Saturday, April 3, 2010

A Foodies Critique!


Call it mean, call it fussy, call it snobby, call it educated but I live the life of a foodie. I shoot food of what I grow, prepare, eat and experience during travel and growers farms. Rarely do I really "like"much of the local prepared food but tolerate it to have an occasional meal out. You have to admit, there's not many choices in Wabash, Indiana that are not fast food. So, when the newly revamped downtown hotel became Charlie Creek Inn opened "Twenty", it was my duty to check it out. It is impressive to look at from the outside and having been through it in different phases of reconstruction it is just as beautiful on the inside. Having helped open two restaurants myself, I know there are always bugs to work out in the first several months of business. The staff was plenty, the room decorated stylish, our seating was window, it was clean, inviting, and friendly . What could go wrong? The answer-nothing. From the get-go even tho I drilled our waitress on the freshness of fish and the sides she handled it well and was glad to get answers. Here's what gives me a clue on freshness---the salad was NOT brown! Laugh if you will, but in Wabash I've gotten several brown salads, returned them and got the same quality BACK! Greens looked great, the veggies were fresh and my husbands Caesar looked wonderful with the Parmesan crisps that were right on! I ordered Panko scallops with wasabi and a horseradish mashed potato that came with a quick sauteed veggie mix. Steve ordered the Cioppino which I hadn't seen on a menu since living in the N.CA Bay area. Does one really get a good fish stew in the Midwest? YES! Haven eaten Cioppino in SF it's hard to compare since the fish is different. There it's a mixed variety of fresh crab, mussels, clams, shrimp, and whatever white fish is seasonal during that time (usually Nov.-April). Here, the chef creates a decent job for what is available. So, I tasted it several times--I like a fishy stock taste and thought it weak, but the seasoning was good, the fish fresh and cooked properly and the presentation tasteful. As for my dish-well, it was outstanding! Since I am a wasabi fan, I requested more but to tell the truth, I wouldn't have changed a thing...amazing. We ordered a creme brulee to split for dessert . It was portioned fine for sharing and came with fresh fruit. The exterior had it's usual crunch and the custard part was creamy and showed off the vanilla taste as the seeds from scraping the bean were not strained away. Yum. All in all, our dining experience was a good and we look forward to another visit-I hope you are able to take advantage of what Twenty has to offer .
Please keep up the good work! You can check it out on thier web site too! http://www.charleycreekinn.com