Rating: 💋 💋 💋 😘
This one goes out to all my Stone Harbor readers. The Yacht Club of Stone Harbor has a new chef and he is absolutely wonderful. I cannot wait until next season when he has a chance to really flex his indoor dining skills - because COVID will be over by then, yes? For now, he has been showing off the most beautiful takeout plating I have ever seen, and it tastes incredible too.
We have ordered from the Yacht Club several times over the summer and I have not had a bad meal yet. Even better, there is always an exciting new addition to the menu. The only problem is deciding what to order! Sometimes we eat out of the containers, sometimes we feel civilized and transfer the food to plates, every time it tastes great. Here is the rundown:
General Tso Wings Every Thursday is Wing Night and when my mom ordered these, of course we all had to try one. The sticky sweet sauce gives a perfect coating, and the sesame seeds on top are the perfect touch. Note: This is definitely not something to order in the beginning stages of a relationship, though quarantine kind of solves that problem. You are going to want to have plenty of wet wipes on hand.
Crab Cakes with grain mustard beurre blanc sauce, lemon parmesan risotto, green beans and tomatoes. I love crab and these crab cakes are incredible! The veggies were a bit cold by the time I got my order, but you have to be understanding about takeout. The spicy, grainy sauce sank into the delicious cakes and the creamy, lemony risotto was the perfect base for the dish. So many exciting flavors and it was over way too soon.
Haddock Taco with corn salsa, avocado, and French fries. I really appreciate that these tacos are not fried, and the fresh salsa and avocado makes a light but flavorful dish. Most of the times that I got French fries this summer they were not warm and therefore not my favorite. Again, though, it is so hard with takeout. When they were hot, the flavor was so good that it was hard to stop eating them. Come to think of it, I am not sure what the better scenario is. I suppose it depends on who you are asking - the waistline or the tastebuds.
Cheeseburger with French fries. It really is the little things in life. Like, the YCSH logo emblazoned into the bun? Such a great touch. Also, these brioche buns are a great, sturdy holder for the juicy burger. No crumbling bread and melting burger patties here. This is a great take on a beach classic.
Grapefruit Quinoa Salad This hors d'oeuvre has a lot of really interesting flavors, mixing fresh light vegetables with cool fruit and quinoa. It is an easy app to share, and you feel healthier after just one bite.
Shrimp Caesar Salad Another simple take on a classic, the blackened shrimp is a really fun, summery twist.
Hibachi Grilled Tuna with Asian au jus, Thai sticky purple rice, Oriental mushrooms, and Asian vegetables. The tuna was thick, well-seasoned, and served very rare and the veggies were perfectly cooked. It was all very tender and flavorful. My favorite part was the sticky rice, which added a sweetness that helped temper the salty sauce. The Asian au jus was a bit too salty for me. It made my lips pucker a bit. It was still a nice a nice addition to the menu that the kitchen executed quite well.
Crab-stuffed Flounder with grits and broccoli rabe. The sweet grits, the bitter broccoli rabe - incredible. Then you top it with crab-stuffed flounder? I love crab, we have been over this, but then to stuff it into another fish? The decadence was unreal. This was probably the fanciest takeout meal I have ever allowed myself, and I am super happy about it.
Pan Seared Sea Scallops with sun-dried tomato beurre blanc, sweet pea risotto, garlic broccoli rabe, and heirloom grape tomatoes. I had my eye on this dish for a while and was really looking forward to trying it. Scallops are not my usual order and they were done very nicely, with the beurre blanc sauce adding just enough flavor to keep them interesting. I did not finish the risotto because I found it too tart. I love a hint of lemon, but it was a bit too strong this time around. A creamier risotto would have been a great pairing for the bitter broccoli rabe, so if just a little bit less lemon juice was added, it would be perfect.
Italian Night
Recently, Shannon visited and we enjoyed a special fixe-prixe menu from the Yacht Club for our dinner. The theme was Italian night, and I confess, I was bit confused. We eat Italian basically every other night, home-cooked. Why do we need to go to an outside chef for our usual? Well, I quickly understood why. This was not our usual. Chef Ed really created a menu chockfull of incredible dishes that celebrated everything that makes Italian cuisine so fantastic.
Surprise Antipasto - Incredible!! They gave everyone this special taster plate as a bonus, and it was mind-blowing. I don't know if I am more in love with the roasted red peppers, the fresh bruschetta, or the prosciutto wrapped melon, all with a balsamic drizzle. It was so good I could not pick between these three angles, they are all such sweet memories.
Mandarin Salad - The crispy pancetta added such a fun twist with the fresh clementines and creamy goat cheese. I did not finish only because I wanted to make sure I had room for the other courses. I hate not finishing my plate, but there was just too much good food!
Spaghettini Rustica - With this, the chef took the most classic dish and elevated it. The hot bursting tomatoes, marinated in what tasted like a special oil, and shaved parmigiano were ahhhhhmazing.
Salmon Puttanesca - This salmon filet melted in my mouth. It was served with just a bit of tomato sauce, so that the sauce did not cloak the salmon's butteriness, but instead enhanced it. The risotto was again a little more lemony than I prefer, but it was okay. A small bite of risotto with the salmon on top - holy heaven. The broccoli rabe cut the dish perfectly.
Parozzo - it was THE dessert to get. Chef Ed specially recommended it. The light almond cake had a rich fudge frosting and nuts on top, a strawberry on the side, and all of that glory pooled in a strawberry sauce. Scrumptious! I had a fabulous time eating while watching Little Women for the first time with my mom and sisters. My dad contributed to our movie experience by occasionally running in front of the screen, then going back to his sports on a TV in another room. Great film.
It was so good spending a weekend with my sisters. We talked to Reilly about starting college, goofed off, and heard all about Shannon's cool new apartment. Shannon and Reilly both tag-teamed trying to get me on the converse sneaker train, but I had to stay true to myself. "I'm a stilettos girl." We each have our own style of life, and that makes it all the more fun. My dad might have been sad about being a rooster lost in a henhouse, but what can you do? Now we are all spread out across different states, and it is just down to my parents and me in our little quarantine hub. I am not sure what the next event will be, but I have decided it is going to be terribly exciting.
XX,
MK