Sunday, June 12, 2005

The Marmalade Pantry at Palais Rennaisance

I'd been here once before, but I didn't think anything great of it - just a simple breakfast place for a typical omlette: nothing bad, but nothing notable.

Wow, did my impression change completely today. Although I really wanted "The Ultimate Beef Burger," I was recommended the "Ribeye Steak Sandwich with Grilled Onions, Avocado, and Wasabi Mayonnaise." The thought of wasabi mayonnaise was very disconcerting because it sounded like it would overpower the taste of the sandwich. But it turned out to be very mild in flavor, with a creamy taste thanks to the cheese and fat (and very very tender) ribeye. There was hardly any taste of wasabi at all (maybe just a complementary tinge a la horseradish and prime rib). Wow - that was a darned good sandwich!!

I also tried the "Hot Pastrami Sandwich with Caramelised Onions & Emmenthal," and that was indeed tasty too - and I actually liked the airy, buttery bread (I usually hate most breads). The cheese again was the gating factor, but the crispy salty pastrami edges were also key. Wow - I dare to say that this could in fact be even better than Thomas Keller's Spanglish sandwich. I'm definitely coming back to this place more often (maybe even this afternoon??) - although be forewarned that the pastrami sandwich is only available for Sunday brunch. The ribeye sandwich is available daily though.

The taro chips and grilled tomatoes in the salad were a nice touch, although admittedly I don't like taro too much (and something was weird about the salad - too much oil and not enough vinegar or something). The service was also particularly spotty today (shoved in the back and totally ignored) - they seemed pretty short-handed for a popular Sunday brunch day.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

they also have corned beef hash only on sunday- goes well with their bloody mary which is really spicy (just the way i like!)- reuben