Romance at the Four Seasons

There is no better place to celebrate Valentine’s Day than the Fountain Room at the Four Seasons.* This restaurant holds a special place in our hearts with its food, its service, fine atmosphere and the many special occasions that we have celebrated there. Even after several executive chef changes throughout the years since we have been visiting the dining room, we have hardly noticed any difference and it has never failed to amaze us at every visit.


We went for the Valentine’s Day Tasting Menu which was available for us in advance of the Valentine’s Day and let our sommelier, Scott Turnbull, match the wines for us.

Jumbo Lump Crabmeat, Wonton Skin, Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette

 

The crabmeat in this amusée bouche was indeed jumbo and lumpy. I liked the use of the wonton skin as a vehicle to transport the crabmeat into the mouth. I did not find much taste from the skin itself which I suspect was intentional but I could not say the same about the refreshing strawberry champagne vinaigrette which was very enjoyable.

 
 
 
 

Ragoût of Grilled Langoustine, Steamed Mussels, Saffron Pool, Fennel Pollen
 
The aroma of grilled food followed by seafood hit my noise when the dish was put in front of me. I love the taste of grilled food and this langoustine offered plenty of such flavors with the smell and taste momentarily had my mind wondering to the Mediterranean. The piece was served split in half lengthwise and although not as meaty as I had expected, it was grilled perfectly. The mussels were moist, plump, and tenderly cooked to just the right texture. The dish was completed with a very subtle and buttery smooth saffron sauce. Yes, I would like to emphasis the word “buttery”. I guess that’s what made the sauce tasted so good.


Macabéo Blend, Cava, Avinyo, Pénédès, Spain, NV
 
This non-vintage bubbly had a nice sauvignon blanc nose. The semi-sweetness of the wine complemented the grilled langoustine particularly well. I have always been pleasantly surprised by sparkling wines from different parts of the world.

Italian Parsley Soup, Crispy Frog Legs, Prosciutto, Toasted Garlic Petals
 
“Froggies swimming in a pond!” That’s what Tourist Tree called this soup. I just called it “Green!” Well, it was a parsley soup after all and very green in color indeed with lots of green flavor. I particularly liked the addition of the small pieces of the Prosciutto which had brought an additional depth to the soup. The “froggies” were good. I found them a little bit on the chewy side although Tourist Tree thought they were OK. We had several frog dishes lately in area restaurants but yet I still haven’t seen one that can match those found in Chinatown where the frogs are swimming live in the tank before they were cooked.
 
Cortese di Gavi, Gavi, Broglia, Piedmont, Italy 2008
 
This wine was a little sweet, a little tart, and moderately fruity. It went very well with the greenness of the soup.

Foie Gras, Almond Butter Pain Perdu, Mandarin Orange

Instead of the “froggies swimming in a pond”, I took a detour for the “duck in a pond”. The foie gras was seared until the outer caramelized but leaving the inside liquidly tender. As with the many times I had this at the Fountain previously, it was done perfectly. What was new to me was the interesting accompaniment of the slivers of almonds sprinkled on top, the almond butter pain perdu, and the mandarin orange. The chef took liberty into making the little French toast into a buttery flakey concoction which had added a substantial contrast in texture and taste to the foie gras. This was further enhanced with a sauce that had pieces of mandarin orange and very thin strips of candied rind. I particularly enjoyed the pleasantly surprising discovery of the citrus in the sauce that gave a very refreshing touch to the heaviness of the foie gras. A winning combination!

Long Vineyard, Johannesburg Riesling, St. Helena

“With our slight detour, I want you to try something different…” Our sommelier said as he was pouring the wine for me. Despite traditional wisdom, I am not a huge fan of sauterne with foie gras since a lot of those I have tasted were too sweet for the dish or my preference. This Riesling carried a nice note of lemon and sweetness. I found it sweet but in a light refreshingly way that the sweetness was very well suited to the dish.

Santé Muscovy Duck Breast, Foie Gras Pierogi, Wild Mushroom, Mâche Lettuce Salad, Game Vinaigrette


This dish was beautifully presented. There were even little dots of sauce in a pattern to resemble a duck’s tail on the plate. The meat was cooked perfectly at medium-rare and savory, but something was puzzling me. The duct breast was at room temperature. Intentional or accident? It was also on the chewy side which was more of a disappointment than puzzlement to me. What did not disappoint me was the mâche dressed with the game vinaigrette. Was there meat juice in that dressing? I thought I tasted some meat essence in the salad.


The star for the dish was in no doubt the foie gras pierogi. Despite taking a journey through the deep fryer to achieve a golden crispiness, the foie gras within managed to stay soft and tender. A bite through that crusty dough was rewarded with an explosion of juice with the foie melting away in the mouth. This however would not have been possible unless the pierogi was perfectly crispy and firm to allow it to be picked up by hand. A poke with the fork would pierce holes in the skin for the juice to escape and ruin the pleasure of enjoying this creation fully. A pleasure that caused me to lose all senses for a few moments when my eyes rolled completely up to the back of my head.


Pinot Noir, Sancerre, Dominique Roger, “La Jouline”, Loire, France, 2005

I was never aware that there were red wines produced in Sancerre. This easy drinking pinot had hints of tobacco and leather. It was a little acidic. It was a little spicy. We enjoyed this wine very much.

Surf and Turf

Roasted Petit Beef Filet, Butter Poached Lobster Tail, Asparagus Gratin, Lobster Américain, Truffles

When you go on a treasure hunt, you never know what you would find at each step. You might find things that you do not find interesting; you might find things that tease you to the next big discovery; you might find the ultimate big prize or you might find the ultimate disappointment.

