Saturday, August 18, 2007

 

Lanny's: Lousy during Restaurant Week

It is that time of year....Restaurant Week! A chance to try some of the nicest restaurants in DFW for $35 per person for a three course meal. I love trying a new restaurant during restaurant week because (1) $7 from each meal goes to the Lena Pope Home and (2) b/c I love trying new restaurants! This year, I made reservations at Lanny's Alta Cocina. I knew Lanny's would be a popular choice so I made my reservations 6 weeks in advance. One of our favorite FW couples OKJenny and OKRobert joined us for dinner. We were all very much looking forward to trying Lanny's since we had heard it was fabulous and since it had received so many fabulous reviews. Unfortunately, the meal was a disappointment.

One word to describe our meal....chicken. Yes, chicken. That was our main course. A chicken dish. What a major disappointment to go to a restaurant that, based on its website, appears to specialize in various fish entrees and upscale Spanish dishes and get an average chicken entree. It would be different if Lanny's regular menu even offered a chicken entree, but it does not. Apparently, Lanny's decide to concoct an inexpensive dish to serve during restaurant week that does not properly represent what Lanny's is all about. Just because diners go during restaurant week does not mean they deserve something mediocre. Frankly, I felt misled and frustrated by the experience.

During the past two years, FWJoey and I have participated in restaurant week. Never before, have we been to a restaurant where there was a "set" menu. It is always a "limited" menu with 2-3 choices, but never one where there were no choices. At Lanny's, however, there were no choices. You walked in, were seated and handed a menu telling you what you would be having for dinner.

The field green salad with bleu cheese crumbles, balsamic vinaigrette and candied pecans and the avocado based soup were above average as was the chocolate dessert that was a mix between a pudding and a mousse served with homemade coconut macaroons. However, the positive aspects of the 1st and 3rd courses were severely overshadowed by the 2nd course chicken entree.

I suspect Lanny's is a better restaurant that what we experienced, but I'll probably never know b/c I don't plan to go back. This dinner was a huge disappointment not just because of the food, but because I do not think it is right to invite the public into your restaurant and serve them a dish that is not even good enough to make on your own menu. Did I mention we had chicken?

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