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July 19, 2010 3:03 am

Birk’s named Restaurant of the Week!

When it comes to a meal, sometimes I like a strong hand.  A firm grip on the cuisine and solid execution.  I like the food to be consistent, reliable, and still damn good.  This is what you’ll find at Birk’s Restaurant in Santa Clara. 

Executive Chef Maurice Errol Dissels was graceful enough to sit down with us and explain his interpretation on traditional american fare.

“This is a place where executives and high profile diners can entertain, feel comfortable, and always know to expect solid results.” 

Everything at Birk’s is made fresh, including the fried calamari (something most restaurants cheat on).

The fried calamari is topped with romano and parmesan cheese, garlic and herbs.  Crisp golden rings, little fried tentacles, fragrant herbs, slightly melted cheese, and your option of a cocktail or tartar for ultimate dipping pleasure.  How do you like it?

Then, a seared ahi sashimi.  I’ve seen this interpreted in many ways, seeing as it is a staple in many restaurants.  The thin sliced ahi, the gorgeous soba noodles, the wasabi crafted into a leaf, the pickled ginger to cleanse my palate with, and the simple delicate garnishes of scallions and carrot were visually appealing.  The combination of flavour for this asian-infused dish were spot on too.

Ooou, and who doesn’t like steak bits?  Yumm… tips of filet mignon mesquite grilled with a side of green peppercorn sauce for an explosion of rich, smoky, and spicy goodness in your mouth.  Delicious.

On to the gorgeous potato-wrapped salmon.  Beautiful interpretation of simple ingredients.  Marvelously thin potato hugging a juicy filet of salmon, carefully ladled on top of a bed of king mushrooms, bean sprouts, and sugar peas. 

I was content with the savoury dishes put in front of me, and was ready to experience the sweet procession of desserts.  All desserts at Birk’s are made in house… comforting thought, isn’t it?

My mouth watered at the delights, starting with the white chocolate cheesecake, crust made of oreo cookie crumbles and a chocolate drizzle.

Then, my all time favourite… exclusive sorbet created by Silver Moon desserts, a blackberry zinfandel sorbet.   Mmm icy smooth sorbet tickled my spoon as I eagerly cut into the pyramid of scrumptiousness.

To satiate the need for some rich chocolate on my tongue, presented was a triple chocolate decadence.  Three types of chocolate molded into a flourless chocolate torte, chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, and a raspberry coulis.  Absolute heaven to end a wonderful night of conversation with Chef Maurice and an exploration into the depths of fine american fare.

When you visit Birks, tell Maurice we say hi.

Posted on 19. Jul, 2010 by tracy

Tags: battle dish, battledish, birks, birks restaurants, birks sj, dish crawl, dishcrawl, food reviews birks, food san jose, good restaurant santa clara, maurice dissels, restaurant of the week, rotw, san jose foodie, santa clara foodie