Summer Winter: Dinner

I recently had lunch at the new Summer Winter at the Burlington Marriot. It was a good experience so I returned the other evening to try dinner.

We began our meal with a bottle of Koshi No Tohusetuka "Flower In Winter Snow" Junmai Ginjo Sake (300ml $20). This is an excellent Sake, smooth and flavorful. Our first glass of Sake though was at room temperature. They did put the bottle in an ice bucket after pouring our first glass. Once it was chilled, it was delicious.

We received a small breadbasket prior to our appetizers arriving, containing a grain roll and a few slices of cranberry bread. The bread was not warm and not the type of bread that I generally prefer though if you like those types of bread you probably would have liked them. It would have been better if they had been warmed.

For appetizers, we had a Sushi special ($16) and a Warm Cabbage Salad ($10). The Sushi special included some tuna tartare, a lobster inside-out make roll and some seared salmon. The presentation of the plate was quite appealing, there was plenty of food and it was very good. The Cabbage Salad came with pepper cured bacon and cornbread croutons and also was a large bowl of food. My wife very much enjoyed this salad. The bacon was a thick slice of peppery bacon and excellent.

For our dinner, we ordered a bottle of 2004 Stellenzicht "Golden Triangle" Syrah ($26). An excellent value wine with good fruit and lots of balanced spice. I had the Filet Mignon ($31) with a starch of Potato & Yam Gratin and a sauce of Bleu Cheese Butter. For the main courses, you get to choose one starch and one sauce. The Filet was petite, grilled on the outside and rare inside. It was good, though not exceptional. The Bleu cheese butter was a nice topping for the Filet. I very much enjoyed the Gratin. It was cheesy and flavorful. My wife had a Cedar Plank Scallop special ($28) with the Hominy Cake and Numb & Hot sauce. There were a good amount of small, tender scallops and the thin sauce was excellent, with a fiery spice. Though she liked the Hominy Cake I thought it was just ok.

I should note on the menu that there are a few dishes specifically for two people, including a roast chicken, roasted duck and ribeye. The problem is that if you want poultry, there are no single person dishes. I think that there should be some poultry options for just one person.

We did not order dessert but had coffee and tea ($4 each), very pricey cups of nothing special. The tea was only Tazo Awake tea and to pay $4 for it is outrageous.

Service was generally very good. Overall, I was not as pleased with dinner as I was with lunch. Some of the food was ok, though nothing special. Other items were excellent. I very much like their wine list and their appetizers are also excellent. The Filet though did not impress me. I won't rush back here for dinner though I will probably return.