Social Workout

love belly-licious.

Because I got sick and my mom was on vacation, my Yugoslavian meal never came to fruition…but this is certainly something that will happen in the near future! Instead, my love belly meal came in the form of the V-day dinner with killercadoogan who took me to BLT Market. You’ve probably heard of BLT Steak and BLT Fish, but BLT Market is a newer outpost of Laurent Tourandel’s exquisite restaurants and focuses on fresh, seasonal ingredients available in farmers’ markets, paying particular attention to unusual, wild and locally grown items. Seasonal fish, meat and cheese are sourced from local producers, the menu rotates monthly, and blackboard specials are updated weekly with first-of-the-season produce.

It was an unbelievable meal from start to finish. For one, it turned out that because everyone <3 killercadoogan, a member of Crunch (who also happens to be the manager of BLT Steak) must have made a phone call to the restaurant, because they treated us like absolute royalty. Upon being seated in a lovely corner booth from which we could survey the entire restaurant, Jean-Jacques, a man who’s name just makes him absolutely perfect for the role of Maitre d’ in an upscale French restaurant, brought us complimentary glasses of rose champagne and a board of charcuterie – different types of prosciutto and other cured meats and home made pickles – and garlic bread. We ended up ordering one of the specials for appetizer, a country–style pate with chestnuts and mushrooms that came with toasted baguette and a red currant preserve. For entrée, I had the Duo of Long Island Duck (breast and leg) in a Marsala Wine sauce with Rosemary Polenta and Brussels Sprouts. Killercadoogan had the Grilled Maine Scallops with Braised Green Lentil Salad and a Chermoula Dressing. We also shared a side of red cabbage. Finally when it came to dessert I ordered the Bittersweet Chocolate Tart with Salted Caramel and Hazelnut Praline Ice Cream and Killercadoogan got the Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream. But that wasn’t it! Because they clearly thought we were Prince and Princess of Awesome, we were give TWO other desserts on the house including some cream/custard-filled donut holes and a Sticky Toffee Pudding with Banana Flambé and Kumquat Sorbet. Topping off the amazing meal with an espresso just put the finishing touches on a perfect meal.

Every aspect of the experiences was perfection – from the warm service, to the exquisite food, and the beautiful ambience. If you want to impress someone, or spoil yourself rotten, you must visit BLT Market.