It took until the second round of dishes for the true nature of a meal at Ralph’s on the Park to dawn on me.
We came for a casual weeknight dinner at a nice Mid-City restaurant with a summer dining deal. What we discovered was an affordable, DIY chef’s tasting menu.
This should all be a contradiction in terms. Tasting menus are, by their nature, expensive and directed by the chef. It’s the trust fall of fine dining and can carry a bill bigger than a car payment.
But there we were, sliding roasted crab claws through garlicky, herb-strung escargot butter, while the jerk shrimp dish next to it gave a fragrant aroma of curry cut with fresh cilantro…