".......The dessert menu shifts on a daily basis. All are made in-house and are plenty flavorful. Save the light-sounding hummingbird cake for a big meal; it's dense and amply frosted. Alternately, the chocolate harvest cake with macerated dried cranberries and candied orange is bright and not too rich."...
(To see full review look under Isthmus title "Eight Seasons Grille changes there menu- constantly")
However THIS reviewer was very pleasant and said some wonderful things about the restaurant and it made me blush a bit when I read what he thought of dessert...thanks guy.
Eight Seasons Grille a perfect fit for Downtown’s Bassett neighborhood
The Bassett neighborhood on the southwest side of the Capitol is one of the city’s oldest and most interesting areas. With its mix of Victorian houses, many of them student apartments and others restored by owner-occupants, along with sleek new condos, it rivals State Street for its people-watching potential.The newest bright spot in the neighborhood is Eight Seasons Grille in Tuscan Place. The former Jo’s Tazzina was remodeled and now has a full open kitchen and long bar. Bistro tables fill the triangular dining room, which is full of light and has warm-colored flooring and walls. Botanical paintings and fresh greenery hanging in vases are mounted on the windows.
The staff is as warm as the ambience, and everything on the menu is made from scratch with, when possible, local ingredients. Prices range from decent to downright low, so this cafe seems a perfect fit for the historic Fourth Ward.
A quick way to get acquainted with the cooking at Eight Seasons is by ordering the four shared plates on the menu. The pillowy ravioli ($7) is filled with smoked trout and Gorgonzola, and its strong flavors are accented with a red sauce flecked with fennel and basil.
The tender gnocchi ($6) is made with herbs and tossed with perfectly cooked seasonal veggies. The crepes ($6), also spiked with herbs, have a velvety texture and hold a creamy mixture of turkey, mushrooms and sweet peas.
Of the shared plates, only the beef satay ($5) was disappointing. The grilled meat on the skewers had been marinated in teriyaki sauce but had the texture of beef jerky. The Thai peanut sauce served with it lacked intensity, and had only a faint taste of peanut.
The other thing I wouldn’t order again was fennel salad ($6.50). The mild anise flavor of the fennel, the prosciutto and the roasted red peppers were overwhelmed by big slices of red onion. Milder onions, like scallions, would have been an improvement.
The 8 Seasons Chop Salad ($6.50) was, in contrast, a harmonious mixture of bacon, tomato, green onion, avocado and Gorgonzola and was tossed in a bright citrus vinaigrette.
Among the five entrees is Huhn ($11), a juicy quartered chicken on the bone surrounded by a colorful medley of red cabbage slaw, Brussels sprouts and fried potatoes.
Another terrific entree is the 8 Seasoned Grille ($16), a square tureen filled with a steaming risotto with minced seasonal vegetables, bracketed by four excellent grilled shrimp enhanced with cilantro and lime juice.
Finally, a sweltering August night is the right time for lemon-meringue ice cream, served in a chilled martini glass with a slice of lime lounging on its lip. The hints of citrus, sweetness and lightness were subtle and compatible, and chunks of graham cracker crust in the glass brought a nice foundation to the otherwise ethereal dessert."
he thinks I'm ETHEREAL...or at least my desserts are!! :)
