Relish, Take Two

Cherie and I were back at Relish last night (it was my birthday last week, so we had a valid excuse!). There have been a few changes since our first visit, so I thought a follow-up was in order.

First, they've fixed the ambiance issues. This time they had appropriate, quiet, music playing, and the overall feel of the place is now better matched to the quality of the food.

Second, the service was a little better. Last time we were there, the waiter was overwhelmed and they had the bus boy helping with drinks and such. This time, there was a hostess and a waitress, and the whole operation seemed to be running very smoothly. Of course, there weren't as many people in there as last time, which certainly helped.

Finally, Glenn, the proprietor and chef, tells us that he's submitted all the paperwork to get a Beer & Wine license, and hopes to get a BYOB license very soon.

It was the same menu as last time. They expect to switch to a new fall menu (of which we saw a preview) at the Autumn solstice.

Cherie started with the Chicken Dumplings again, which she said had a slightly smaller portion (not necessarily a bad thing for an appetizer) and a little less gravy than last time. She said they were very good. For my part, I started with the Coriander Crusted Tuna which was very tasty, and just the right size for an appetizer.

Cherie had the special, which involved Scallops, Bacon, Curry, and Rice but we couldn't taste the curry at all, so maybe the waitress misspoke. Anyway, the scallops were exceptionally fresh, which will make pretty much any preparation sing, and she was generally satisfied with them. The only complaint were the collard greens on the side, which had such an overwhelming vinegar flavor that it quickly overwhelmed the delicate treatment of the scallops.

I had the Beef Tenderloin, very rare of course, which I was pleased to see was what I've always called Filet Mignon. (A little googling has revealed that Filet Mignon is the end cut of the Tenderloin - who knew?) It had a horseradish sauce which was very good, although I'm not too big on having sauces on excellent cuts of meat, and this was an excellent cut. The best part, though, was the crispy potato hash side dish, which was total comfort food. Alas, the other side was those vinegary collard greens, but I was able to avoid them pretty easily. And it left room for dessert!

Cherie skipped dessert, but I had to try the homemade cinnamon-raisin ice cream. Ooooooohhhhhh. It tasted like sticky buns! A+ on the homemade ice cream!

Service: Excellent
Food: Excellent
Ambiance: Excellent