dinner at Tempo

so last night was dinner at Tempo - one of our favorite bistros within walking distance. Bit pricey, but the food is usually amazing - to me, well worth it. And did I mention "walking distance" ?

Dinner started with the Japanese Plum Martini :



Japanese Plum Martini - this is why we like to walk :)

 This delightful concoction consists of Pearl Plum Vodka, Ginger Syrup, Fresh Lime Juice and a splash of Red Wine. Garnished with candied ginger, it's smooth and very tasty - not too sweet.

Appetizers were Oysters, Italian Style and Polenta Fries with Smoked Tomato Remoulade :

The oysters were a special - baked with breadcrumbs, prosciutto, cheese, and tomato sauce. Tasted fantastic, though I will concede to Mark that you didn't get a lot of oyster taste out of them. The polenta fries...OMG. We'd seen these as a special before and were very excited to see they have been added as a regular appetizer. Polenta cut into "fries" and fried is wonderful on its own, but the remoulade really kicks it into the stratosphere - smoky, spicy, rich...mmm mmm good !

We both ended up ordering the same thing for dinner - lobster mac and cheese :

This is a dish I make at home myself...and not to be all about me, but mine is pretty damn kickass. I've also ordered it out - the Capital Grille version was my inspiration to learn how to make it - and every time, it's been some variation of pasta, creamy cheesy sauce, and lobster all mixed together. We were both rather surprised to be served a crock of a decent - but not amazing - mac and cheese (will post my famous recipe sometime, but here's a tip : breadcrumbs must be buttered, and don't put a layer of dry cheese on top of the dry breadcrumbs) ...with half a small poached lobster on the side. I tend not to ever order plain lobster out as I'm spoiled by fresh Cushing lobsters, so I was a bit taken aback by this turn of events. But a good foodie rises to the occasion - so I chopped that sucker up and mixed him right in (Picture was taken before these events, I relocated the claw myself for effect). End result : decent, but not my favorite thing I've ever ordered there.

Dessert, though...now we're talking :

Tropical Dream....still dreaming about it !

Quoting directly from Tempo's menu..."Layered Coconut Cake Soaked with Malibu, Mango Mousse, Vanilla Mousse, Passion Fruit Sauce (Tempo Staff Favorite! Very Light and Refreshing)". Excellent description - refreshing, different, and very, very tasty !

One final note : we were lucky enough to go on a night that they were having a half-price wine sale - there was a list of very nice bottles all half off. We ended up with a  Robert Sinskey Abraxas 2008, Carneros which is a white wine blend  - there are four grapes: Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, and Riesling. Sometimes blends can be a little scary, but this was excellent, and a perfect match for the meal.

Don't let my few quibbles scare you off...Tempo is a standout on a street of great food options. Definitely go !