R 1/2 (out of 5)
UPDATE: Okay folks, Parry and I have to fess up. We sent Chef Buben and his wife Sallie a copy of our review of Vidalia and after a brief exchange with Sallie, we decided to give this culinary team another shot - this time at Bistro Bis.
The food was FANTASTIC. We were too rash in saying that Chef Buben isn't serious about providing Washingtonians with great food - our review of Bistro Bis proves that. We don't seek to minimize our negative experience at Vidalia but we should have been less quick to judge the culinary team as a whole. So, please take a couple of minutes to read the review of Bistro Bis - and book a RW reservation there if you can.
Vidalia, owned and managed by experienced and respected Chef Jeffrey Buben and his wife Sallie, is presumed to be one of the finest restaurants in Washington, D.C.. To date, the restaurant has received a wealth of recognition including the prestigious DiRona Award by the Distinguished Restaurants of North America and the Washingtonian has annually awarded it a four-star rating. It wasn’t just the hype that made Parry and I eager to sample this restaurant it was the immaculate reputation of James Buben. Much to our horror and surprise, Vidalia turned out to be the worst dining experience of Restaurant Week.
Parry and I were hungry. I know that those of you kind souls who are following our culinary adventure and graciously reading our reviews will wonder how that was possible since I had lunched at 2941 the very same day. But we were, ravenous in fact. As such we opted for the five-course tasting menu.
Parry started with Vidalia’s Rabbit Mortadella with red mustard greens, spiced pecans, rabbit bacon and truffle-honey vinaigrette. I am ethically opposed to eating rabbit so I didn’t partake but Parry described the dish as something short of good. He found the mortadella a little bland and the dressing more honey than truffle.
My starter of Toigo Orchard Cucumber Soup far exceeded my expectations. The soup, which was served chilled, burst with flavor and I couldn’t help but wonder how Chef Buben’s team made a cucumber taste that good. If only the following courses were half as pleasing as the soup.
Parry’s Grilled Octopus was bland and rubbery and my dish of Frogs Legs served in a parsley emulsion proved tough, tasteless and flat. The next course, Vidalia’s signature dish of Shrimp and Yellow Corn Grits provided us with a sampling of severely overcooked shrimp in a sea of rich and creamy grits.
By the time our fourth course arrived we were nervous. Parry ordered the Shenandoah Lamb Shoulder with eggplant caviar, pot belly farm fig mostarda and grilled garlic while I had selected the Braised Red Waddle Pork Cheeks with crayfish, okra, guanciale, étouffée. They sounded great on paper but based upon the previous courses could the kitchen really deliver these complicated dishes? The sour expression on Parry’s face after the first bite of lamb told me all I needed to know. Nothing frustrates Parry more than a piece of dull, poorly cooked lamb.
My dish fared slightly better. The pork cheeks were tender but lacked the richness that usually accompanies this dish and the crayfish, well, in reality they were two of the tiniest pieces of crayfish I have ever seen or eaten and they were so overdone that one would best describe their texture as wallpaper-like.
At this point in the meal, Parry and I seriously debated skipping dessert. We’re glad we didn’t. My dish of Meyer Lemon and Goat Cheese Bavarian with black berries, olive oil génoise and candied black olives boasted complex flavors including a delectably rich and creamy cheese topping. I could tell that the chef hadn’t skimped on ingredients because the cheese was of superior quality. Parry’s Georgia Pecan Bar was ripe with lush caramel and savory pecans. We both agreed that dessert was by far, the best part of dinner.
After we paid the bill and were preparing to leave the server asked how we enjoyed the meal. Parry and I exchanged looks. This is that embarrassing part of a bad meal where guests feel compelled to lie. We opted for the truth.
Parry asked to speak with the manager and seconds later Michael Nevarez, the General Manager of Vidalia appeared. We carefully and somewhat gently explained that we had been eager to dine at Vidalia because of Chef Buben’s reputation and the rave reviews many have afforded the establishment but that we were gravely disappointed in the five-course tasting menu because so much of the food was either bland or overcooked.
I suspect many of you will doubt what you are about to read but Parry and I swear it is the absolute truth. Mr. Nevarez responded by telling us that the dishes we were served fell short of our expectations because it is Restaurant Week and that in order to provide the five-course tasting menu at the price of $45 the chefs had to cut costs and use inferior ingredients. I swear Parry’s mouth slipped open during this horrendous explanation. I wish I’d had a camera with me to capture it.
My response differed from Parry’s. I looked right at Mr. Nevarez and asked why Vidalia would risk their fine reputation by participating in Restaurant Week if doing so meant serving shoddy food. His response? In this economy, Vidalia wouldn’t survive if they didn’t especially since Congress is out on a break and business has been so slow.
Mr. Nevarez was making me feel badly for Chef Buben and his wife but only for a second and not for the reason you may assume. I started to wonder what comments like that could do to tarnish the reputation of a respected chef like Buben and then I remembered he or Sallie hired this individual to run his operations so who really is at fault here? And more importantly, Parry and I can only assume that Chef Buben and Sallie are aware of the happenings at Vidalia and that means they approved of the cut-backs to the food budget during Restaurant Week that according to Nevarez was responsible for the absence of flavor we experienced.
To add insult to injury, Mr. Nevarez tried to tempt us to give Vidalia another shot by offering us free champagne if we returned during a normal week. We politely explained that our complaint wasn’t designed to score free alcohol and that quite frankly we didn’t appreciate the offer. We further explained that we love food and that’s why as new residents to Washington we are sampling 6 restaurants in 5 days, to determine where we want to dine this year. Our response didn’t penetrate and Mr. Nevarez dismissed us with a smile and brisk handshake.
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