now that's a buffet

[kismet09]

I ate from noon to 2, got home at 2:30, and slept until now. Insert blissfully happy noises here.

The Ritz Carlton's brunch buffet is a pretty sweet experience. They valet park your car for free, the hotel is gorgeous, the food is quite lovely, the champagne and fresh squeezed orange juice glasses are never quite empty, and the dessert is incredible.

I ate:
Course 1: mixed greens salad with mint and basil; a bunch of antipasti meat type stuff; fresh mozzarella and tomatoes in pesto; smoked salmon; caviar on toast wedges; roasted vegetables with shaved hard cheese of some variety; sushi
Course 2: beef tenderloin in red wine sauce; bacon and sausage; beef tournedos with a sour cherry demi glace and scalloped potatoes; panko encrusted chicken breast with another fancy sauce
Course 3: fresh cheeses and breads - I think I had brie, edam, gruyere, sharp cheddar, and mozzarella (again - love the stuff), and the breads were an italian, a rosemary-date-raisin type light bread, and a raisiny darker bread
Course 4: dessert! mine were a tiramisu-like and a pistachio-raspberry-ganache mini-cake (bigger than petit fours, smaller than a slice - maybe 2" square) with super-cool chocolatey garnishes, and a mini-creme brulee.

Other things on the buffet: about 4 different salads; more antipasti; oysters; shrimp; at least 5 different sushi and California rolls; another kind of caviar; chilean sea bass; lamb; eggs benedict; goat cheese, feta, blue cheese, lots of other stinky cheese that I don't eat; about 20 different mini-cakes, madeleines, tarts, rice pudding, and apple crisp.

Simply amazing. Every time we'd get up for more food, they'd refold the napkins. Every time our glasses were almost empty, poof someone would appear... and it's attached to the beautiful Pentagon City shopping mall. And to make it all even better, we didn't have to pay, 'cause one of the people Tim tutors treated us to the whole experience.

Comments

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

Ohmigod, that's the Ritz Carlton that was our home-away-from-home when we were part of the travelling press during the 1996 Presidential campaign. I *love* that hotel!! (well, it's the Ritz, duh! :)). We spent almost every weekend for four months there :):).

I loved the mall, too ;-).

Re:

[kismet09.livejournal.com]

wow - i can't even imagine staying there... sounds like not a bad place to end up if you can't be at home :)

[thecutepolice.livejournal.com]

My goodness, I can't even imagine how big this buffet is... it sounds so good it's making me hungry