Tasting Menu for Bloggers at Five Sixty

Yes, restaurants now include bloggers as media. Good news? Bad news? No news? No matter, it was a good opportunity for our new intern, Kate Imel, to get her keyboard wet. So to speak. She files this report.

Although I didn’t know it at the time, getting the opportunity to attend a blogger’s menu tasting at Wolfgang Puck’s Five Sixty restaurant was much like finding a golden ticket. As a first time visitor, I was struck initially by the dramatic entrance as I found myself soaring in a glass elevator 560 feet aboveground overlooking all of downtown Dallas, magically reminiscent of the elevator in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Unfortunately this glass elevator did not break through the glass roof to fly above the city, instead it landed me at the bar of the Five Sixty restaurant.

Jump.

I promptly settled into the intimate table setting along with the five other bloggers and two PR women for Five Sixty and awaited a motley crew of signature dishes. The evening was designed to give Dallas bloggers a sneak peak of the soon to be released summer menu as well as some dishes from the bar menu that have recently made the leap of permanence onto the dinner menu.

The dining began with the dynamite rolls, shrimp poppers, and the veggie roll—all of which were incredible, especially after a year of dorm food. The shrimp poppers were my personal favorite. Served on a skewer and garnished with toasted sesame seeds that enveloped a crispy, crunchy middle, the shrimp poppers did in fact pop in my mouth. The veggie roll was great as well and unlike anything I’ve ever had before. Although the roll varies at times depending on what catches the eyes of chef Sara Johannes at the market, it leaves one feeling clean and refreshed by the combination of avocado, cucumber, shiso leaf, ume paste, gobo burdock, and kampyo.

We proceeded to be wined and dined with chicken dumplings, Kobe sliders, and samples of the summer cocktail specials. It was at about the second course that I had to double check with my neighbor that the room was in fact spinning, rather than it being the result of a low tolerance and a few sips of champagne. As spectacular as the food was, the 360-degree view was the chocolate river to the dining experience, allowing us to tour our city while delighting in the best of Dallas cuisine.

The evening ended with a medley of dishes including the “Shanghai Style” Maine lobster, Korean grilled shortribs , and honey glazed pork chops. And of course, the night wouldn’t have been complete without the tasty cheesecake, baked Alaska, and peach cobbler. The baked Alaska features a toasted meringue and huckleberry sauce, and is sure to tempt any carb-counting guest into loosening up his belt for a few extra bites. Although this evening I was just a tourist, well on my way to being rolled out of Five Sixty, I would gladly return for seconds of any one of the dishes.