Restaurant thoughts - Beacon

I took a friend out for a birthday dinner last night to Beacon.  I had been to Beacon before, once with my office holiday party, and visited the cozy bar a couple of times with my gal pals.  I have always liked its relaxed atmosphere and warm surroundings.  Last night was no different.

Our seats were in the back of the restaurant, near the kitchen, in a cozy little alcove.  It was definitely a cozy place to sit and chat.  And eat.  And drink.  :)

Our server, Carlos, was adorable.  He probably thought I was a wackadoodle, since I was so excited about everything.  I was especially excited about my cocktail:  a cranberry cinnamon margarita.  I told him I was disappointed they didn't have the cocktail LAST winter and I had been waiting a long time for one!  I believe he backed away gingerly.  ;)  But this is a good looking cocktail, yes?  It was deeeeeeeelicious.

Once I had decided I wanted to take my friend to Beacon, I took another look at their menu to confirm there were vegetarian options, since I occasionally pretend I'm a vegetarian.  I mean, hello, I really wanted to order the crispy duck confit leg, but I stopped myself.  Once I reminded myself that duck wasn't an option, I was very excited to see the fall vegetable risotto on the menu, along with a pumpkin-apple soup.  I went into the restaurant having already decided I was getting those two items.  Then, adorable Carlos told me about the special of the evening:  a pan-roasted red snapper, with parsnip puree and preserved lemons.  Um, SERIOUSLY?  I believe we all know how I feel about lemons, preserved lemons, lemon curd, lemon anything.  So now I had to completely rethink my meal choices!  Argh!  But what a delicious problem to have.

I really can't eat three courses anymore, so once I saw the new dessert on their menu, a lemon-lime steamed pudding, I knew it was time to throw pre-conceived notions to the wind, and instead of soup and entree, I opted for entree and dessert.  My oh my, what good choices I made.

My friend got the crab bisque to start, which he very generously let me taste.  Oh.my.golly.  It was DELICIOUS!  Very smooth and flavorful.  And very aromatic.  It was presented with a little crab cake in the bottom of the bowl, then the server (one of many nameless-food-delivery people we met) poured the bisque around the crab cake.  A very pretty presentation of a delicious dish.  It had a tiny bit of warmth/heat in the background from ginger, I think, and we think maybe sherry?  Just a note.  I was kind of regretting I didn't get it myself, but oh well.  I did get a photo, however.  Doesn't that look good?

Once the soup was finished, we very quickly got our entrees.  Not only were they both beautifully plated, but they were so artfully presented so the delicious smells just wafted up and grabbed you before you even took a bite.  And, may I say, I already have a contender for my favorite dish of 2012.  Carlos' recommendation of the red snapper was spot-on.  I LOVED it!  It was fresh and flavorful.  The fish was perfectly cooked, with crispy skin on the bottom, with a smooth, buttery and rich parsnip puree underneath, and an emulsion of preserved lemons and parsley as the sauce.  Oh, and there was a touch of saffron in the sauce, with some preserved lemon rinds on top as garnish.  Seriously, I had to stop myself from licking the plate.  I'm sorry my very dark iPhone photos can't do the food justice.  I suppose I should've turned on my flash.  :(

My friend got the scallops, served with artichokes and a brown butter almond sauce.  It also had another sauce with a bit of heat and sweetness.  I'm trying to figure out what it was--harissa, maybe, with a touch of tomato paste?  It doesn't say on the menu.  But it was yum yummy, too.  Oh, and they bring you a little crock of sauteed spinach for the table.  Also, tremendously delicious, especially as dragged through my preserved lemon emulsion.  My poor pal just watched as I ate most of the spinach.  Pardon the lack of spinach-photos...

We seriously had to stop ourselves from scarfing the food down like a couple of animals--it was just so delicious!  But we restrained ourselves and ate like adult humans.  Mostly.

After the dinner plates were taken away, delightful Carlos was back with dessert menus.  He highly recommended the chocolate chip souffle (which sounded good, but...hello...lemons) and the huckleberry/pear crisp, which also sounded delicious.  It came with cranberry ice cream!  Cranberry could be my second favorite taste-sensation!  I toyed with getting that, but stuck with my original choice of the lemon-lime steamed pudding.  My friend got the crisp, thankfully, so we could admire that delicious cranberry ice cream.

His dessert was very yummy, but I really preferred my dessert.  I don't think I'd ever had a steamed pudding before, but it was delicious.  It was soft and pudding-y, but also cakey.  The consistency was kind of the perfect middleground for me.  It was served on top of a crisp meringue cookie, and the sauce was a citrus mascarpone sauce.  I believe there were also a few chopped macadmaia nuts tossed around.  This dessert just SCREAMS my name.  I will probably be dreaming about it for awhile.  I highly recommend it.

All in all, we had a fantastic time at Beacon.  Well, we always have a fantastic time, but it was certainly heightened by the locale.  The service was prompt, but not rushed, and no one made a move to make us leave, even after three hours.  They just kept refilling our water goblets and smiling.  Oh, AND they gave each of us a discount card for our next visit!  Woo hoo!  I can go back and try the winter vegetable risotto and the grilled pineapple trifle (which I also almost ordered)!  Of course, they'll probably describe some special dish which will sway me, but who cares?!  I definitely look forward to my next visit...