It’s Almost Valentine’s Day! Cupid will be fluttering around Rowan with his bow and arrow in just a few days for Valentine’s Day. Whether you have a valentine or not, you still have time to make some special v-day plans! Valentine’s Day symbolizes love. Although it should be shown throughout the year, February 14th was selected out of 365 days, which means it’s THE significant day to show
Showing posts with label Valentine's Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valentine's Day. Show all posts
The Day of Love!
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Brad Gates Catering - Valentine's Meal Delivered
This is kind of a random review, but this meal was so good, I had to share it with you. And you will know, next year, if Indy is lucky enough to have Brad Gates preparing a delivered Valentine’s Day meal again, you should totally get it. (Sometimes he does the same concept for other holidays as well). So the way it worked was he had prepared a set menu and you could just order it to be delivered for $40 a person. They dropped it off in little foil carry out containers with heating instructions –they were really easy to follow and not screw up. Oh, and they brought a nice red rose too. (Keep in mind the pictures are the way I plated the food, possibly not the way he might have had in mind, and certainly not as pretty as any chef would have done I am sure.)
The first course was a smoked trout and crab cake with a frissée-onion salad and mustard remoulade. The very good sized cake was tasty—it had a lot of the smoked trout flavor to it, reminding me a little of brandade—or those little potted dishes of salt cod. It had a fair amount of crab in it too, which mellowed the fish flavor just the right amount. The salad with the insanely thinly sliced red onions was a nice accompaniment to the rich, almost creamy cake, giving a nice texture variety—the only thing I would have changed would be to add a bit more vinaigrette to the greens to add a punch of that zinginess I like. I used the remoulade to dip the cake into—it had a nice bit of heat from the mustard that was a nice balance to the slight smoky taste of the fish. These cakes were mainly meat, not a lot of filler, but enough that they were moist and not dry (sometimes I find those really super crabby cakes to end up dried out because they don’t put enough liquid ingredients to bind the meat properly).
The next course was one of my favorites—and one of the dishes Chef Gates delivered to me on my birthday as well. Mushroom gnocchi with Parmigiano cream sauce, little slivers of prosciutto and some fresh spinach leaves mixed in. I have said it before, but I think Chef Gates does some of the best Italian food in Indy. These little tender, earthy pillows were so good-just the right amount of mushroom flavor coming through. And the cream sauce, while rich, was not so heavy that you felt like you were clogging your arteries with each bite. The sauce was just a little thin, and mostly tasted of the salty Parmigiano. He provided just enough extra cheese to sprinkle on top as well.
The main course was Italian-style steamed Gunthrop Farms pork shoulder. Now, I am somewhat picky about pork, because it seems like it so often dry and flavorless. This just may have been some of the best pork I have ever had. It was sliced in a bit of the broth—you just heated it up along with some veggies on the side (fingerlings and carrots) and finished with a wonderfully fresh, salsa verde—lots of green flavor and a bit of crunchy texture from chopped parsley and red onions. I loved that salsa verde and put quite a bit on my portion. He even provided a little container of coarse sea salt to sprinkle over the top, which we did, and which totally finished the dish. But the pork was just so moist; it was like the world’s best pulled pork with Italian seasonings. This dish was so amazing. Hubby ate the rest for lunch a couple of days later and enjoyed it just as much, if not more.
For dessert, there were two little flourless chocolate cakes and a little side of vanilla crème brulee and little vanilla syrup to drizzle. It was a nice, reasonably small dessert to finish off a great Valentine’s dinner. The chocolate was rich and the flavor of the crème brulee was a nice addition, although, it was hard to get the super crunch top on it the way you do at restaurants (although it did come already caramelized on top). The vanilla syrup was light –not super syrupy like you might imagine. It added a delicate flavor that was better just with the crème brulee because it got lost a little if you ate it with the rich chocolate. From top to bottom, this was one of the best meals I have had in awhile, and even though I had to do the dishes, it was totally worth it. I hope Chef Gates continues the Valentine’s Day tradition of delivering meals, and next year, if you are looking for something different, give it a go (and keep your eyes out, like I said, sometimes he does similar carry out meals for other holidays).
Brad Gates Catering & Events
317-292-4259
Will this be a Valentine's Day to Remember?
Do you have a romantic rendezvous plan for Valentine's Day? New York or Hawaii? Las Vegas? or even ...Seattle? Valentine's weekend starts in three days!
Here's an idea... Wow him by donning a feminine new dress! The Marilyn dress in red at $108 might do the trick, or what about the sexy number in sophisticated beige at $95? Of course there is a little black dress, too, but why not surprise him with a bright and pretty color? 
Wearing a dress would be out of the ordinary and fun! Slip on a pair of heels, adorn yourself with some sparkly jewelry, throw on a shawl, and you'll be ready for a fun night out on the town.
Make this Valentine's an event to remember. Be sure to stop by Renee's! We'd love to help make all your dreams come true!
Best,
renee
"How did it happen that their lips came together? How does it happen that birds sing, that snow melts, that the rose unfolds, that the dawn whitens behind the stark shapes of trees on the quivering summit of the hill? A kiss, and all was said." ~Victor Hugo
Valentine's Day 2011
Image via WikipediaThis year's meal includes a smoked trout and
crab cake, mushroom gnocchi and Gunthrop Farms
Pork shoulder. Yum.
A bit of research shows special Valentine's dinners at the following locations:
and Hoaglin to Go is offering a V-Day dinner for two carry out special
Many other downtown restaurants will be open with their regular menus.
For a few non-downtown restaurants offering special V-Day meals, check out:
So, where are you going? And what do you recommend? If I wasn't eating at home, I might lean toward Euphoria after my last meal there, or I am also intrigued by the Pizzology three course menu. And please comment and let us know of any other places that are offering special menus for Valentine's Day that I missed.
Have a good one,
Erin
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