August 4, 2012

Abigail Street

A recent stop for June ROTM (restaurant of the month) brought us to Abigail Street.  I've been to Abigail Street once before but it was more of light appetizer and wine evening and I was looking forward to returning to have my complete fill of their tapas-style offerings and, of course, more wine.

I started with a choose-your-own flight; enjoyed all three but my favorite was the La Posta Malbec. 
For the past month or so, sweet pea crostini seems to be popping up a lot around me- online on other food blogs, in magazines and now on menus at local restaurants.  When I saw the sweet pea and mascarpone crostini on the menu at Abigail Street I knew I had to try it.  It was everything I'd hoped it would be.  The sweet pea mascarpone had the subtlest hint of mint and the bread was soft with a slight crunch; I could not get enough of the buttery goodness. The portion was substantial and plenty to share around the table. 
I followed the crostini with the bouillabaise, a first for me.  It was different than I expected; in a good way.  The saffron broth was thick and creamy.  I thought boulliabaisse had more of a thin, tomatoey, not-creamy-at-all broth but I was wrong.  The rouille (after some wikipedia-ing I learned is a broth made with olive oil, bread crumbs, garlic, saffron and chili peppers) managed to be light, yet rich at the same time.  But not so rich that I couldn't finish it. Make sense? Amazing. The bowl was filled with shrimp, halibut, and mussels and a couple slices of bread for dipping in rouille.
                         
I am a self-professed volume-eater.  I like to look at my plate and see a large amount of food.  This can cause a certain level of anxiety for me at tapas places.  The greedy little-girl in me comes out and fears she will go hungry and there won't be enough of something she likes and wants to keep eating.  No worries. Between the crostini and the boulliabaisse I was probably over-satieted.  I recommend the crostini for sharing as it contained a large amount of bread; especially if you order a dish that comes with sliced bread.  I would order both dishes again, although I can't help but be tempted by the other items on the menu.  How can I limit myself to the same two choices when there is so much to explore?

My friend ordered the fattoush and the portion was huge; family-style for sure.  We passed the dish around the table a couple times and she took home the rest.  The fattoush contained yellow pepper, radish, tomato, cucumber, pita and zataar- a dried mixture of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern herbs.
I didn't try the lamb sliders and I'm hesitant to put anything on the blog that I have not tried, but they looked and smelled so amazing that I can't help but talk about them.  They were topped with goat cheese and what I believe was a mixture of sauteed onion, tomato and pepper; don't quote me on that one.   
I walked away from my second visit at Abigail Street much the same way I walked away from the first- anxiously anticipating my next visit.

Abigail Street on Urbanspoon

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