The menus at Corduroy are wrapped in a worn, light blue corduroy fabric, like an old pair of pants I ripped the knees out of in college. Laura commented on what a nice, homey touch it was – and how incongruous the generic hotel restaurant atmosphere of the place was, when compared to the warm, thoughtful menu design.
I’ve been to Corduroy several times before, enough that I’ve developed an affinity for the place. Hearing criticism makes me bristle a little bit, no matter how justified, so when the roommates took the atmosphere down a notch it stung, but, they were right. It’s on the second floor of a second-rate hotel. The fabric on the chairs is a little strange. Still, food and service trump location and décor in my book.
Even worse -- Restaurant Week poses a unique challenge to a restaurant. While diners flood the bar and the kitchen is slammed, the front of the house needs to impress from hostess to servers because diners are deciding whether or not to come back and pay full price. Ever. AS before, Corduroy delivered on both fronts.
Our waitress doubtless soon realized we were mostly-ignorant 20-somethings enjoying fine dining on the cheap, but proved able to educate us on wines without lecturing anyone or making them feel ignorant. Asides from some minor crowd-related missteps -- a noticeably lenghty delay in filling up water glasses, which for some served as the only beverage, being seated for an 8:00 reservation at 8:25 -- the service was excellent.
The food was very good. My squash soup was just a touch roughter in consistency than previous incarnations, and the flavors didn't seem as layered -- still a damn fine soup, however. Others at the table raved about the lobster salad, and the bite I had left me wishing I had a plateful. The other appetizer that piqued everyone's interest was the mozarrella porcupine, a block of fresh mozzarella wrapped in phyllo dough and fried. It was crispy and far lighter than expected; a far cry from a mozzarella stick, or even Luigi's delicious (though weighty) fried cheese.
My beef cheeks were braised, and serrved over white beans and sprinkled with haricot vert. The beef was tender, flaky, fatty and moist, very much like a more-tender braised short rib in consistency and flavor. Laura's steak was regarded as "among the best" she'd ever had, with Alex and Rachel agreeing, but Emily and Katie were split on the lamb.
For desert there was chocolate cakes and apple pies, but I went with the cheese plate. If I knew more about cheese, perhaps I could specify the varieties, but all i can say is that it was delicious.
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