http://www.sanjosemarriott.com/arcadia.php
Our reservation at ARCADIA was at 6:00, but Jeff didn't even get home until after 6. When I called to let the restaurant know we were running late, they made it simple and said it wasn't a problem. We were seated by 6:30 at a table by the window and let our server know we had a show down the street at 8:00. He assured us it wouldn't be a problem.
ARCADIA had been recommended to me by a few different people, so I was looking forward to a delicious dinner. We started with the Lobster Corn Dogs and Foie Gras Slider. I knew it was going to be a good night!
The Lobster Corn Dogs were delicious. There were four mini corn dogs on the plate with whole grain mustard under each dog. There was a little fennel salad on the side. They had the texture of a regular corn dog but seemed a lot lighter. Both of us wished there had been little chunks of lobster in it, but it was completely smooth. We were happy even without the chunks.
The Foie Gras Slider was also amazing. It was exactly how you're imagining it - a thick slice of foie gras on a little toasted hamburger bun. There were also raisins on the bun. On the side, there was a dipping sauce. The dish made me think of a French Dip sandwich, but a million times better. Although, the four bites I had were plenty because it was so rich.
Next, I had the Burrata Cheese salad and Jeff had the Mushroom Bisque. My salad was the only thing I didn't love in the whole meal. It had the Burrata cheese, heirloom tomatoes, and balsamic. The tomatoes were great, but the cheese was a bit drier than I would expect from a Burrata. The dryness took away from the dish. Not being a mushroom fan, I only took a small taste of Jeff's bisque. I thought it was pretty good, and he loved it. It was light and smooth with a cognac cream and crunchy truffled croutons. "Truffle" is pretty much a food buzz word, and I doubt it added anything to the dish.
For entrees, I had the Grilled Colorado Lamb Chop and Jeff's had the Dry Aged New York with bernaise sauce and a side of Classic Whipped Potatoes. The lamb chop was four chops on top of a corona bean (like large fava beans but grainier) and asparagus cassoulet (was really just a salad) with port macerated currants and mint oil. My meat was cooked a perfect medium-rare. I typically don't order lamb in restaurants, but it just sounded right for the night. I was worried the mint oil would be over-powering, but in reality, I barely even tasted it in the dish. If you like lamb chops, this is the dish for you. Jeff said his New York cooked rare was pretty good. He watched something recently about dry aged meat and was looking forward to his steak. He only ate half of the steak (still on a diet) and a few bites of mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes were ok. They were completely smooth and kind of reminded me of potato buds... I prefer more chunks in my mashed potatoes.
By this time, it was 7:30, and I was craving dessert. Something chocolate... When I saw the dessert menu, I knew I had to have the Chocolate Pot de Creme. This was the dessert we had at our wedding, so I had to see how ARCADIA's stood up. Wow! It was amazing!!! Definitely worth being rushed before the show. The pot de creme seemed to have two layers - a thicker layer on top, and a mousse-like layer on the bottom. On top of the pot de creme were four perfectly cooked beignets. Sometimes, restaurant beignets are overcooked or heavy. Not these. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. They were light and still slightly warm. A perfect way to end the meal!
We were out of there by 7:40 and made it to the show in plenty of time. Burn the Floor is one of my favorite shows, and this time was extra fun because some dancers from So You Think You Can Dance were in it - Mary Murphy, Pasha, Anya, and Ryan & Ashleigh. I don't think the show was as good as it was the first time I saw it, but I still loved it.
