Amuze Bistro (Palmer Lake: rental car, rental, hotel)

[treedonkey]

I don't know if I'm allowed to write a post like this on here or not, but I assure you that I don't work for this place and I get no kickbacks for plugging them.

My wife and I recently ate out at Amuze Bistro in Palmer Lake for a special -occasion dinner, and it was nearly perfect in every way.

Now, I'm not bragging, but just for context, I've traveled to all 50 states in this country, and extensively through Europe, Mexico and Canada as well. The meal I ate at Amuze last week was as good as any meal I've had anywhere, EVER. And when I say anywhere, I'm comparing it to places we had to seek out in San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, Venice, Paris, London and Amsterdam.

The service was top notch - rock-star treatment for sure. But just in case, Chef/Owner William persoanlly visits each table multiple times during the meal to make sure all is well. In between, he somehow has time to prepare the most exquisite and creative dishes, from Blue Crab Meltaway Appetizers, to Vanilla-Tomatoe-Bisque soup to an absolutely perfectly prepared entree (I had the Ribeye), lavishly presented in a way that makes one scoff at the mere $40+ price tag of it. (apps, soups, salad, dessert, and of course wine is sold separately)

The only drawbacks... Well, the price, of course ~ $150 for two of us, and we went for a pretty conservative bottle of wine - but for us it was all money well spent. Also, the place is really small, just four tables, which makes it hard to get in, and if you want it really quiet and to feel like you have the place to yourselves, this may not be the best choice for that.

Other than that, I give it 5 stars across the board. I just hope that enough will appreciate truly great food and be willing to pay for it so that William can stay in business for a long time - so that I can go back there. A lot.

[Mike from back east]

That's about what we paid for dinner for two with wine at the short-lived Palapas Surfside on South Carefree, off Powers. That place was also a marvelous experience, but IMO was in the wrong location for it's quality and price.

[Maynerd]

As I'm sure MFBE recalls, I was a huge fan of Palapa's Surfside. I somewhat agree about the location, but places like the Blue Star and Plate World Cuisine aren't necessarily where you'd expect to find them. I think a big part of Palapa's demise was the complete and total lack of advertising.

Another thing that concerns me is the unwillingness of so many people in our community to try something new. They'll go back again and again and again to chain restaurants, but seem somehow afraid of trying out some of our many outstanding independent restaurants. Pity.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Maynerd

Another thing that concerns me is the unwillingness of so many people in our community to try something new. They'll go back again and again and again to chain restaurants, but seem somehow afraid of trying out some of our many outstanding independent restaurants. Pity.

We saw a perfect example on a trip to Hawaii 25 years ago. We took a hop from Oahu to Kauai, rented a car and followed an older couple out of the airport and into the local economy. Damned if that couple in the rental car ahead of us didn't pull into a McDonalds! Right then and there I turned to the wife and sad: Wow, that's sad, fly all the way to paradise just to eat that junk. We drove another block and pulled into some local egg place and had a great omelet. I think the place was Eggbert's. Almost next door to McD's. Egbert's had windows at table level, but most of it was windowless and was simply screened-in. We laughed at the cute tiny lizards scampering all around the screens, and fragrant warm Hawaiian breezes flowed across our legs and all about us.

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

We saw a perfect example on a trip to Hawaii 25 years ago. We took a hop from Oahu to Kauai, rented a car and followed an older couple out of the airport and into the local economy. Damned if that couple in the rental car ahead of us didn't pull into a McDonalds! Right then and there I turned to the wife and sad: Wow, that's sad, fly all the way to paradise just to eat that junk. We drove another block and pulled into some local egg place and had a great omelet. I think the place was Eggbert's. Almost next door to McD's. Egbert's had windows at table level, but most of it was windowless and was simply screened-in. We laughed at the cute tiny lizards scampering all around the screens, and fragrant warm Hawaiian breezes flowed across our legs and all about us.

Feeling self-satisfied over eggs were you?

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

Feeling self-satisfied over eggs were you?

It was the first time my wife ever had her favorite (stinky old Bleu Cheese) in an omelet. Between the omelet and the little leaping lizards, I could do no wrong that day.

FWIW, we stayed in a fabulous Amfac hotel on Poipu Beach that trip; a few years later a Pacific hurricane totally wiped that hotel off the beach, nothing left of it, or several other places.

[dawn mayers]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

I don't know if I'm allowed to write a post like this on here or not, but I assure you that I don't work for this place and I get no kickbacks for plugging them.

My wife and I recently ate out at Amuze Bistro in Palmer Lake for a special -occasion dinner, and it was nearly perfect in every way.

Now, I'm not bragging, but just for context, I've traveled to all 50 states in this country, and extensively through Europe, Mexico and Canada as well. The meal I ate at Amuze last week was as good as any meal I've had anywhere, EVER. And when I say anywhere, I'm comparing it to places we had to seek out in San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, Venice, Paris, London and Amsterdam.

The service was top notch - rock-star treatment for sure. But just in case, Chef/Owner William persoanlly visits each table multiple times during the meal to make sure all is well. In between, he somehow has time to prepare the most exquisite and creative dishes, from Blue Crab Meltaway Appetizers, to Vanilla-Tomatoe-Bisque soup to an absolutely perfectly prepared entree (I had the Ribeye), lavishly presented in a way that makes one scoff at the mere $40+ price tag of it. (apps, soups, salad, dessert, and of course wine is sold separately)

The only drawbacks... Well, the price, of course ~ $150 for two of us, and we went for a pretty conservative bottle of wine - but for us it was all money well spent. Also, the place is really small, just four tables, which makes it hard to get in, and if you want it really quiet and to feel like you have the place to yourselves, this may not be the best choice for that.

Other than that, I give it 5 stars across the board. I just hope that enough will appreciate truly great food and be willing to pay for it so that William can stay in business for a long time - so that I can go back there. A lot.

I wouldnt go that far. I attended their "wine tasting." The food was cold and there wasn't hardly enough. The things i did try lacked the proper seasonings. The chef owner was intoxicated. The service staff was uneducated. The wine was the only good thing going. i will never return there again.

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by dawn mayers

I wouldnt go that far. I attended their "wine tasting." The food was cold and there wasn't hardly enough. The things i did try lacked the proper seasonings. The chef owner was intoxicated. The service staff was uneducated. The wine was the only good thing going. i will never return there again.

Wow... and then you joined CDF just to complain about it?

Well, you're certainly entitled to your opinion, although your experience was quite different than mine. Of course, I was talking about actually dining there, not their discount wine-tasting event, which I did not attend. Maybe William really was drunk that night, I don't know... or maybe it just wasn't your thing.

[lalahartma]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

Wow... and then you joined CDF just to complain about it?

That's what I thought as well. Kinda odd. Then I looked at the zip code given in her profile and it was White Hall, MD. Even odder!

[dawn mayers]

For the uninformed. White Hall Maryland is outside of Baltimore city where the slow food movement is huge. Maryland is known for the best crabcakes in the United States. Speaking of "crabcakes" at amuze I was served the drunk chefs attempt of a chesapeake bay favorite. I must say they tasted just like an old beat up recipe that can be found in any ten dollar cook book purchased in the down town area. Our hats are off to you in Baltimore.
P.S. i did join to post my thoughts because i found that all posts were seeming to be posted by friends of william if that is his real name. Now it is clear to me that they are. I must make a chef feel good to know that his reviews are all toung and cheek.