, RW is a time when a variety of places create special three- and four-course menus for certain price levels, usually between $20.12 – $50.12/person. If you dine at one of these establishments and select these special menus, a portion of your cost is donated to Three Square Food Bank. Honestly, it’s a great way to try new places, and especially to try places that you wouldn’t normally be able to afford.
This was the first time I was able to do a breakfast menu, at the suggestion of my supervisor, no less! Instead of meeting at the office, we met at Morels French Steakhouse & Bistro at the Palazzo hotel. Morels offered a $20.12 three-course breakfast, starting with a fresh fruit plate, and ending with house-made jelly donuts. You were able to select your second course, which was essentially your main breakfast: All-American (eggs, bacon/sausage/ham, hashbrowns, & toast), Banana-Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast, Classic Benedict, or Huevos Rancheros. Forgetting this was a French restaurant, I went with the Huevos Rancheros.
Fresh Fruit Plate at Morels
Let’s be honest here…it’s hard to screw up a fruit plate. If you serve seasonal fruit that’s ripe, you’ve got a winner. So this was a great plate. Fresh, sweet, and a little tart, it was a great way to wake up the palate. I didn’t anticipate there being yogurt with the fruit, so that was actually a nice surprise. Even better was the flavor – not too tart, not to watery, just perfectly vanilla.
When the second course came out I was super-excited. I’m a Texas girl, so Huevos Rancheros are old hat, and one of my favorite breakfast entrees. I love the classic interplay of the spiciness of the sauce, creaminess of the eggs, and earthiness of the beans. Morels is definitely a more up-scale version of what I’m used to, and I missed the normal heat you get in most places. That’s not to say this version wasn’t delicious, because it certainly was. The perfectly poached (not over-easy) egg laid on a bed of creamy and delicious black beans, smothered in a nice tomato sauce, topped with sour cream, micro greens, avocado, and crispy tortilla strips. The whole thing was bedded atop a thick and crisp tostada shell, and it was a great plate overall. Just not quite what I was expecting.
Huevos Rancheros…French-style.
I had kind of forgotten, amidst the fruit, egg, and coffee-goodness that I had donuts coming! When they came out I was kind of excited, but mostly relieved that “donuts” actually meant donut holes. I’m not sure I would have made it through the whole thing otherwise…though I would certainly have tried. 😉
Jelly-donut holes of awesomeness
Do you see those little holes of deliciousness? And that whipped cream of awesomesauce? Holy crap is what I’m trying to say. Those were seriously amazing, and I would have licked that serving dish of cream clean if I could have figured out how to do it in a way that wasn’t crass and how to fit my head in it.
Overall, Morels had a pretty great breakfast, all high-quality ingredients put together in tasty ways. However, should you decide to partake in a Restaurant Week breakfast menu, let me give you some advice…do NOT, under any circumstances, do a three-course breakfast if you have to go to the office afterward. I almost fell asleep at my desk at multiple points during the day, almost succumbing to a food coma as I worked on my assignments.
With Restaurant Week winding down, I knew I wanted to hit at least one more spot before it ended. Hubster and I had tickets to the matinee showing of WICKED at the Smith Center, so I figured I would find a place for dinner after the show. I happened upon the three-course dinner at Mood at the Artisan Hotel for $30.12/person, and when I mentioned the desserts, Hubster was totally and completely on board. Given that he’s not a huge sweets fan, that meant something.
We had never been to the Artisan Hotel before, and I’m not sure what I was expecting. The surrounding area is…not the best. Put it this way; we parked in the “self-park” lot, across from the hotel, which was a dirt lot next to a Gentlemen’s “Cabaret” advertising in-house tattooing. Once you cross over to the hotel, the entry is completely tree-lined, blocking out any view of the highways that surround the location.
The inside of the hotel and restaurant are very dimly lit, covered in oil paintings and prints of famous artwork. My favorite part was being directed to the restaurant “just past the Mona Lisa in the corner.” We were there fairly early, around 5:30, and I had the distinct impression that this was more of a late-night dining spot. We were the only two in the whole restaurant for most of the meal, but the staff was friendly, the chairs were comfortable, and the wine was flowing. We both started with the mixed green salad, which had a nice vinaigrette on it, and I ordered the blackened salmon pasta, while Hubster ordered the pork chops with purple potato mash.
Mood at the Artisan – Seriously…so good.
Apologies in advance for the photo quality. The pics are going to belie the quality of food because of the crazy flash on the phone, and the super-dark atmosphere of the restaurant. No matter how it looks. that was some of the best restaurant salmon I’ve had. It was lightly blackened, and nicely moist inside. The flavor was phenomenal, and not fishy at all. And I don’t care what Scott Conant says…I LOVE cheese with my pasta, regardless of whether there’s seafood involved. The interplay of the sweet red peppers, savory parmesan shavings, and lovely fish made for a dish that I finished before I knew what happened. My intention to take some home promptly went out the window.
Grilled chops with purple mash
From what I could tell, the pork chops were apparently tasty, but I didn’t reach over for fear of losing a finger. By the time Hubster offered me some purple mash (which he described as “pleasantly sweet”), I was stuffed full of pasta and waiting for dessert. I’ll take his word for it that everything was awesome.
Dessert was what had decided our plan for dinner in the first place, so I was definitely looking forward to it. The choices were Bourbon Pecan Pie and Ginger-Apple Crisp, and we ordered one of each. The pecan pie disappeared so fast I couldn’t snap a pic, but I did get a bite. Holy moly…that was a good pie!!
The apple crisp was amazing. I love ginger, so the bite of ginger was a welcome addition to a homey dessert. I think I’m going to try grating fresh ginger into the next apple dessert that I make because it just adds another layer of flavor that brightens up the whole dish. I loved the crunchy crumb topping on it as well. Overall, it was just a great meal in a slightly weird but enjoyable atmosphere.
Nomnomnom…
So after a slow start, I feel like I’ve written an epic novel of a post. So sorry for that…hopefully future posts will be slightly more brief, unless they’re anything like the law school definition of a brief, which is never brief. In the future we’ll have more restaurant write-ups, and probably some home-cooked meals and recipes along the way. The real goal for now, however, is to make sure that a second post makes it up before graduation.
Until next time… -J.
Arbitrary and Delicious 
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