***OK, technically the Dish of Last Week. A day late & a dollar short as always; following the wrap of the 32nd Starz Denver Film Festival last night, in which you may know I am heavily involved, several marbles short as well. So bear with me as I regain my equilibrium, such as it ever is, for the next couple of weeks.***
Having never gone gaga over the grub, I'm increasingly drawn to The Corner Office like a drone to a cubicle for various, only semivalid reasons I'll go into in a later review. But if there's 1 dish to justify any jones for the joint, it's this one.
Cut to ribbons on a mandoline, the Szechuan fries are what the kids these days call a hot mess. Aside from constituting a sweet excuse to flout etiquette—you just sort of yank at the pile with your hands & take what comes loose—they're also a thrilling grab bag of texture: some pieces are soft as spaghetti strands, others fried to a complete crisp. They come with a hot mustard aioli (I suppose that's the Szechuan part) which, while echoing Encore's hot mustard drizzle, bests it for, well, being aioli, hence creamy with mayo.
Lest any part of that compliment sound in any way backhanded, let the fact that I ordered them twice in less than 24 hours convince you of my sincerity.
'Westword' recently reported that Carlos Rios is now the exec chef at the Corner Office. Do you know whether the Szechuan fries are his recipe or from "l'accienne regime"? We've eaten there quite often because it is so convenient to the DCPA, but the food never overwhelmed me w/ wonderful-ness.
Claire @ www.culinary-colorado.com
Posted by: Claire Walter | November 28, 2009 at 02:40 PM