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Rebecca and I managed to get a last-minute, late-night reservation last night at Boulevard.

I went to Boulevard when I first moved (back) to California three years ago. I had a pork chop, I remember, and a glass of some Napa Syrah or another. And it was so good that for the next four months, whenever I went out to eat, if the restaurant had a pork chop (or loin or tenderloin) offering and a Syrah by the glass, I'd get it. I tried hard to repeat the experience, but nothing quite measured up.

Since then, I've often referred to Boulevard as my favorite restaurant. Yet until last night, I hadn't been back. Perhaps to shield myself against disappointment?

Speaking of experiences that can't be reproduced, my crab cake/Chardonnay obsession, though waning, was still strong enough to distract me from the Oxtail Tart I was eyeing. (No, I don't mean our waitress.)

I've been trying to have this experience again, with little success. Sometimes the wine isn't up to snuff; other times it's the food.

The Patz & Hall Chardonnay was smooth, spice-laden, and rich. The crab cake, while it had all of the flavors I was looking for, still didn't have enough oomph for me. Better than the Paul K entry, but still not the crab cake of my dreams. Especially at the price.

I know, I know, I told you to Never Order The Steak. (See here, toward the bottom of the page.) But this is what the waiter recommended based on my preferences. Which were admittedly slated heavily toward the red meat end of the spectrum, I'll admit. I probably should have been more open to poultry, but you know, sometimes...

But I don't regret my choice. The filet was fantastic -- spiced just right, cooked just right, and in great company. The roasted tomatoes were some of the best I've had, and I loved the potatoes, though Rebecca found them a little firm. If I'd had this when I first moved out here, it would have meant four months of filet mignon instead of pork chops.

"What kind of wine would you recommend with the Peanut Butter Pie?" I asked the waiter. It's a bit of a challenge. Chocolate isn't the easiest food to match with wine. Then there's the general problem of matching wines to desserts -- you need a wine that's a bit sweeter than the dessert, which means you must be pretty familiar with how sweet your wine offerings are and exactly how sweet the desserts are. Finally -- though this is a far lesser issue -- there's the peanut and banana flavors to be concerned about.

"Well, let me see. There's the Banyuls...and, um...the Banyuls. Yeah, that's about it."

I sat there for a moment, trying to figure out what he'd said. I was sure I'd misheard.

"Ban-yuls," he said. "It's a fortified wine from southwestern France. It's main claim to fame is that it goes well with chocolate. I assumed it was a bunch of PR hype. I'm being convinced otherwise."

If I'd have tasted the Banyuls blind, I'd have picked it as a Port, albeit a strangely flavored Port. I did seem to go unusually well with the dessert.

Which dessert, by the way, was fantastic. Pure chocolatey, peanut- buttery goodness.

Service was excellent. I've always liked the ambience. And the food, while not the revelatory experience I'd had the first time, still held an epiphany or two.

Rating: **** 1/2

March 22, 2003 in old_site, restaurants | Permalink

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