[Abbylovi]

I'm just now managing to tear myself away from an all consuming mussels with pesto recipe search. This was just one of the dishes we had last night at Landmarc.

The mussels came with a garlic-y pesto broth that I just couldn't get enough of. After interrogating the waitress on the ingredients: "walnuts, no pine nuts in the pesto. White wine... And no anchovies," which we found hard to believe given the funky depth. I'm now determined to replicate this dish at home. Or keep returning to Landmarc in the interest of research.

The wine experts were going bonkers over the list, and I gamely reaped the benefits of their knowledge.

Other starters were:

Fried calamari
Sardine salad -- julienned cukes tossed with sardines and cherry tomatoes. Refreshing but not something I'd order again.
Roasted marrow bones with toast

Mains:
Sweetbreads. The owner of these seemed to be quite happy with them, though I found them to be too gamey.
Grilled quail
Hanger steak

Dessert is a waste, don't bother. And this is from someone with a massive sweet tooth.

[Cathy]

I agree about the desserts.

How did the marrow bones compare to St. John's? And didn't anyone order the foie gras terrine?? Go back immediately. :D

I can probably get my pal Frank to divulge the pesto recipe...

[Abbylovi]

What, what!?! You could??? Cathy I love you now but you would have my undying love and gratitude if I could get that recipe! :wub: :wub:

I was highly conflicted re: the sardine salad vs the foie terrine. Since I got the steak as my main, I opted for the sardines. I will be back.

Hmm. How did the marrow bones compare to St John? For some reason they tasted less meaty at Landmarc. But clearly I need another round to give a full assessment.

[Wilfrid1]

It was good, was it? I have been put off by stories of crowds, and also by my memory of the appalling lighting when it was The Independent, which didn't look like it had changed.

[omnivorette]

We drank a bottle of 2002 Domaine Ott Rose, for $30. That's right folks, $30. That's like $3 over retail.

We also had a very nice Nero d'Avola, I can't remember which specifically, but it was $21 on the list. That's right, $21.

They have a big selection of half bottles, and they don't pour wines by the glass.

I thought the steaks were prepared very nicely, MR was requested, and MR was received. Sauces were pretty good - Bordelaise better than Dijonnaise - I thought they were both on the thin side, but Bordelaise was a nice flavor.

I did indeed like my sweetbreads. Others thought they were a bit gamey, but not too much for my taste.

Those mussels were delicious. Marrow bones were very nice (what could be bad?) St. J's are better.

Good bread, too. And salted and unsalted butter on the table. They put a pitcher of ice water on the table - I like that.

Desserts were lousy.

I like the space a lot. Roaring fire and grill in the back, on which grilling was taking place, which will be nice to sit near (at the bar) in the winter time.

They don't take reservations for parties fewer than 6. It must be a zoo on the weekends... ?

I definitely will go back. They're open for lunch, and it's near my office!

[Wilfrid1]

omnivorette, on Jun 24 2004, 04:16 PM, said:

They don't take reservations for parties fewer than 6.

Ah, that must be what I heard. Not convenient.

[Abbylovi]

omnivorette, on Jun 24 2004, 12:16 PM, said:

Good bread, too. And salted and unsalted butter on the table. They put a pitcher of ice water on the table - I like that.

Bottle of rosemary olive oil on the table too.

[Cathy]

The place is much calmer at lunch, although the menu is stripped down - lots of salads and sandwiches.

Last time I was there, we went down to the kitchen to say hello and left with cotton candy - Marc and Frank had just bought a machine. :rolleyes:

[Wilfrid1]

Anyone tried the boudin noir yet? Is it mushy or correctly cooked?

[omnivorette]

I almost ordered it. Next time.

[Orik]

how do the relevant dishes (bone marrow, sweetbreads, squab) compare to Blue Ribbon's?

[omnivorette]

I haven't been to Blue Ribbon in at least a year, so I can't really remember well enough to have a real opinion, sorry.

[Orik]

fair enough. I guess we'll have to try it after recovering from a recent bone marrow overdose :)

[cabrales]

Asimov's lead piece in the NYT dining section on the reasonableness of Landmarc's wine prices misses a counterargument, in my assessment -- that the bistro-like, less formal cuisine of Landmarc (which I have not sampled) does not merit a sampling of the more expensive wines (absolute price levels) on the list. It's a bit different taking in Krug 1989, one of the wines mentioned, at a place like Landmarc than it is at certain other restaurants, because the style and formality of the cuisines are different. :lol:

[marcus]

I personally do not see anything amiss about having very high end wine with bistro food, in fact it often goes better than with more complex high end food with which it often clashes. There are many bistros in France which offer a selection of top wines on their lists in addition to the more common regional wines. One example is La Cave in Cannes. La Regalade used to offer a few as well, I remember once seeing Mouton 82 at a rather good price.