Well, fellow foodies, do I have a tasty post for you tonight! We just finished dinner at a little modern place called Rock Fort and it was absolutely fantastic! These pictures and my descriptions aren't going to be nearly good enough, but it's all I can offer! So I'll do my best . . .
This little place was recommended in the Rick Steves guidebook, and he NEVER steers us wrong. I mean it! We've used his books for every trip we've been on, and we eat the best food and stay at great hotels whenever we listen to him! So his description of Rock Fort was that it was a trendy local restaurant that is always busy! That's a good sign if the locals love it that much!
So we arrived tonight and saw an exterior that wasn't that impressive, but inside it's super cool! It's very minimalist in its decor; the walls are all white, the wood floor and tables are some type of bleached or slightly whitewashed wood, and there are just a few small black accents. Then, just to mix things up, they have beautiful crystal chandeliers mixed with molded, white, mid-century modern fiberglass chairs. It was such a great look!
The menu was very small; there were only about four to five choices for each course, but boy were they impressive! We had four courses, including dessert, but it wasn't a ton of food. All the servings are much smaller than we would see at home, so by the end of the meal I was comfortably full but not stuffed.
While we were still looking at the menu, they brought out the bread in a little paper bag. It was served with four items: butter, olive oil (very fresh and bright), a chicken pate that sort of tasted like a dark meat chicken salad (very savory), and a sweet and spicy popcorn. The popcorn had cumin and something sweet on it, too (maybe honey?). I'm not sure what it was, but it was very tasty!
Our first course was a very light and refreshing razor clam with apples served in the long, thin clam shells. It was absolutely gorgeous, and I'm sorry the picture doesn't do it justice. The razor clams were raw and diced up with pickled shallots, cucumber, and thinly sliced discs of Granny Smith apple. There was also a cucumber sorbet (light green on right end) as well as a puree of cilantro with a hint of lemongrass, I think. This was so delicious, I can't even tell you! It was light and fresh, and the contrast of sweet and tart was just perfect!
Up next was another appetizer, but slightly heavier. Tammy had the burrata, which is a fresh cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it a beautiful gooey texture inside. (How's that for vocabulary? Gooey!) :-) The burrata was served with beautiful, fresh heirloom tomatoes, a few roasted tomatoes, and a savory bacon and tomato jam. It was so perfect and absolutely beautiful with all those bright colors! (I'm sorry all the pics look a bit yellow. It must have been the indoor lighting because all the tablecloths and plates were bright white.)
My 2nd appetizer was a bit heavier than the burrata, but it was such a small serving that it didn't seem heavy. It was squid ink risotto with very lightly fried calamari and a few fried cilantro leaves. It was really interesting and delicious. I've never had squid ink before, and it had a really mild saline flavor (just a hint of ocean flavor), and the black color was absolutely beautiful! The risotto was a bit tighter (drier) than last night, which made it a little less heavy. The calamari was just barely dusted with a crunchy coating (probably panko or something similar), and it was cooked perfectly. The squid was still perfectly tender and so fresh tasting! (I know the picture doesn't look great, but it was a beautiful presentation.)
Our main courses were up next and Tammy went with her favorite rib eye steak and watercress salad. The steak was very flavorful, and it was so tender she literally cut it with a butter knife. They didn't even bring a steak knife to the table! It came with a rich and creamy béarnaise sauce (flavored with tarragon) and thick, rectangular cut frites. (Think baked potato fries.) Delicious!
My main course was turbot (pronounced tur-bet), which is a favorite flatfish at upper end restaurants. Turbot has beautiful white flesh that with a large flake and a very mild flavor. My piece was from the collar, so it was very thick on either side of the spine. It was like a fish "steak" it was so meaty and thick, but the white, flaky flesh was very tender and not over cooked at all. It was served with a beautiful, rich hollandaise sauce but I took the picture before I put the sauce on. Sorry about that. It looks kind of plain without the sauce, but it was delicious!
For our final course, what else but a delicious sweet ending. Tammy opted for something light after the heavier steak, so she chose the sorbet sampler. It came with four flavors: guava, strawberry, apple, and lemon. All of them were so bright and fresh! A perfect ending!
I've been craving chocolate for a couple of days now, so I went for the chocolate soufflé! I know, totally decadent! Luckily the portion was very small so it wasn't way too rich! It was dark chocolate, with the lightest, fluffiest exterior and then a slightly gooey chocolate inside. Just the way a soufflé should be! It was served with a very light and not overly sweet vanilla bean ice cream, and together they were just the perfect dessert! Super tasty!
The whole meal was just spectacular, and I'm so glad we stayed up late and ate like the locals! Can't wait for another great meal in the next city!
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