Thanks so much to my new friends at Formula PR who invited me and a guest to join them for the unveiling of Roy's three-course Fall Prix Fixe Menu (about $36/person).
You know me - always happy to partake in events and free food.
I also always love to mingle with other bloggers (like Elina). It's a pretty fun community to be in and if you have the chance to go to these kinds of events, I really cannot endorse it enough.
So here's the deal. I loved this. I have only ever been to Roy's once before and it was just to sip martinis and eat some appetizers. I always thought it was a hokey, Hawaiian themed chain and admittedly, had no idea how delicious it was. But it's a national chain, kids, so if there is one new you, I think you should go and while you're at it, order a Hawaiian martini (Vodka, Vanilla Vodka and Malibu Coconut Rum, shaken and served with fresh pineapple) cause it was OUSTANDING. They also provided wine and the Riesling I had was delicious. I wish I could remember what it was called but a couple vodka drinks in, I'm just no good for anything.
But enough about that, you'll probably also wanna eat while you're there, too.
And if you brought your appetite, I happen to think this prix fixe deal is a pretty good one.
Selfishly, I was really thrilled - looking at that menu I could not at all decide what I wanted to try so imagine my delight to find we got to try little bites of everything. I felt much like Padma on "Top Chef" with all this amuse bouche. Take that, Gail Simmons.
Appetizers were Blackened Rock Shrimp & Red Bean Soup AND "Elaine's" Kabocha Squash Salad. There is also a Meat Loaf Shumai on the menu we did not try. Not gonna lie - I did not mind. However, I am dying to know who Elaine is and why she gets this yummy salad named after her.
Main course bites were Cilantro Grilled Tiger Shrimp (FYI, I do not like lentils, I guess), Braised Beef Short Ribs, and MY FAVORITE THING EVER, the Artichoke & Goat Cheese Crusted Salmon. One of the publicists who sat with us for a few minutes left hers unattended. I nearly claimed it for my own.
Dessert was Pumpkin & Ginger Cheese Cake and also Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé. Both delicious. But what was REALLY special was when April, a partner in this Roy's location, heard I liked ice cream and asked pastry chef Stephanie Martinez so prepare something for me. She makes all of her ice creams in-house and the flavors were unique and all totally delicious. Something special the pastry chef, Stephanie Martinez, sent over for me when she heard I was an ice cream lover. All of these ice creams are made by her, in-house: Caramelzd macadamia nut, black sesame, spiced pecan, pumpkin, chocolate chip guiness... Amazing! It was really a nice thing for them to do. It was my favorite part of the night, honestly.
Now the good news is, aside from the ice cream-gasm portion of the evening, nothing I ate struck me as particularly unhealthy. I did not taste that anything was over-saturated with cream and butter nor did anything come our greasy or fried. You might wanna be weary of mashed potatoes and sauces but I was happy to notice everything was both tasty AND on the healthier side.
Quite a fabulous night. And I'm always happy to write about these kinds of things and hopefully, you all enjoy readintg about it (or it might bore you but as I make no money from my blog, I will continue to enjoy any freebies and/or events thrown my way, so there).
Also, super cool that the Chef, Garrett Mukogawa, took the time to stop by each table and field questions. He's a hometown hero (from Torrance) and he clearly is taking a lot of pride in what he's doing. And BTW, he's also not bad on the eyes. ;)
I'll say this much, for a $7 valet fee, they could have maybe parked my car in the garage instead of leaving it on the street. Also, they might have rethought hurrying to get into my car after keeping me waiitng for quite a few minutes and then plunging into the gas pedal and running over a traffic cone in front of me... But hey, my parking ended up comped. (Bottom line, if you go to this location, use the $5 lot right across the street instead.)
I took a few more photos and they are all on my FLICKR page.
And here is some photography we were provided with (keep in mind what we ate were small plated versions of these much grander meals):
