Chocolate souffle cake and the ying/yang of food

Lately, something’s changed at Tuli’s, my little neighborhood bistro. And the change is only making the place better.

The menu gotten more sophisticated, the wine selection is better and the desserts….well…the desserts are sinful. This is because they have a new pastry chef. I’m not sure where she went to school, but she knows how to make some tempting treats that make you want to come back for more.

Take for example their chocolate soufflé cake. It’s out-of-this-world good. It’s moist, chocolatety – without being too sweet -- and garnished with pomegranate seeds. Thank goodness you can only buy it by the slice because I would be getting a whole cake right now if I could. (Hint to anyone wanting to treat me for my birthday).

The desserts aren’t the only menu itmes that have gotten better. The food has also evolved.

I admit Chef Adam Pechal at Tuli’s has always done a great job, but his new Winter menu has some things on it that need to be mentioned …and savored.

Keep in mind, I haven’t tried everything yet, but I did get around to tasting something they call “Birds of another Feather”. This is a pan-roasted Guinea hen with a spicy orange glaze, and for $21, it’s a steal. It's similar to the "Chicken and cabbage" dish they had in the fall, which was good - but this is even better. The marinade is more flavorful than before and the bean puree is less lemony. The whole dish is now mouthwatering good.

They also have these catfish fingers that are also yummy for $9. But I’m warning you, these aren’t that big, so you may want to only order them if getting a salad or looking for something small. They do make a good sharing appetizer though.

But my favorite new thing on the menu has got to be the sturgeon. Man…this is so good. Plus, even though, you will feel satisfied when done because it is filling, you will also feel healthy.

I call this dish the ying/yang of food because it’s the perfect combination of a being little bit bad and a little bit good – and here’s why. The fish comes with crispy Daikon cake (crispy means fried so that’s the bit that's bad), but it’s complimented with a light mushroom Dashi broth – that's the good. But the really good is how everything works together. In fact, the broth is so yummy you’ll want to scoop it up with a spoon.

Now if only there was some way I could make my gym workout a little more ying and yang. Maybe if it came with cake at the end?