Subjectively, I am not a fan of beef filet. I prefer the more muscular strip steak meat in my mouth over that mushy texture of a filet. Objectively, I found this to be an excellent piece of meat; thick, cooked to a perfect temperature, properly seasoned, deliciously tender. The sauce for the filet with its enormous depth of complex flavor gave me an “OMG” moment. A little star on the treasure map.

The succulent lobster meat reaffirmed my long time belief that the Fountain Room kitchen turns out the best lobster dish in the city. I don’t know what it does to it but those little critters coming out of that kitchen have always been magical. A bigger star on the treasure map.
 

A side is usually what it is, a side: Something that fills up the rest of the plate (and your stomach), makes the dish look pretty and makes you feel better for shelling out the money.


With the Cirque du Soleil of flavors from the surf and turf already dancing around, I was hardly paying attention to the little plate sitting on the side of the plate. Sure, I could smell the aroma of the gratin and the truffle but I was too taken by the principles of the dish and was overlooking the melted cheese on asparagus with a few drops of truffle oil in it….until Tourist Tree asked, “Is this truffle? You gotta try this,” while putting a fork full of the “side” into her mouth.

What a’duh me thought was mushroom laying on top of the gratin was indeed generous pieces of shaved truffle! This was confirmed by my nose inching into the dish with the intoxicating smell reaching into the far side of my cerebral cortex. Taking a bite, the four walls of my mouth were rewarded with euphoria from the orgy of the sweetness of crispy fresh baby asparagus, creamy satisfaction of melted cheese and butter, coarse texture of the breadcrumbs, and enlightenment of the truffle. As our waiter commented, “This is gilding the lily, isn’t it?” Yes. I have found the mother lode!


Petit Verdot, Trinchero, St. Helena, Napa Valley, California, 2005

A very nice wine with all the typical characteristic of a California red. It is on the lighter side of the slightly dry scale. I have been getting to like more and more of this grape and was happy to see one served with this dinner.

Goat Cheese Strudel, Pickled Beetroot “Hearts”, Toasted Walnut Vinaigrette

Goat cheese folded with finely chopped herbs inside an amazingly delightful strudel pastry shell accompanied by pieces of whimsically shaped beets, walnuts and a few more dollops of goat cheese on the side. The light and fluffy buttery pastry was an excellent compliment to the denser heavier goat cheese.

I was enjoying this decadent cheese course so much until out of a sudden, I hit the wall. The heaviness of the goat cheese had gotten me. I simply could not finish the plate … , after I picked off all the heavenly strudel pastry pieces.

I bet all the girls having this dinner would say at this point, “Oh look, the hearts are so cute…!” The pickled heart shaped beets were very refreshing but unfortunately they could not revive my appetite to finish the cheese.

Sauvignon Blanc, Pouilly FuméDomaine de Bel Air, Loire Valley, France, 2008

A delightfully refreshing light wine full of citrus. I enjoyed it very much on its own but I think the weight of the cheese had rendered the characteristics of this wine moot and thus had completely overwhelmed it.

The artistic Tourist Tree decided to create a mini snowman out of the goat cheese.

Peppermint White Chocolate Hot Chocolate

This little pre-dessert sent out by the pastry chef was light, pepperminty, a little on the too sweet side for me, but very easy to drink and luscious. We could not figure out what the little piece was in the cup. We thought it was a sugary marshmallow but it had an in-between bread/cake consistency. We did know for sure though it was very sweet!

 
 
 
 
 

Flourless Chocolate Cake. Passion Fruit Sorbet, Roasted Strawberry Compote

 

Another dish with more edible hearts on the plate! It must be that time of the year.
Flourless chocolate cake has never been on the top of my list for dessert. Most are so dense that it makes me feel like I was sucking on a piece of fudge.
 

There was no fudge in this dessert. The cake was moist and spongy. The chocolate was apparent but not overpowering. What was also equally satisfying was the little scoop of passion fruit sorbet sitting on top of the cake. It had such true flavor of the passion fruit and it played so well with the character of the chocolate cake.


Amontillado Sherry, Dios Baco, Xérès, Spain, NV
 
A very nice sherry that was not too intense in flavor but carried a nice hint of amaretto. A very pleasant compliment to the dessert.

Black Chocolate Mousse Napoleon, Macerated Orange Segments, Mint Créam Anglaise

The pastry shell on this napoleon was lovely with its flakiness and airiness. It was like going through a cloud made of little pastry crumbs. The black chocolate mousse was contrary to a conventional mousse. It was solid. It was dense. The flavor was intense. It was like … a fudge! I took a detour for what I thought would be a lighter dessert than the fudge like flourless chocolate cake. In an ironic twist of fate, my chocolate lover’s dream of a black chocolate mousse napoleon was closer to a fudge than the flourless chocolate cake.


Pedro Ximenez, Dios Baco, Jerez, Spain, NV

The heavier black chocolate napoleon was paired with a sherry made with white grapes dried on straw mats to become raisins in order to achieve a more intense flavor. The chocolate, taffy, coco note in this wine worked very well with the heavy essence of the chocolate mousse.

We reached the end of our eatathon, but did not cross the finish line until we popped the petit fours into our mouth while sipping on the coffee.

We lamented at the fact that we would have to trek through the messy snow in order to get home as we were changing into our snow boots to go outside; but with delicious food in our stomachs and warm memories fresh in our minds, we were ready to conquer the cold winter night!

* I am a true believer that going to a restaurant on any “special” day, i.e., Valentine’s, Mother’s, Thanksgiving or New Year Eve, is one of the dumbest things to do. We had this dinner a few days before the actual day of reckoning when the crowd was fewer, the kitchen more relax and the staff more eager (not that we would suspect the Fountain Room would deviate from its usual standard on any given day).