Ritz-Carlton Café

Description
The Dining Room has ended its era (banquets and private affairs may still be held there), so chef Mark Payne has shifted his focus onto the Café. Winners abound on the recently unveiled menu: Roasted Vidalia onion soup is sweet from caramelized onions and rich from beef shank braised in the broth, a mound of prime steak tartare is coupled with waffle-cut potatoes fried in duck fat and drizzled with truffle oil, and there’s a fantastic ricotta gnocchi tossed in duck ragù with briny olives and aged pecorino shards. Compared to these gems, desserts are a bit lackluster. Ingredients are top notch and execution is nearly flawless, but it’s the high prices that keep us from making the Café a regular spot.