In commemoration of our 17th anniversary, my wife and I made a return trip to Galena, Illinois to do a bit of 'what the tourists do'... yet man does not live on shopping and tours alone. At some point he will need sustenance and it is this dire need that brought us to the Flying Horse. [http://www.theflyinghorse.com/]This restaurant was the hands-down 'favorite' dining experience of the 3-day weekend and even though it was added to the agenda as an afterthought, in retrospect it was a lucky choice.
Parking was easy, plentiful and not an issue, despite our picking a rather busy time of the evening to dine, (Our reservations were for seven o'clock, which appears to be 'prime time' in Galena). We began our evening at the bar. I had Gin and Tonic and Sheb had a Dirty Martini. (She is becoming quite the devotee to this little concoction.) Overall, the bartender was friendly, attentive, knowledgeable and... according to my wife, "Mixes a mean Dirty Martini". This is no mean compliment in that she has sampled from many other establishments and oft times finds them less than perfect. For the bar scene... we give them all of the points... and other than the somewhat bothersome pondering of the eternal question about the color of the walls, (Are they blue? Are they purple?) the experience was highly enjoyable. 10 out of 10.
Moving to the appetizer course we enjoyed the Beef and Chicken Satay and the Pita and Hummus Plate. Strangely enough (considering my palette) I liked the chicken over the beef. I found it to be tender and flavorful and the ginger dipping sauce was a nice complimentary taste. The beef was good but it most certainly did not go with the sauce, since it competed with the beef for foremost flavor...and in the end, neither won. This did not pose a problem in the end... I simply ate the beef satay without the sauce. Sheb thought the chicken was a bit too tender and preferred the beef over the chicken. In either case, we both agreed that it was the marinade that made the entire dish. 8 out of 10 on these little lovelies. The pita/hummus combo was also quite flavorful and while I can't get quite as excited over bread as my wife, the hummus had a distinctive chipotle and cumin kick and it was rather tasty. The pita was a bit flat (no pun intended) and had it been warmed, it would have been better. 9 out of 10.
As we entered the soup course, my eye was caught by the offering of Tomato-Basil Soup. Now, in all humility...I must admit that I make a pretty good roasted tomato soup and I was intrigued at the thought of adding basil to the dish. I ordered it and I was not disappointed. The soup was delicious and balanced with neither the tomato nor the basil competing for the 'lead role' and instead pairing together in harmony... 10 out of 10. The French Onion Soup - Sheb's choice, was good but both she and I though that the croutons could have been a bit 'crustier' and the cheese was missing that distinctive G.B.A.D. (golden brown and delicious) crust that can only come from a visit to a broiler or salamander. It may be that they rushed this one... to bad. 8 out of 10.
With the arrival of the main course, I was fortunate to have ordered the Sesame Encrusted Seared Tuna. All that I can say on this is WOW! This was a fantastic preparation of a sushi-grade tuna. Now I have eaten my share of Ahi over the years but this really was the best. Even Sheb, who cringes at the sight of raw fish, tried it not once...but twice and muttered, "It's not bad. I could eat that." High praise indeed, coming from a fishy-phob like her. 10 out of 10, without a doubt.
Sheb opted for a more conservative main course and picked the Shrimp and Scallop Fettucine. The dish was very creamy and quite flavorful and the tang of the Parmesan came through well. If there was a negative thing to say about the dish it would have to be that they were a bit stingy on the seafood. The dish had 3 scallops and 3 shrimp and while the dish did come with an abundance of noodles, it loses points for being light in the protein department... 8 out of 10. Both Sheb and I chose the Shitake Mushrooms as our side dish. Rather than allowing these to skew our numbers, we will not score them... but rest assured that these were terrible. They had a distinct woody characteristic and were quite inedible. So very sad!
As the quintessential glutton, I went ahead and ordered dessert, and I am saddened to report that this was the least desirable element of the meal. The Caramel Apple Pie with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream was too sweet for my tastes (and this is no small accomplishment) since the super-strong caramel cloy sweetness overwrote any 'apple goodness' there might have been in the dish. The Vanilla Bean Ice Cream on the other hand was a bit lackluster and the much awaited vanilla 'punch' that one expects when the word 'vanilla' is teamed up with the word 'bean' just wasn't there. I was expecting little bits of vanilla-goodness embedded in a velvety, creamy cloud. What I got instead was Blue Bunny Vanilla Ice Cream. 6 out of 10 and a lesson learned... 'Quit while you are ahead!'
Overall, it was a very pleasant dining experience and one that we both would revisit. For an overall grade, considering the food, the ambiance and the service, we will give the Flying Horse a 8.5 out of 10. Next time you are in Galena, give it a try and see if it measures up for you.
- Chez
