Restaurant Review: Bedford

This past Saturday Scott and I celebrated Valentine's Day Part I at Bedford in the Heights. Yes we know Valentine's day isn't until this coming Saturday but we prefer to go out for a nice Valentine's dinner on a day other than February 14th. Restaurants are always so crowded and even with a reservation there is a sense of urgency for a quick table turnover to accommodate as many customers as possible on this Hallmark Holiday. And then there is a second issue...the prix fixe menu which drastically limits a diners choices for what they would like to order. So on the actual day we opt instead to cook a delicious gourmet dinner at home and enjoy some nice wine from our "collection" to go with it...stay tuned for the details on Part II next week.


We first heard about Bedford not from friends who had dined there, but from a show on the Food Network called the The Chef Jeff Project. The show is about helping at risk young adults live a better life learning skills used in the kitchen and cooking food. Robert Gadsby was a judge at the end of the show, and gave one of members of the project a job offer in his new restaurant Bedford. At the time the episode aired, Bedford hadn't opened yet. Scott and I immediately googled Bedford and found nothing, nada, zip. Well a few weeks later Bedford passed the google test, and several of our friends had dined at Bedford and all had glowing reviews. We knew we were in for a treat.


Bedford has an option to select an item from each of the 4 menu sections at a reduced portion for only $55 per person...we opted for the tandem selection so that we could try as many items as possible on the menu and not have to be rolled out of the restaurant. Scott and I prefer a mix-and-match approach when we go out to eat, and we both order something different so that we try some of each. Many of the items we ordered had a surprise Asian flare to them that we enjoyed as a little surprise in our mouths. Instead of ordering a bottle of wine, we went with wine by the glass options so that each item was paired with a wine that would compliment and enhance the flavors of the food.


Beginnings

Seared Scallops: Cauliflower Puree, Cucumber Red Pepper Relish, Lotus Crisps
wine: Pine Ridge Dijon Clones Chardonnay

Chinese Duck Ravioli: Mixed Shiitake Mushrooms, Stir-Fried Bean Sprouts
wine: house champagne

Fish & Crustaceans

Gulf Shrimp & Crab: Mixed Vegetables, Kaffir Lime Shellfish Sauce
wine: Pine Ridge Dijon Clones Chardonnay

Tellicherry Peppered Tuna: Celery–Apple Whipped Potatoes, Endive & Citrus BBQ Sauce
wine: Joel Gott Savignion Blanc

Poultry & Meat

Boneless Beef Short Ribs: Button Mushrooms, Fingerling Potatoes, Root Vegetables
wine: Kaiken Malbec

Pepper Glazed Texas Quail: Torn Pasta, Petite Vegetables, Minted Cilantro Pesto
wine: Rex Hill Pinot Noir

Desserts & Finales

Assorted Chocolate Truffles

Assorted Sorbet