Alias Vint Hill

[Katya4me]

We went to Alias Vint Hill last night for a special occasion.  We sat at the Chef's Counter and were curious so one of us got the vegetarian menu while the other ordered the regular menu.  We also decided to try the cheese course.  Neither of us are real wine drinkers, so skipped the wine pairing.  For drinks, he got the Tequila Honey and I tried the mocktail, Cherry Lane and both were very good.  We did arrive early, as requested and enjoyed a glass of champagne and 2 starters before the first course listed on the menu.  The first was a small disk (I think plantain) with I believe 6 layers on it: a sweet and spicy sauce (aji amarillo and something else), something else and for the regular menu, a slice of skipjack tuna on top while the other had I believe cured vegetables and then curls of green onion and a drizzle of sauce on it.  We shared everything throughout the meal and both of these were very good.  The tuna was more substantial but I liked the combination of flavors on the vegetarian version.  The next was another nibble in small scoop shapes, waygu beef in the one, and I'm blanking on the vegetarian version's topping.  For each course, they brought out the silverware for that dish and then cleared it along with the plate before the next dish came out and this was a nice touch.  The first course was the same for both menus: Potato & Leek Soup with Garlic Bread Crumble, Buttermilk Sorbet, the difference being that the regular menu included a topping of Osetra Caviar instead of Scallions.  We did ask for the caviar on both bowls because it looked great and glad I did.  The contrast between the hot soup and the sorbet was perfect, along with the garlic crunch.  Next out was their version of Parker House rolls with soft salted butter.  My husband took his first bite and made happy noises.  There were 2 for each person and absolutely wonderful.  After this was the second item on the menu: Roasted Turbot, stuffed with Scallops and Tarragon, with Dandelion Puree, and Sunflower Sikil Pak or Wild Ramp & Potato Tortellini with Sauteed Mushrooms, Leek Beurre Blanc for the vegetarian menu.  The fish was very good but I think I have to give the nod to the tortellini for this course.  After that was the Whiffletree Farms Chicken with Turnip Cream, Basil Scallion Trapanese and Grilled Wild Morels or Sweet Potato Pave with Turnip Cream, Basil Scallion Trapanese and Aged Gouda Mornay.  The chicken was everything chicken should be and rarely is: flavorful, moist and tender.  It was so enjoyable and the sauces just added to that.  The Pave was made with Peruvian purple sweet potatoes and was visually very attractive.  The Gouda Mornay and the Turnip Cream were excellent accompaniments.  The fourth course from the menu was Grilled Iberico Pork "Pluma" with Fabada Astariana, Spicy Wild Ramp, Red Pepper Adobo Puree, and Grilled Fiddlehead Ferns or Grilled Blonde Morels stuffed with Roasted Date Mole, on Sweet & Sour Chili Agrodolce, and Pickled Shallot.  My husband is not normally a fan of pork, but he said if I can make it taste like that, he'd enjoy eating it.   This was a first time for both of us having ramps and fiddlehead ferns.  Loved the bite from the ramps and the fiddleheads are very visually appealing.  The morels were good but I think the mole may have been too intense of a flavor contrast for that dish.  For this course, the knives provided had the name ALIAS on the blade and it was subtle but a great touch.  Before the final menu course, there was one last extra course. It was a sunchoke puree with cacao nibs, nuts and a scoop of a sorbet on top.  It was cool, sweet and savory and unexpectedly delicious.  Bringing the menus full circle, the final item for both was Tres Leche Cake with Black Pepper Chantilly, Strawberry Sorbet, Strawberry and Rhubarb. The black pepper provided the perfect contrast to the cake and fruit flavors. For the Cheese plate, there were 4 cheeses, a Housemade Onion Jam and Housemade Crackers.  The cheeses included a mild Bleu cheese, a brie, a Swiss cheese and one more hard cheese that I'm blanking on.  I shared the Bleu with my husband but he preferred the cake for his final course.  I enjoyed both options.    After this final course, everyone was presented with a to-go box of 4 cinnamon rolls to take home and enjoy, perhaps for breakfast.  This was the perfect conclusion to the meal.  

If you are looking at restaurants with a prix fixe menu, I would definitely recommend Alias and we enjoyed sitting at the counter and seeing the assembly throughout the meal.