#34 Tasting menu at a fancy/Michelin starred restaurant

Valentine's themed cocktail at Iron Gate

As a chronic overachiever, I'm counting two amazing experiences towards this one bucket list item - my 5th anniversary dinner at the Michelin starred Tail Up Goat and a tasting menu experience at Iron Gate. Both are restaurants I've had in mind for awhile, and life is just too short not to eat good food, especially when the winter chill makes!

I loved this item on the list because it got me to get out of a dining rut and try new restaurants and experiences. I want to challenge myself to try a new place at least every other month! You do not always need a special occasion to have a nice meal - just make the experience the occasion.

MICHELIN STARRED RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE

For our 5th anniversary, I made a reservation at Tail Up Goat, a one Michelin starred restaurant in DC. As I counted down the days in anticipation, a major snowstorm crept closer and ended up dumping 10 inches of snow on us that same weekend! I didn't trust an Uber driver to deliver us safely, so we made an adventure out of it and took a long metro ride and walk through the snow to make it there.

Walking over Rock Creek Park in the snow to Tail Up Goat

The staff was lovely in acknowledging our anniversary - we started with complimentary champagne in those classy, wide rimmed Gatsby-esque glasses. Each course is shared with an advised four or five dishes for two people. The menu changes weekly, so we got to enjoy this seasonal selection:

• Crispy salt cod, smoked cauliflower, pickled red onion - Heavenly!
• Focaccia, meatballs, ricotta, aronia berry vinegar, horseradish - The meatballs were so amazing, I seriously considered ordering a second plate instead of dessert!
• Taleggio ravioli, eggplant + tomato preserve, mustard greens, smoky + mustardy breadcrumbs 
• Bone-in pork chop, rutabaga diavolo, butter lettuce, chili honey, pine nut vinaigrette, rosemary, cayenne
• Complimentary chocolate mousse
• Brioche bread pudding, caramel, fior di latte gelato, candied hazelnuts - Anything with caramel :O

We were absolutely stuffed and cannot wait to go back in another season to see what they can whip up! The walk home was also lovely, seeing DC row houses under a silent blanket of snow.

TASTING MENU EXPERIENCE

While Tail Up Goat was one of the best meals of my life, it didn't quite check off my "tasting menu" item. Luckily, Iron Gate was another restaurant on my list that could satisfy my requirements.

As an early Valentine's Day treat, my husband and I met at Iron Gate after work. After a 70 degree day on Tuesday, the temperature had plunged again and there was a chilly wind. We had the option of sitting in the adorable courtyard with fire pits, but we instead opted for the dark, cozy stable in the back. Sitting near the fireplace helped a lot too!

We had already decided that we were trying the five course chef's tasting menu, of course, so we just selected cocktails from their Valentine's themed list and settled in for the experience. Like Tail Up Goat, you get new plates and silverware for each course, so you really have time to relax and chat and just savor the atmosphere. My husband and I are usually fast eaters, so it was nice to be "forced" to slow down and just enjoy each other's company ;)

Cute Valentine's-themed cocktail list!

The winter tasing menu included:

• Crudo of Maryland rockfish, Pennsylvania beets, dill, horseradish, yogurt whey - Fish and dill are a delicious combination, and this dish got me excited about eating lots of fresh fish in Japan later this year!
• Melted cabbage tortellini, red onion marmalade, parmesan, smoke ham consomme
• Grilled dayboat scallops, pee wee potato, black salsify, Hackleback caviar - Great smoky flavor on the scallops, and I'm not normally a scallop lover.
• Berkshire pork loin, lacinato kale, shell bean, mustard, house made cotechino - Pork wrapped in bacon AND a pork sausage! They also found a way to make kale taste good :P
• Lime sorbet intermezzo, tiny waffle cone
• Toasted coconut blondies, white chocolate ganache, kaffir lime, coconut meringue - Our favorite dish of the night! There was a salted caramel pool in the middle of the plate, yum!

The restaurant was quite dark and romantic, so the photos didn't turn out great. Guess you'll have to go for yourself to enjoy it fully!

 



All in all, I don't plan to wait 30 more years for another Michelin or tasting menu experience! I'm looking forward to trying more delicious things in DC and around the world!

Item 34 Completed 1/13/19 and 2/8/19
9/42 items complete = 21%