Red Onion
How would you describe the Red Onion? Hmm. It’s one of those places where you can take someone on date night, have a celebratory meal with a group of friends, or enjoy a meal by yourself (as I did). It’s not your stuffy, LBD and heels type places, but once the food hit your palette it took you back to a time of fine dining.
Chef John Quigley has taken staples of Scotland like haggis, and transformed them to dishes popping with variable flavors utilizing balsamic reductions, chutney, and crisp sweet potatoes.
My favorite dish: Five spiced Gressingham duck breast with caramelized sweet potatoes, pak choi and shiitake mushroom jus. I also loved the haggis croquette with chutney, but the succulence of the duck needed to be noted.
The Tea Rooms
So the next two places are in the same building or the same company or something. They’re somehow a part of one another, and rightfully so. The Tea Rooms was one of my favorite spots. I’ve always had this dream of being a princess, enjoying tea with scones, clotted creams and petit fours – like they always show in movies. I’m 27 now and still no crown of inherited jewels, but places like The Tea Rooms allows me to lavish in that world, even if for a couple of hours.
Surprisingly, I didn’t order tea and cake. I opted for the Ploughman’s Lunch, which online says it comes with ham, cheese, pickles, and chutney, but I remember it coming with an assortment of other delectables. Come to think of it, I didn’t even have tea. I actually had a cider. Oh well, there’ll always be other tea rooms, but I doubt they’ll have the Ploughman’s Lunch!
The Butterfly and the Pig
So, The Butterfly and the Pig is the other part of The Tea Room (or vice versa) that I loved. It reminds me of an English Pub minus the drunk men getting into fist fights and smacking on fish and chips. This quaint, modern take on pub dining a bar are separated from the dining. Décor consisted of dark wood, old English style interior architecture, while the menu offering up area known fare in creative names like Titties Traditional. My Favorite dish: Titties Traditional… DUH!