Love and Corduroy

Valentine's Day 2011 I did the unthinkable... while sharing a wonderful night with the man I love, I met someone else! His name is Tom and I think he may be the one!

Okay maybe that's an exaggeration, but that night Tom did sweep me off my feet... first with the scallops, then the venison, but what really did it was just one dollop of his chestnut puree.

Tom is in fact Tom Power, the executive chef of Corduroy, a cozy modern restaurant that just oozes class and service. Corduroy is located in a rescued row house just across from the Convention Center on a stretch of 9th street that out-of-towners usually speed through with their windows locked. But being a block from my house I can vouch for the safety of the neighborhood and I encourage you to give it a try (plus they have valet!).

Here are some photos to entice you further.

1st Course:

The special for the 1st course -- tuna tartare that the waiter assured us was "swimming this morning"... supposedly Tom's friend catches the fish off the coast of NJ and buys it a one-way ticket on a Greyhound bus. How cool is that? The heart-shaped watercress was a nice touch.

The creamiest scallops I've ever tasted. What more can I say. I didn't order them, but I pulled Valentine's Day privilege and ate most of them!

2nd Course:

2nd course special: braised short rib over cabbage. Yummy but the only thing I wasn't crazy about... probably because my mom does it better than anyone.

My favorite thing of the night (and of course again it wasn't my order)... venison medallions with not a hint of gaminess served with brussel sprouts and chestnut puree. Now this chestnut puree business really is something special - made with chestnuts and potatoes, it was rich and creamy with just a bit of sweetness at the end that complimented the bitterness of the sprouts.

Dessert:

For the dessert course we ordered the bread pudding and a very interesting pumpkin pie that was less of a pie and more of a pumpkin and marscapone cheese souffle in the shape of a slice of pie. I don't know how they did it, but I loved it. But the best part of dessert was the house-made honey ice cream and the crispy wafer. Delicious!

Jealous? You should be. Make a reservation, meet Tom, and fall in love for yourself.