I chose Red Moon as my birthday destination because of the intriguing reviews that I had read as well as its location in the loft district.
The downtown loft district has not yet arived but it is well on its way and the addition of eateries such as Red Moon can only enhance
the locale. A must have in this area is valet parking and though they went no further than the parking lot across the street, it was still worthwhile.
Upon entering, the name Red Moon is laid out in a decor that is bright and of course red. Each table was beautifully set and the Asian feel
gives the diner a preview of what to expect on the menu. The wine list was nice but a sake flight seemed to be more appropriate and it was a great experience. A tray feautring 5 different sake varietieswas presented. The waiter was knowledgeable and gave an overview of each. The labeling on the tray was a nice touch as well, in the eventyou were not paying attention during the presentation.
The appetizer menu was irrresistable and our table chose a variety that included the ahi tuna tartare with pickled cucumber and Wasabi and an order of the aromatic braised baby back ribs which were spicy and aromatic. Had it not been the hottest day of the summer, the royal hot and sour soup with shrimp and scallions would have been quite tempting as well.
My entree choice was the sweet and sour mango duck breast after being discouraged in regards to the Peking duck. The meat was tender and of good quality. It came with sugar snap peas, carrots, and onions. The onions could have been just a bit more tender to make a better match to the duck but all in all, it was very good. Two of my dining partners had the Grilled Teriyaki Rib Eye withSweet Potato Orange-Ginger Aioli. Considering the taste of our group varied from those in love with Asian cuisine to more traditional meat and potatoes dining, that Red Moon was able to satisfy everyone is impressive. The food presentation is top notch
and that helped the entire group to appreciate the overall experience.
The conclusion was nice array of dessert offerings with a birthday dessert on the house. I chose the fruit mixture, raspberries, mango, papaya, and blueberries in a Grand Marnier sauce. It seemed to finish off an excellent meal with a guiltless ending.
Red Moon on Valentines Day 2007
A second visit was in order after a fabulous dinner there on my birthday. This time, we chose to order from the special menu which provided four courses. We started with a bottle of very nice wine for a decent price. That the wine was not overly expensive was good since the dinner price wasn’t cheap. For the first course, I had the risotto cakes covered with a miso honey vinaigrette that were quite nice. My partner had the electrified scallop which was topped with a lemongrass bell pepper sambal and Thai chili aioli. This was very nice with a good level of spice on a very decen scallop. For the next course, I had the Ozark forest mushroom soup and she had the blue crab ginger bisque. The mushroom soup was ok, nothing special considering I love mushrooms. But the base overpowered the delicate shrooms and it just didn’t work. Her soup was fabulous with a nice ginger kick. So far, she was two for two and I was glad that she was sharing. For the main course, we decided to evenly split the pan seared Atlantic salmon and the sweet, sour duck. I had eaten the duck at my last visit and this was even better, very tender and flavorful. The salmon was nice but again, nothing spectacular. The dessert menu gave us a choice of only one so we had to split that and we went with the healthier, lighter choice, an orange scented cheesecake which went quite well with a snifter of Grand Marnier.
All in all, it was a nice evening but when it started with the valet parking attendent running late, I knew that the attention to detail might just be lacking. For the price, well let's say I miss our old stand by French restaurant on Grand and we will keep trying next year until we find the Perfect place for Valentine's Day because this wasn't it.
