Mountain View Brasserie – April 2011 One Hundred 6.90 – 7.5, 7.5, 7.25, 7.2, 7, 6.75, 6.5, 5.5 |
| - One Hundred dinner dates for Party of Eight, and we celebrated with a favorite – the Mountain View Brasserie – a medley of soul-satisfying food, classy ambiance, consistently worthy service, and good value. A review of the three previous visits to MVB, and the four to Freehold Country Inn, shows the high regard we have for the quality culinary efforts of Ben & Terry Buel and Max Suhner. The menu, simply, is one we like. This evening, the Debs chose from the appetizer menu – the warm goat cheese, encrusted in hazelnuts, on a bed of greens. A classic starter. And we appreciate that salad or soup is included. We have come to expect a fresh basic salad, with an opportunity to venture to the soup side. This evening, Terry’s description of the shrimp bisque was so tantalizing that five of us tried the soup. And the entrée list is one of comfort, edged with class, and we often struggle to narrow to one choice. Making our options even more tantalizing is announcement of several specials. The choices of this evening saw a NY strip steak (Ken); chicken parm (Kriss); sea scallops (Deb T, of course, and Judy); jagerschnitzel (Don and Deb K); prime rib (Chay); and chicken francaise (Tim). Some combination of baked potato, au gratin, or risotto sided the entrées, while some combination of spring peas & carrots or ratatouille finished the plate. Dessert, again, should be the first course! Sampled this evening were the special of white and dark chocolate layer mousse with strawberries (Don T, Kriss, and Judy), the white chocolate bread pudding with caramel bourbon sauce (Deb K), strawberries with English sauce (Deb T), the black Sambuca (Chay), and a pass (Ken, Tim). We appreciate the level of service at MVB – we know that a certain level can always be depended upon, and Rebecca personified that expectation well. Thanks, Rebecca. Our dinner reviews almost always spend time on ambiance. However, let the previous write-ups mirror what we experienced again. Suffice it to say that we find the quiet elegance a matter of comfort we have enjoyed since the opening. The wine list, although short by some standards, is diversified enough for our tastes. Our drink order included Domaine Delagrange 2009 Hautes Cotes de Beaune Rouge, followed by the Ermita San Felices 2006 Crianza Rioja. Both were worthy although the Cotes de Beaune was a class above. And all the other touches matter. The personal and familiar greeting at the door by Terry is the tone-setter. Two baskets of French bread slices and crispettes within minutes of seating is appreciated, as is the frequent refill of water glasses. And Ken’s coffee cup had little time to be empty. Terry’s delivery of a plate of white and dark chocolate wafer bars is a metaphor for the quality time we had, and have. Especially distinctive at the start of this evening was Terry’s surprise offering of a celebratory glass of sparkling for each of us. Terry, we so much appreciate your sincerity and thoughtfulness. At $100 per couple (including drinks, tax, tip), we departed, knowing that MVB had provided another dinner of good value. The three hour dinner span was longer than most but with seven weeks having passed since the last DP8 event, we certainly caught up on life’s details, and we reminisced over the last 100 dinners. All in all, MVB is our center for heart-warming, good-for-the-soul choices. Here’s to the start of our next hundred, and to the continued success of MVB. The evening had started at the
Teators’, with a pleasantly temperatured afternoon
dragging hors d’oeuvres and drinks outside to the
deck, with the vista of a snowless Catskill escarpment,
the front yard magnolia just past peak, forsythia at
peak, and the red bud showing initial purple. The men
took a walk around the house and across the street, doing
the man talk, while the women maintained the deck
decorum. |