20110222

delmonico kitchen+bar/dkb

delmonico corn chowder
jalapeño corn soup


i'm a little burnt out on reviewing restaurants right now. i've been sitting on this post for thre months now, and ahhh, nothin'. have you been here? tell me what you think of it. in the meantime, here are some pretty photos of some of my favourite dishes at delmonico/dkb.


delmonico mac n cheese
mac-n-cheese with crabmeat


delmonico chicken
boneless fried chicken w|creamy mash


delmonico burger
kb ultimate steak burger


delmonico apple tart delmonico triple creme
apple tartlette and chocolate triple crème


the breakfast menu appeals to me greatly, but i've yet to try it. here's the slightly quirky menu.


delmonico wall

28 feb 2011: okay, let's try this one more time.....

blink and you might miss it, especially if you're hurtling down santos hill as you are wont to do. tucked into the ground floor corner of the bayview hotel--newbies, look for the mural--is delmonico kitchen+bar (dkb). with its walls clad in warm wood and bright colours, modern decor and casual air, it doesn't look nor feel like a hotel restaurant, but instead like a cool little neighbourhood café. the menu is quirky--a mix of italian, asian and american casual cuisine--but expertly prepared by a kitchen headed up by chefs eddie chien and raul cordero, of the late colors restaurant red. red never quite found its footing, but by keeping the menu relatively simple and consistent, hopefully dkb will stick around for awhile.

i've tried to keep dkb in my regular rotation of local restaurants, and for the most part, the food has been consistent and competently prepared. i tend to stick to the same entrees--the boneless fried chicken and steak burger with a flying saucer-like disc of griddled cheese are particular favourites--but i can't fault the lightly crispy battered basa fillet sandwich in a fluffy white bun, nor its more elegant sister, the seared spicy crème dory on a bed of rice with a garlic ginger butter sauce. both are tender and flaky, and the delicately-flavoured fish is somehow never overpowered by its more assertive accompaniments. they've got a temaki bento box of make-your-own sushi with white rice, sheets of nori, sashimi and tempura prawns that can be a substantial entree for one, or a fun appetizer for the table. the desserts are few and familiar, but exceptionally well-made. the crème brûlée is one of the better versions on the island, and if they've got the matcha green tea-flavoured one, it's one of the best desserts i've tried here in awhile.

the breakfast menu looks interesting; i think one of the things guam lacks is a casual brunch place for the weekends, and dkb's menu looks extensive and interesting enough that it may fit the bill. now if i could only get up in time to find out....


delmonico kitchen+bar/dkb
bayview hotel, ground floor
tumon (santos hill).
646.2300.

12 comments:

Could this island be bigger than I thought? I've not heard of this place. Either the food looks great or you're a fabulous photog. Or both.

Will check it out at some point... Just hard when I get free food my my restau up the hill. :-)

LOVE that wall.

I could happily eat everything in those pictures.

Oh, man, that looks amazing. Especially the crabmeat mac & cheese.

All your photos look great! Sorry to read about the chain, generic, pre-packaged, salt and chemical filled invasion to the island. Much love and good wishes to the privately own restaurants.

GTG--(laughing) yes, this island can be big. have you ever gone into the depths of dededo?? it's kinda crazy.

the chefs did that wall themselves! pretty great, huh?

miss amanda, should you ever come to the island, i shall bring you here :)

kate, i was sceptical at first, but under the layer of melted cheese is a creamy, unctious mass of mac, cheesy sauce and crab. so good!

lannae, i guess because of the build up a lot of people are bringing in mainland franchises to cater to the more mainlandy crowd coming over. i would be happy if there were more international franchises, but i think it's important that the local places secure their foothold and hopefully thrive.

Mac n cheese with crabmeat sounds good right about now. :) Very nice pictures!

My friend from Guam just recommended this blog to me. SO AWESOME. Love the photography!!!

karissa and hali bey, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. hope to see you again!

that's a beautiful looking restaurant, Santos - love that Tiffany blue and the wood paneling... and, after having been in Japan, I'm craving matcha everything!

hi claudine! it sounds like you had an amazing trip--i followed your culinary progress via twitter :) i've been craving matcha, too, and i haven't even been to japan :)

Just had to say that I love Delmonico's. I was also skeptical to go in (there was next to no one when I went it), but the food is delicious. It's been a while, but I do remember a particular appetizer being pretty tasty...not-your-average-cheese dip w/chips? Something like that, and everything else we ordered was great.

Hello Mermaid Wannabe! Thanks for dropping by. I don't think I've had that dip--it's the one with the tortilla chips and jalapeños, yes? What kind of cheese do they use?