theseconddinner

Hoppe’s Bistro & Wine Bar – Cayucos, Calif.

This is a delightful spot – classy but not snobby, and a menu that has items for both mainstream and experimental palates. Its interesting features range from the unusual butter served with the bread to the upscale grape juice. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and helpful when we asked questions about the menu, and his vivid description of the pheasant entree made it clear that this was a much better pick than the smoked-pheasant ravioli appetizer. We learned that pheasant does indeed resemble chicken, but this powerful dish won’t remind you of any poultry you’ve encountered before.

Our other entrée was Grilled Polenta with Fresh Tomato Coulis and Melted Havarti Cheese. What a wonderful surprise this dish was! The flavors mixed well, and the vegetables added to make it a very satisfying meal.

But there’s always room for dessert, right? We were full, so we opted for a sorbet assortment. These were no run of the mill sorbets. These were fantastic! There were three egg shaped sorbets, with fresh berries. On the night we went, one was a mixed berry, another a cocoa bean blend flavor, and a mango (I believe with peach blended in) like none we’ve ever tasted. Incredible! The mango was a thick, less icy sorbet, and tangy. Just the perfect topper to a great meal!

Two previous visits starred the excellent cold seafood combo and the abalone. The abalone is farmed just up the road, which verifies the deliciousness but not the economy of locavorism, as it’s by far the most expensive item on the menu. Thus, you should perhaps try it once, and do so at lunch, to check out the excellent combination of the tender mollusk and its hazelnut-mango accompaniment.

The Smith, at 55 Third Avenue in the Village, is a lot more colorful than its name suggests. On the second of my three visits there, my friend seemed surprised that I liked a place so Manhattan-ish, but the vibe is just on that borderline – trendy enough to draw the Manhattan crowd but friendly enough so that more humble types like me aren’t scared away. 

The meal opens with a brilliant subversion of the old still-or-sparkling scam. Bottles of regular and sparkling water are on the house, and the latter, respledent in its green bottle, was the perfect elixir for a hot summer day.

I’ll get to the sole negative now for instructional purposes. The prices aren’t exorbitant – most things in the low $20s – but you won’t be filled up on an entree alone. In short, great food but maybe some more potatoes or something on the side would help. So, back to the happier proclamations. A few years ago on my first visit I got the pork chop. The second trip featured the short rib. Both were first-rate but I was looking for something lighter this time.

My dining companion was kind enough to get the flounder – basically my 2nd choice – so that I could get the grilled shrimp. Both of the seafood items were excellently done – good flavors but no gimmicks.

And the accompaniments were quite appealing – for instance, the jalapeno grits for the shrimp and the sweet pea mash with the flounder.

And the hot fudge sundae dessert was rapidly devoured.

In short, this is a really fun spot, but the word has gotten out, so it may be a bit crowded if you go during prime time.

After my first two visits I decided the Market Broiler chain was the best thing since sliced tilapia, while on the third and fourth visits I still enjoyed it but didn’t quite get that must-move-to-California feeling. One of the same fish impressed less the second time around (thresher shark) – did it change or did I change?

Round IV was at the Ontario Mills branch. Snapper from Oregon was too plain. While I appreciate the refusal to provide honest preparations instead of serving fish in drag (say, doused in pecan-crusted bacon whatnot), there just wasn’t much too it. It didn’t even have much of a broiler taste to it. Grilled catfish was better, though it may not appeal to those used to the fried-only variation.
The Yucatan shrimp cocktail was outstanding. The flavors were nearly as bright as the colors. It was spicy but not in a show-offy manner, and the shrimp were big and fresh. I just had to check out the pink clam chowder, combining red and white. In this case the whole wasn’t better than the sum of the parts – pretty good clam chowder but other than the unusual visual display there wasn’t any great purpose in combining them.

As always, the service was friendly, and the bread was excellent. Given the incredibly extensive menu, and memories of prior MB triumphs like the dramatic Fisherman’s Stew, I hope to return someday.

A small, friendly joint in downtown Hightstown, at the site of the former Slowdown Cafe, Da’s has a mostly Thai focus but displays a Vietnamese influence via the availability of pho.

We started with an appetizer combo. This featured some very good spring rolls and some shumai that was essentially the same as any other shumai. The winner here was chopped-up mangos, but instead of providing pure-play fruitiness, they were in an intriguingly unidentifiable spicy sauce.

The main courses were tofu with yellow curry (the curries are generally available with tofu, chicken or beef) and pho. The curry had an unique blend of spicy and flowery. Accompaniments included onions, carrots and broccoli. This was delicious, but the curry/rice ratio was such that we ran out of rice before the curry.

With the pho, the typical array of beef variations wasn’t offered here -no tendon option for instance – but it was a flavorful soup made better with some customization. The soup came with servings of condiments, including two varieties of what seemed to be dried peppers and a sharp sauce (fish sauce, maybe?). O.K., it would be better if we had the technical terms, but barring that, these additions gave it a really good kick – by the time the bowl was nearly empty, tears had formed.