REEF

So we went to Reef for Erik's birthday. After reading and hearing so many great reviews, seeing chef Brian Caswell at the Oyster Throwdown, hearing him on Southbound Food every week, and drooling over the menu online, we had really high hopes/expectations. Usually when that happens, you end up disappointed, and we couldn't help but feel that way after the meal. We had fun hanging out with some old acquaintances we don't usually see, enjoyed the ambiance of the place, and some of the dishes were really good, but a few little things really left us questioning all the reasons for those high expectations.

What we liked:
- Snapper Carpaccio with grapefruit agra dolce (recipe): really good, simple dish, but the flavors were "perfectly balanced." I hate it when people say that, but they were - the grapefruit agra dolce (grapefruit, vinegar, sugar) evened out the raw fattiness of the snapper. And the smoky grilled bread on the side was a solid touch too.
- Mussels steamed in Shiner Bock with Ancho chile: Nice twist on mussels, maybe to heavy on the ancho chile for some people, but I really liked it. Makes we want to go to Stella Sola even more than I already did to try the Lone Star steamed version with salsa verde.
- The bottom half of our two fish dishes: The polenta under Kimmy's scallops was nice, and the collard greens and "potlikker jus" under my grouper were absolutely delicous.

What didn't live up:
- Kimmy's (and 4 other people at the table) scallops tasted like ash. They were cooked well, the texture was right, but the grill just must have been way too smoky or something. Not sure anyone enjoyed those as much as they could have.
- My grouper was overcooked. I understand it's a firm fish, but it doesn't need to be that dry. I would have rather just had a hunk of cornbread to soak up the collard green jus.
- 30 page wine list: seriously?
- Sliders: How can they put the same boring sliders they serve at Little Bigs on this menu for twice the price? The bun was still way too dense.

Maybe we fell for the hype a little too much. It was good, but not that good, and definitely not up to the level of the bill we were paying. Or maybe it was just an off night, it was really busy, not that that should be an excuse. But apparently the rave reviews are still coming in, even from New York. <-- Nice write up on Reef, Stella Sola (right down the street, will go soon), Beavers! (though somehow only mentions Monica Pope and not Jonathan Jones), Textile (that'd be nice, but at $85 for the smaller tasting menu it might have to wait for a really special occasion), and Block 7 Wine Co (heard good things).

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