On the heels of a great duck confit I was drawn back for more. I figured I loved it I needed it. Mmmm.
They were out of it. So I got to try something new.
More duck. Without the confit available I went with plain old duck breast instead of the peking duck, tenderloin meatloaf, aussie beef tenderloin...
I splurged and snagged two crabcakes, two bite-sized pieces of seared sesame tuna, asparagus in a marinade and a parsnip and shallot vanilla infused somethin-somethin... plus chocolate chip cookie dough... this time they didn't toss in a baguette... bummer.
Let me just say that the main problem with takeout is keeping the top-heavy bag upright while you're driving. Pack your groceries carefully people... Let's just say I had a moment where I wished I went out for dinner and dropped $40 instead of getting carryout and dropping my dinner. But no harm no foul. Hunger was making me cranky.
I got home and realized that all was well. We opened a Golan white 50% Sauvignon Blanc 20% Riseling 20% Char... 10% unknown...? That was really good. Go figure. I bitched about Israeli wines for years and silly me they do some really good whites.
The only problem is nuking their plastic containers. DON'T. Our crabcake case melted around our appetizers. We did eat them anyway. And while they smelled very crabby (and the wife - as you should know by now - doesn't like crab) she enjoyed them. We both did. The tuna looks normal and smells normal but tasted terrific. I am amazed after eating so much tuna at so many sushi restaurants that I reacted this way. It was fantstic fish. The sesame crust was mellow and very very enjoyable. Considering it was the part of the meal I would skip next time I enjoyed it tremendously.
Let's also note that neither of us are duck fans either. Confit is an entirely different thing. Regular duck is good but not something we crave. Ever. Served with the sweetened vanilla parsnips and asparagus the duck's gaminess was perfect. The great thing about game, and poultry in general, is that it combines to make a fantastic meal rather than taking over a meal. This was the case. The vanilla parsnip thing had twinges of rosemary and was awesome growing in tandem with the duck. The asparagus went well but wasn't sweet so definitely stayed as a side.
The chocolate chip cookie dough is worth the traffic all by itself.
I do wish they would include a daily menu in the bag, or label containers. I really wish I remembered the specifics of what I bought.
Trotter's to Go is a great extension. It doesn't seem to compete with other restaurants at the reduced pricepoint but it really does. It's far better than most $25 restaurant entrees and they don't have the same overhead. Plus (and here's the big plus) he isn't competing with his image. To Go works with Trotter's unaffordable mystique and opens his audience at the same time with a cheaper alternative.
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