'Food Porn' at Prairie Star Restaurant

That's what they call it you know, those tantalizing images of mouth watering, seductive food. They call it 'food porn'. My husband and I just celebrated 27 years of marriage and went to the Prairie Star Restaurant to celebrate. It was a perfect evening with a perfect meal executed with every attention to detail.

We started off our meal with an appetizer of the fried calamari rings:

It was served with a horseradish tomato aioli on a bed of mixed greens and garnished with a wasabe furukake (a Japanese condiment comprised of seaweed and sesame seeds). Done perfectly-tender on the inside, crisp on the outside.

While we dined, we got to enjoy the uninterrupted view of the Sandia mountains and the ever changing evening light.

 

This is the literal view from where we sat-I didn't even stand up to take this photo-I took it from my seat.

For our entrees, I had the special of the day which was the fresh Chilean sea bass dish (line caught-which means it was fished responsibly) and Mark had the Niman Ranch sirloin steak.

(overhead view, of course)

 (a closer look)

The sea bass was served on a potato hash stack that had corn and red peppers-which sat upon a roasted red pepper 'catchup'. The fish was cooked perfectly-not overdone, not underdone. Everything worked well together-not one component of the meal competed with the other. Quite a symphony, in fact! Each dish created by chef Darren McHale demonstrates  a clear knowledge of global cuisine and an effective use of food pairings. 

(2010 Acrobat Pinot Gris from Oregon)

I had a glass of Pinot Gris to go with it. Prairie Star also offers their wines by half glass too-which I really appreciate as two glasses of wine for me are too much, but one isn't enough to carry me through the entire entree. Mark is not a drinker, so he did not have wine with his beautiful steak.

 

 The Niman Ranch sirloin steak

The steak came with apple wood smoked onion rings, herb mashed potatoes on a reduction of balsamic demi glace, along with some spring vegetables. The steak was very flavorful and fork tender. Onion rings are always a hit with my husband. He ate every bite that was in front of him!

Without any guilt, we each ordered dessert. After all, it was a celebration!

(Boca Negra. “Dense, bittersweet chocolate cake with Amarena 

cherries served with a miniature chocolate milkshake”)

Mark ordered the sinful chocolate dessert. It did come with a little chocolate malt milk shake and garnished with some incredible cherries from France. I love the dendrobium orchid on top of it too!

I had the apple empanadas that were served with a peach tapioca sauce. The desserts (several of them) also have a dessert wine paired with them. Although this dessert was paired with a muscat wine, I opted to swap out for the port instead. Prairie Star does have an actual wine (full time and accredited) Sommelier on staff, so check out their website for their special wine tasting events. The wine tasting events are surprisingly affordable and you will be served a nice flight of wines and perhaps even learn something interesting about them that you can later impress your friends and family with.

(2000 Warre’s Late Bottle Vintage Port)

The port wine-with some really nice 'legs'!

Admittedly, it had been a couple of years since we last dined at the Prairie Star Restaurant. We both agreed, after having such a perfect meal, that we should make it a point to come by more often. The ambiance, the spectacular views, the food and impeccable service made it feel like we took a vacation somewhere. Not to mention, the totally romantic setting!