( 2) May 2007: Restaurant 21
May 2007
I have heard that delicious food, beautiful presentation and good grace have long gone out of style. This is indeed the case with a lot of restaurants in town, just middle of the road, with nothing noteworthy to offer. However, occasionally someone comes along who not only knows the difference, but is willing to carry it out.
This was the case at Restaurant 21 on April 5th. To celebrate their 3rd, anniversary, Brian Abbott invited his regular guests and served a wonderful array of hors d’oeuvres. He put on a class act that others can only follow. Lentils with pork bellies, smoked salmon, chicken, risotto, sushi, the most tender slice of beef, a variety of cheeses, tempura asparagus, and The Chef himself sauteed and flamed shrimps. To top it off, a creamy chocolate “drink” in shot glasses and bananas drizzled with a rum sauce were served.
Although only the two of us went there, soon it was obvious that all guests were true foodies at heart and it was easy to make friends. We left feeling full of wonderful food (not missing supper) and outside, the lack of Newfoundland spring did not bother us at all. Congratulations Brian, wish you many more successful years!
This foodie found the pork bellies with lentils particularly interesting and tried to see if I could come up with the recipe. (I substituted lamb for pork because that is what I had handy at the time.) My guests loved it, so I am now passing it on. Hope you like it as much. By the way, there is no reason why this could not be a full meal, served with garlic bread and glass of good, dry red wine. Try it on a foggy, damp evening.
Put lentils, salt, coarse ground pepper, a couple of bay leaves, 2-3 large crushed cloves of garlic, marjoram, an onion chopped up, and a hunk of lamb or pork into the pot. Add water to barely cover and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce heat to just simmer. Check every 10 minutes or so and stir, to be sure water does not evaporate too fast and food starts to burn. When meat is fork tender, remove to a plate. In a frying pan, toast a little flour on bacon fat. Add a bit of COLD water and stir to a smooth texture. Add to lentils. This will thicken the lentils to a consistency of a thick stew. Now taste and adjust spices to your liking. Shred the meat with a fork or chop to small pieces and serve on top of lentils.