Again, here I am behind in my posts! I have a few of them in the queue, so I am going to work on Death & Taxes first as people are asking a ton about Ashley’s new place, including how the food is, what to order, the cocktails, service, etc. I was able to go during the first few weeks they were open, so hopefully this will help everyone for their upcoming visits to the restaurant.
Ashley really seems to hit the nail on the head each and every time with each of her establishments and this one is no exception. It is amazing how she does this as all of them are so different in concept, the type of food that is served, etc. Here is a somewhat decent view of the restaurant so that you can get a sense for the atmosphere (sort of reminds me a bit like a French bistro, but different):
Apologies that these pictures are not the best, but you can get a sense for what it looks like. There is a huge open kitchen with bar type seating where you can watch all of the cooking action up close and personal (very cool). Now, I did not sit on these barstools, but my one gripe with all of Ashley’s restaurants is that the barstools and chairs are typically very uncomfortable (especially for small people like my self…..I am 5′ 1/2″ and hell yes I am including that 1/2″). Clearly she is going for style over comfort, but I do wish they were slightly more comfortable. Perhaps these are, but I did not give them a test run. I love the lighting in this place (chandelier is my favorite) and there is a tiny bar in the back right hand part of the restaurant that is clearly not made for a large crowd to hang around in. However, if your table is taking slightly longer than expected, it is a good spot to grab a drink while you wait.
As I have always experienced at any of Ashley’s restaurants, the service was fantastic (her sommelier is absolutely amazing here…..and I am bummed I did not grab his name to properly credit him). We started off with a round of cocktails (they make their own tonic and other mixers in house). I am super lame as I pretty much only drink vodka and tequila with an occasional gin drink if I am in the mood. On top of that, my preferred cocktail of choice is simply Tito’s with soda water, cucumber and a lemon. Sounds boring, but try it…..it tastes like heavenly summer! Nonetheless, Matt did at least order one of their prepared cocktails and here are the pics of those:
Clearly, I ordered my summer cocktail, but oddly it is colored and not clear as you would expect from a vodka soda. I was told they make their own soda in house, but I still wonder if they accidentally made this with tonic as it tasted like that, but I put on my big girl pants and drank it anyway! I believe Matt ordered the Rye Cobbler with Rye Whiskey, blackberries, orange, lemon and mint. Although, now that I look at it again, it does not look like that, so who knows! Oops!
We then moved onto a bottle of Rose, which led to another bottle of Rose. The first we ordered was good, but the second one we ordered at the recommendation of the sommelier was amazing!! I am hoping he will somehow read this and comment on which one it was!! 🙂 Damn tipsy Jenn is horrible at remembering at times….fine A LOT!!!
Now for the food!!! We ordered the Oysters, Whole Crab Salad, Softshell Crab, Chicken, Roasted Sweet Corn and Potatoes Aligot. Here are the pictures of those and I will tell you more as I think you need to see them first:
The top left is the chicken (I normally do not order chicken when I go out as I can easily make that at home, but we had one slightly picky eater with us…..sorry Stacey), but it was very delicious!!! The corn is in the top right (another I would not have ordered….thank you Stacey) and it absolutely blew my mind!!! It was so freaking good!!!! It has a char on it and the sauce she puts on top (I think she calls it corn silk butter) is ridiculously amazing. In the middle, the left hand side is the Whole Crab Salad. I was expecting something different (not sure what), but it was very good. The crab was very fresh, the avocados and grilled citrus went so well together (I would definitely order that again as it was such a nice light starter). The oysters are next to this and I cannot remember if we got their oysters on the half shell or if these are her roasted oysters, but I remember happily eating them and wanting more! The bottom picture is the softshell crab and if that is ever on the menu someplace I love, I order it without fail as I am a sucker for softshell crab (I wish it was in season more often). It was so good and I am pretty sure we all fought for the last bites. I have one more picture, which I want to give its own section to.
This section belongs to the mashed potatoes (otherwise called Potatoes Aligot). If you have been to Poole’s Diner and have had her macaroni and cheese (absolutely the best macaroni and cheese you will EVER find and I dream about it often), then the best way to describe these potatoes are that they are her version of macaroni and cheese in mashed potato form! They were SO creamy and delicious and are made with gruyere cheese I believe. I took a picture of it in the pot and one of Stacey serving it so that you could truly see how creamy they were. No doubt that these have got to be so bad for you calorie wise, but just like with her macaroni and cheese, I don’t give a shit!!!!! You can see that they are served bubbling hot and I suggest that you order these when you come or you will be sad. So, so, so sad.
Since we were gluten for punishment, we indulged in dessert, which I don’t often do. We got the Blueberry con pone with popcorn ice cream and the Malted Chess Pie with whiskey cream and salted caramel.
Honestly, they were both ridiculously amazing and I am not a big dessert person, so that means a lot coming from me. I would have to say the Blueberry con pone was my favorite just because it was so unique and different. It literally tasted like blueberry corn bread and adding the ice cream was absolutely critical to its success. Well done, well done!
Therefore, my overall opinion and recommendation is that if you have not gone to Death & Taxes yet in Raleigh, that you do so immediately if not sooner. Oh, someone must try the dry-aged steak and tell me how it is as I really want to order that next time!!! Also, plan in advance though as apparently they are now on at least a one month wait for reservations. This is Ashley’s first restaurant to take reservations, so you cannot complain too much! When you are there, check out her private event space to think about for a future event (I am spying on this as one of the potential spots to celebrate a big birthday I have coming up next year if I decide to stay in town)!
#AshleyChristensen #deathandtaxes #raleighdowntownisawesome #notsureicanwaitamonthtogoback
Best ‘taters ever. 🙂