Thursday, December 2, 2010

Boka Birthday Dinner #1

I like to celebrate my birthday by eating great food! Every year, that is all I want - a nice dinner with my husband. This year, M and I went to Boka for birthday dinner #1 (I was extra good and got two dinners this year) and it was super fantastic.

To start, I ordered a "Dealer's Choice" cocktail, which is when the bartender tailors a drink especially for you. I requested something fruity and ended up with a raspberry mint concoction that was unlike anything I'd ever tried before. It was really nice, almost thirst quenching!
M ordered the wine pairings to go with our six course dinner menu. Excellent choice. All of the wines were lovely (of course I stole sips of each).
While waiting for our first course, the server brought over the most delicious bread that had a crunchy-ish crust and was to die for. When they asked if we wanted more, I had to say no to save room in my belly, even though I wanted to say yes, yes, yes!

The first course was a tasting of their raw menu - oyster, hamachi, and something and something else. The hamachi was my favourite part - rich, smooth, and buttery.
Second course was amazing. It consisted of the hugest scallop I've ever eaten, which was mild, almost sweet, and so tender you could cut it with a spoon. Absolutely divine. It took me 20 minutes to eat just one scallop because I never wanted it to end :)
Course three was *I think* short rib ravioli, but I'll have to confirm that with M later. He has a better memory than me! This was still great tasting, but my least favourite of all the courses. It was lacking a little, je ne sais quoi...
The next course consisted of duck breast with lentils. Really good.
And the fifth course, ahhh, the fifth course. Soooo so good. I really wish they had given us a menu, so I could remember every detail of it. This was some rare cut of ham that is supposed to taste nutty because the pigs are fed acorns.
And last, dessert. Hmm, I think the top is some sort of spice cake and the bottom was a peanut butter chocolate thingamabob. Yummo.
All in all, a really fantastic meal. A great choice, if I do say so myself. The service was very good, the food outstanding, but the atmosphere a tiny bit crowded. They have some sort of hanging overhead drapes that our server kept hitting her head on and kinda made me feel like I was at the circus. Other than that, I really enjoyed my Boka dining experience and would highly recommend it!

**In truth, Boka doesn't quite compare to my go-to Toronto birthday restaurant, Auberge du Pommier, which is the best restaurant I've ever had the pleasure of eating at. Oh please, please, please try Auberge if you want a fancy (re: very expensive) meal in Toronto. Really top notch atmosphere, food, and service.

2 comments:

  1. Oh boy! You guys looked like you were having a fantastic evening! Chicago really has amazing restaurants.

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  2. My mouth is watering reading your blog tonight. Looks like you had a great birthday feast!!

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