For New Years Eve, we were concerned that we would not be able to find anywhere to eat, so pre-booked a restaurant in the Mariott Hotel. We were in Amsterdam for our Northern Europe holiday, and this was a special experience.
Midtown Grill, Amsterdam
We had dinner in the Midtown Grill in the Amsterdam Marriott Hotel. When we entered, we found the hotel reception to be very busy, and it was because there were people desperately trying to find somewhere to have dinner on New Years Eve! Once we found the entrance to the restaurant, we were greeted by a staff member who took our coats. It turned out that this was our sommelier.
We were given a menu that had a distinct focus on steak, but with some alternatives like chicken, lobster, cod, veal, and two vegetarian dishes. We made our selection, starting with carpaccio of dry-aged steak and tartare – which we shared. The raw meat dishes were probably the best we have ever had – the carpaccio had a depth of flavour we have never experienced before, and the tartare had a great balance of flavour and texture that made it very memorable.
For the main course, we shared an entire chateaubriand, brought to our table on a hot griddle plate. We both had an entire bulb of slow-roasted garlic each, which we both love. We also shared some asparagus and hasselback potato with bacon. The steak was succulent and full of flavour, and as Bianca wanted it rare, and I wanted it medium-rare, they somehow cooked one end more than the other.
The waitress looked after us well all night. The sommelier made a mistake of bringing us a very expensive bottle of wine with a decanter, only for us to point out his error. He then retrieved the correct bottle of wine, for which he gave the back story of the winemaker and this particular vintage. The sommelier had a magnificent English style thin moustache.
For desert, we had cheese and proposals, followed by cocktails and toasted marshmallows.
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