LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
EATING Out |
by Jennifer P. Rubenstein |
Partners Bistro
Last Friday, four of us dined at Partners Bistro before seeing Nunsense at the Convention Center. We started with cocktails: surprise, surprise. My fellow diners had Partners signature drink, the Clear Queer Cosmo, also known as the "CQC" which is made with Absolut Vodka Citron, Triple Sec, and lime juice. I opted for the pear version, just to be different, and wow, am I glad! The pear version is made with pear flavored vodka and I don't know what else, but it knocked my socks off. The best part about ordering cosmos at Partners is that each one comes with a "sidecar"a little extra in a small cup on ice. That just made me giggle. Our server, JR, made us feel very special and took his time when explaining the specials and pointing out items new to the menu. We put him through his paces, grilling him on sauce ingredients, "how is this served, how is that served," and he smiled through the whole thing. It was easy to see why owners, Bill Burckhardt and Gene Hutter, have JR on staff! He knew all the food well and even told us what he'd eaten off the menu that evening before his shift. Over in the bar, someone was celebrating a birthday...loudly. It was a joyous sound of friends truly enjoying each other's company. JR had to repeat himself a couple times so we could hear him over the "joy". We started our meal with the Baked Brie appetizer. Yum. The brie was brown and when we sliced into it, we found that it was baked until it was almost liquid. It was served with mini-rye and mini-pumpernickel breads, fresh strawberries, blackberries and a few crumbles of cashews on the top. I loved this appetizer! It was warm, gooey fun. One of the women joining me that night was newly "in the life," and had never had brie before...this was a good way to initiate her to "gay gourmet." Owner Bill stopped by our table to say hello and convinced us to try the appetizer sampler next which had mini-crab cakes, mini-chicken cordon blue, fried jalapeno fries, bacon-wrapped scallops and Partners Pretzarella, which is a mozzarella cheese stick wrapped in a crunchy pretzel coating. The sampler platter was the perfect size for the four of us. My favorite was the bacon wrapped scallops. The scallops melted in my mouth while the bacon added crunch and tons of flavor. I could eat a whole plate of those, and next time I go to Partners, I just might! Next we had soups and salad. My salad had nice green lettuce, veggies, and was served with a wonderful apple vinaigrette. Two of us had that apple vinaigrette, and kept saying to each other across the table, "Wow, don't you love this dressing?" Yummy. The soup of the day was a creamy Tomato and Basil Bisque, and upon tasting just a spoonful, I wanted more. It was light and savory, with a cheesy delicious undertone. When JR brought our main courses, we watched with amazement as he balanced many plates all at once. I had the Friday Prime Rib special and my fellow diners had the Grilled Salmon, the Cheese and Spinach Ravioli in the house "bistro" sauce, and the Coconut Shrimp. Now, one rule of eating out with me is that you have to let me taste your food, so of course, we all passed all the dishes around, and we all tried everything. It makes for a carefully choreographed dance of plates and we ate and passed, ate and passed, and it left us all laughing. The Prime Rib had an excellent seasoning, and was served with real horseradish, mashed sweet potatoes and candied carrots. The sweet potatoes were very tasty. My honey, Sharon, had ordered the Grilled Salmon, and it was just how grilled salmon should be: a little bit of crunch on the outside, but moist and delicious on the fork. It is normally served with a sauce, but she ordered it sans sauce, and the kitchen obliged. The salmon was so good, we didn't miss the sauce. She also ordered a crab cake on the side, but I'll get to that in a moment. The Coconut Shrimp is flash fried, and the delicious coating enhanced the flavor of these shrimp. They tasted really good. While I enjoyed everything we had at Partners that night, in retrospect the Cheese and Spinach Ravioli was the highlight of the meal for me. They were stuffed with a delectable, rich, full-flavored cheese and served with a light house sauce that they call "bistro" sauce which I loved. Sharon and my other friend, both of whom added a crab cake to their entrees disagree. I'm allergic to crab, but I would be remiss in my duties in writing about our meal if I did not tell you that they said the crab cakes were out of this world. 100% lump crab with no fillerjust a little seasoning. They are broiled and served. Period. 'Nuff said? Obviously, if you are a crab lover, you have to try them! Our tickets for Nunsense were burning a hole in our pockets, so we left before my favorite course, dessert. It was a shame because we'd already decided what we were going to try. They have a really fun dessert menu with items like Peanut Butter Fluff, Orange Creamsicle Cake, Lemon Wedges, and a special of the day which was a delicious-sounding strawberry cake. Alas, you will have to try the desserts for yourself. Partners Bistro is open seven days a week, 404 Rehoboth Ave (parking provided in the rear) in downtown Rehoboth. For reservations, call 302-226-0207. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 17, No. 7 June 15, 2007 |