BRESCA — Restaurant in Washington

Having eaten at Bresca a couple years ago and reading recent reviews, I'm pretty confused by the experience we had there last night. Was it a one-off bad night? My husband and I like eating in high-quality restaurants from time to time and definitely on special occasions. We were there for our anniversary. We are happy to pay $500 for an incredible meal, but with a couple of exceptions, the food at Bresca did not meet our expectations. I'll be specific... Caviar Tart: the caviar overwhelmed the bite so it just tasted salty and fishy - the beef provided additional texture but no flavor Brioche Soldier: I was pretty excited about this based on the description, but whatever was sweet in there overwhelmed the flavor so I couldn't taste the comte or bacon or egg *SQUASH PARFAIT: this was delicious and fun to eat - lovely flavors and creative *KANPACHI CRUDO: this is the type of dish I expect for a $500 meal. It was phenomenal. Beautiful balance of flavors that were delicate and delightful. Absolutely loved this. Cavatelli Pasta: two things I love are pasta and mushrooms so again I was excited. The mushrooms were indeed incredible, however this dish was WAY over salted, so while I did enjoy it somewhat, I struggled with the saltiness.. and this from a person who likes a lot of salt. Swordfish: this dish was good. We were impressed that they were able to make the swordfish so uncharacteristically "delicate". The tiny greens provided some interest and we thought the broth was the star. Once we tasted the broth by itself, we could taste a lot of good complexity in it. All of that said, overall, the dish wasn't that exciting to eat, it was just good. Wagyu: my wagyu was pretty disappointing. It was chewy and I had a tough time finishing it. It was also too salty. Duck: my husband got the duck and it was flavorful, but again chewy, fatty, and salty. Not very interesting really. Apple cake: again I was excited because I don't like chocolate and I rarely like the fixed priced options (anywhere). It sounded right up my alley. However, it was bitter and thoroughly unenjoyable. I was so confused. Was it really supposed to taste like that? Service: the service was fine, but again, not up to par for the price of this restaurant. When we came a couple years ago, I distinctly remember our server being warm and pleasant and thoughtful. This time different people dropped off dishes and it was hit or miss with whether the dish was explained (i.e. the best way to eat it, what is it, etc) and it was completely impersonal. Our main waiter did not stop by once to ask how our food was - and if he had, I could have asked questions about all the comments I'm making here in this review. My husband's sparkling water was poured into my still water glass. They did not ask to take our coats at the front (perhaps because there isn't much space?) - an absolute nothing if the rest of the experience was great, but it all added up to an overall disappointment. Was it an off night? I don't know, but I felt pretty sad. We recently ate at another DC restaurant that was phenomenal for almost half the price. There's a place in Baltimore that is phenomenal for a quarter of the price. We did enjoy the music and being together. My husband it pretty cute to look at across...

Went for Valentine's Day tasting menu. Overall decent (see Praises and Criticisms). A little too salty and rich overall.

Critiscisms -Boyfriend got the Senora G. It felt less comforting and warm like the ingredients suggest and more like alcoholic tamarind flavored medicine (no warmth from chai or freshness from pear..?) -Tuna tartare was too salty for the size of the cracker sandwich. It could've played more in adding to the comforting grain tastes of the cracker. -Foie Gras with the fried waffle was too rich and heavy. Fried waffle felt soaked in oils -Rich foie gras was followed by a heavy tajarin with immense creamy buttery richness. (Too much) -Tajarin: lemon did not add enough freshness to offset richness, chicken skin could've been larger in pieces to add texture (muddled as crumbs) -Hokkaido scallops: these are notoriously sweet and fresh. The sauce and style masked any sweetness or freshness. If this was normal scallops, it would be fine but it doesn't use them well. The sauce is and crust make the whole thing very salty. More hazelnuts or use a nut with a less woody muted aftertaste like peanuts to add that punch (again buttery and salty after the last two was too much). -Beef tenderloin: the sauces felt disjointed and, again made the dish salty given the intense salty umami of the shiitake (which was great btw). Bordelaise was too much with all the sauces. -white chocolate tart: textures of tart filling and cream under the ice cream make the whole thing too soft. The cream below the ice cream had an odd bitter after taste like they used the leaves of a strawberry as well (not sure if intentional). The pastry shell was dense and stiff in an odd way that make the filling feel bland and dry.

Praise: -The palette cleanser was so tasty. I ordered another small glass. A person near me ordered a full cup of it! Mm. It was aromatic and fresh. It felt like lychee and guava candies making it homey for me. -my Sober Pineapple was delicious. The yeast after taste was really satisfying. Adding the basil gave a whole different experience. Freshness was helpful in eating the rich food (but I had to drink a lot of it) -initial tasting was really well thought out. Brioche crumb were aromatic. The crab gave in giving a very satisfying mouth feel. -cracker sandwich with tuna. Good spices, great cracker with aromatic flavors. -foie gras itself was delicious. Cocao nibs added such a well rounded dark note. -Shiitake mushroom and shallots were cooked amazingly well, added different depths to the tenderloin when eaten together with the creamy smooth white sauce. Bordelaise was well done. -pastry shell of tart had a great taste but odd mouth feel. The saltiness really added to the cream of the tart. (I just didn't like that...

What an amazing meal and experience. Bresca is absolutely incredible and worthy of the Michelin star it has. The staff was great - attentive without being overbearing and very on top of all the changes and transitions from course to course. Highly recommend the three-course tasting menu. You receive so many extras (and have the opportunity to add upgrades) that you will have more than enough food. To begin, they start you with a snack - a rye tartlet fill with apple foam topped with sharp cheddar cheese, then crème fraîche over squash purée. Perfect little bites with each element thoughtfully worked out. As an extra, we did not regret adding the caviar and wagyu - nori and potato waffle toasts to put the insane amount of black truffle, wagyu tartare and tons of caviar. Amazing with every bite, and the best treat. We would come back for this dish alone. NOW we start the tasting menu. We had the yellowtail and carrot cappelleti. The yellowtail was too overwhelmed by beet flavor (for such a delicate fish it’s tough not to be with something that earthy), and much too fatty of a cut that you couldn’t even cut through it with the fork you had. Fine dish but not the best. The carrot cappelleti - WOW. Little tortellinis filled with carrot and a carrot sauce, topped with a crunchy granola (super weird thought but it perfectly complements the softness of the pasta with a crunch) and shredded lamb. It just works and every bite is a treat. For mains, we had the brioche stuffed chicken and the Bresca duck à la presse. You just know if a Michelin star restaurant puts chicken on the menu it has to be something else, and just wow. Never have I had a chicken that melts in your mouth and this one just did. Almost stuffing-like in consistency, the chicken was stuffed between the skin with flavorful brioche bread with skin black (but not burnt or charred) to a perfect crispness. The jus was savory and amazing mixed with truffle. Can’t say enough how amazing it was..but yes, amazing. The duck - perfectly crispy and cooked and totally worth the up-charge. The presentation was a work of art. Exactly what you would expect. To end, we got the tropical ambrosia- a bowl of mixed flavors and textures. Mango chunks, tapioca balls, chia seeds, a merengue covering mango sorbet, and the unique basil oil. Great balance. Really unique. Lastly, we got a last trio plate of a salted caramel cube, buttered madeleine cookie, and citrus gelatin gummy. Perfect way to wrap up the meal. I didn’t even mention the cocktails and wine list that were works of art themselves (my bee’s knees cocktail came in a glass bumble bee!).

What an incredible evening. We cannot wait to come back, and to try upstairs at Jônt as well! Thank you for a...