Christoff’s

1 Reviews on “Christoff’s”

• JB

  Duck Empanadas, Spinach Salad w/basil corriander vinaigrette, Venison Meatballs, Rabbit and Dumplings and Grand Marnier Creme Brulee. This place has only been opened about 3 weeks and has the same owners as the Wine Loft – which I’ve never patronized. The first thing I noticed upon entering and scoping out the room were the McCormick salt and pepper grinders on every table. So very very tacky.The menu was nice – short and simple but creative and interesting. The food was good – not great but good. The duck empanadas didn’t have much filling nor a great presentation. The puff pasty was pale and soft – not golden and crisp as it should have been. Forget the egg wash? Also, according to the menu there was suppossed to be some Thomasville Tomme inside with the duck which I couldn’t detect. The Spinach salad was a good palate cleanser and the vinaigrette was tasty. It was highlighted by a big dollop of SGD Lil Moo. My girlfriend loves rabbit so she chose the Rabbit and Dumplings for her entree. Honestly, none of the other entree items really grabbed me but the Venison Meatballs from the small plate section did. For me, the highlight of the meal were the Meatballs and the amazing heirloom tomato ragout. The meatballs were succulent and the ragout was rich. For a ‘small plate’ it was quite substantial. The Rabbit and Dumplings, however, was a bit lacking. I didn’t see why the Rabbit dish was twice the price of the meatballs. There wasn’t much to it and the stew could have been thicker. The rabbit wasn’t as tasty and memorable as rabbit I have had in the past. It could have easily been chicken and I wouldn’t have known the difference. It didn’t seem like a whole lot of love went into this dish.When I see Creme Brulee on a menu I ALWAYS go for it. I have had some amazing Creme Brulee. This one was okay. The custard could have been a little more firm and the line cook that torched the sugar got a little heavy handed in some spots.One of the draws for me to Christoff’s was that they say they use local farm raised produce and meat. When the waiter mentioned this is I, of course, wanted to know what farms. I am involved in and knowledgeable about the local farm community. He’s the one that brought it up, not me, so he should have had a more confident answer when I asked what farms. He only mentioned one by name and seemed weird about it. The other dude spoke more confidently about the farm, though. The farm names should be on the menu or on a chalkboard sign. I’m not trying to get all Portlandia about it but if you say ‘local farms’ I want to know exactly which ones. I’m going to try to keep it short about the service but it was weird. Maybe they were alot busier than they expected for a Wednesday night and it caught them off guard but they seemed to have enough people running around in there to cover the small dining room. When we were sat, we were told we would be taken care by one dude but then a different dude ended up coming and saying he was helping our dude because he was so busy. So, ultimately, we got passed back and forth between the two of them and felt forgotten about and less important than other tables. We didn’t need to hear how busy _____ was or that he’s ‘overwhelmed’ and having a ‘melt down.’ WTF? Just give us one consistent server and don’t let me see my salad sit in the window while you wander around and wipe empty tables and schmooze with other guests. And if you’re going to squat down and talk to me don’t look around while you do it. To sum it up, the concept is great but the execution seemed amateurish and insincere. Back of the house needs to step it up to live up to the words on the menu and front of the house needs to take a deep breath and be present. I feel like this all sounded a bit harsh but I have high expectations with fine dining restaurants.Believe it or not, I do look forward to trying it again in a few months.

  September 19, 2016, 1:14 am

  Log in to Reply