I’m still a big fan of Petit Valentien, although I don’t stop in as much as I’d like to. But we came in tonight, intending to have more of a snack, but it turned into a larger meal. We sat at the bar.
The melon and prosciutto is simple and good. It includes a wedge of cantaloupe, a slice of cured ham, some slices of salami, a drizzle of balsamic reduction and a wedge of lemon to squeeze over it all. The lemon brings it all together.
The crabcake is one of my favorites in town, I can’t really explain it. It’s not all crab, and it’s not all cake. But it’s light, firm, and crisp on the outside. So good.
Our third nibble was unexpected. We’d hemmed and hawed sufficiently over what to order as a main dish, because the two most tempting items was the kobe hanger steak with tomato chutney, or a pork and seafood mix. We went with the pork after agonizing over the menu, and the chef treated us to a small portion of the hanger steak we thought we’d miss out on! Delicious. Love hanger steak.
Finally, our main dish of thin sliced pork and mixed seafood. I’d never had anything like this before. It was an odd combination at first, but after we’d picked over the seafood and started digging into the pork, the broth laced with seafood flavors was great with our other white meat.
Also at Petit Valentien that night was a business partner and coincidentally we’d be having lunch together the next day. Small world.
Past musings.
Petit Valentien
1114 State St
Santa Barbara, CA 93190
It was my last night of the New York and Hoboken trip, and for the first time, I duplicated a restaurant. Cynthia and I thought it would be a nice way to wrap things up. I’d be off early the next morning.
We were started off with some bread and white bean dip while we pondered the menu. All I knew was that foie gras was listed and I had to have it. Everything else was supplementary.
Our starters were a potato tart with prosciutto (seen on left) and the pure foie gras with toasts and cherries, on right. Delicious. We liked both, and perhaps liked the foie gras best. Because, come on, foie gras.
Cynthia’s main was lightly seared ahi, potatoes and greens, on left. I opted for crispy duck, pumpkin polenta and cherries, as seen on the right.
The searing was so, er, seared, that the fish was a little cold inside. She took about half of it home as leftovers where I am certain it was cooked more thoroughly. My dish was the right portion, really delicious, and I ate it all.
No dessert! We were full. And I had some packing to do. Goodbye, New York!
