I had a great 9 course New Years Eve dinner at Town House last night.
Marinated Oyster, osetra caviar, sorrel, jalapeno, natural juices: a light start to the meal which heightened the senses. The jalapeno flavor was there but without any heat.
King Crab on top of a Kaffir lime and grapefruit gelee with a side of coconut foam, curry, tamarind and a muscavado sugar crisp: just about a perfect dish. Flavorful and refreshing. Reminds me of Thailand.
Spiced Lobster & Its Gelee, carrot, mace infused pineapple, saffron, long peppercorn.
Hot Chestnut, Cold Quince: Black truffle puree, bacon ice cream, celery and celery foam served in a martini glass type serving dish. It was insanely good and one of the two or three best things I have ever had.
Poached Squab Breast with Thai basil, golden egg of foie gras and a root beer consume. The golden egg has a hard shell that when cracked oozes with a sweet, butter tasting foie gras jam. The squab is super tender. This is a delicious, restrained dish.
Wagyu Beef, bulgur, snail caviar, cauliflower, bone marrow, parsley: A lot of things were going on in this dish; I cannot remember what they were. The snail caviar added a nice earthy component. The beef was excellent. This was really, really good.
Gorgonzola Custard, cranberry ice cream, beet meringue, buddha's hand, walnut: Again, a lot going on but it was absolutely delicious. The beet meringue had a dry, spongy texture which worked well. The buddha's hand had an incredible, sweet flavor.
Textures of Milk, nutmeg and honey crickle: the flavor of a burnt marshmallow. A lot of cool textures including a milk crisp. One of the best desserts I've ever had, although not as good as the chocolate pudding, curly fries and mustard seed dessert I had at Town House 6 or 7 months ago.
Pumpernickel, chocolate, seckel pear, sangria: Sweet, rich and a great way to end 2008.
The wine pairings were also spot-on and even included a couple alternative beer pairings.
This is the best restaurant in Virginia, one of the best on the east coast and certainly deserves national recognition.