Cocktail Time consisted of Sheb’s standard choice, the Dirty Martini but I ventured outside the box and went with a Rob Roy, if for no other reason than to see if they would get it right. They did!Appetizers for the evening consisted of (for her) the Bacon Wrapped Scallops and (for him) Carpaccio. Concerning the scallops, Sheb had high praise for these jewels of the sea and while she abstains from eating the bacon wrapping, that just means that it will be available for my consumption!
Concerning the Carpaccio, the thinly sliced, meaty goodness was grand and the shaved Parma was exquisite. The chef strayed from the ‘traditional’ and went with a truffle oil rather than olive oil, and it gave the dish a nice touch... but when the chef continued to veer off the traditional path and opt for sunflower seeds in lieu of pine nuts? Not sure about that. I am not saying it was bad… just that I am not sure it was good. Tradition does have its place, you know.
The only real disappointment of the evening, and a minor one it was, was the soup course. Sheb declined the course but I went with a Lobster Bisque and when it arrived I found that it tasted reminiscent of canned Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup. Sure, there were delectable bits of lobster in it, sure it had a cutesy cracker spoon, sure it was good soup… but it wasn’t lobster bisque. No ‘happy face’ here.
As our main courses arrived, we were both in a level of high anticipation that our culinary extravaganza would continue. For Sheb, it came in the form of several ‘small’ plates filled with Grilled Asparagus, Wine Sautéed Mushrooms, Potato au Gratin and Beef Tenderloin Kabobs. No negative comments here and all was quite well on her side of the table.My main dining choice was The Tomahawk, twenty-six ounces of manly Beef Meat, served up on an eighteen-inch bone straight out of an episode of ‘The Flintstones’. Sure, there were potatoes and veggies with a cheese sauce, but who cares… and throughout the dining experience I had the strangest urge to utter a Neolithic grunt.
Dessert time brought two more items to our table. For her, a huge slice of Double Chocolate Cake that could, without a doubt, feed a family of four for a week. (Joy upon joy, there will be leftovers!) For me, it was a hope that this was where Brule Heaven resided. Sadly, not today, for the Crème Brule suffered from ‘density’ issues and was more of a flan than a crème.
Nonetheless, Buckingham’s is a topnotch steakhouse with excellent food, great service, wonderful ambiance and should be visited by anyone who comes within 100 miles of the Grand Victoria Casino.
- Chez
