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My salmon with a cabernet-sauvignon reduction could convince even the most dogmatic diner that red wine can, indeed, go with fish. The salmon was cooked with care, and the silky emulsion of butter and cabernet made a far more interesting partner than a classic dill sauce. Grilled swordfish was served one night with a red-pepper puree, another night with a Pacific Rim-inspired sake-and-black-bean sauce. The latter was a remarkable marriage of salty, sweet, smoky and fermented flavors that transformed a good piece of fish into a great one. Duck lovers will revel in the combo of a plump Muscovy leg served as confit (preserved in its own fat) and a sliced, rare-roasted breast. The leg was so rich and tender, it was like nibbling bits of butter. And the breast, fanned out in a mahogany-colored Armagnac sauce, offered a properly gamy counterpoint. Top sirloin came cooked as ordered in a fragrant reduction of Madeira and assorted wild mushrooms. Only the noticeably chewy texture of the beef disappointed. The foie gras listed in the preparation is incorporated into the Madeira sauce rather than served in slices. The chef’s insistence on topnotch vegetables (baby beets, broccoflower, cauliflower, various potato preparations) turned them into a great supporting cast, not the afterthought common to many eateries. As for dessert, all are prepared on the premises, and the seductive tray tempts with the likes of creme brulee, cheesecakes, lemon tart, a pretty chocolate “box,” and tarte tatin on airy puff pastry. Now for the wine list. I realize that restaurants need to make much of their profit from the bar, but charging up to five times the wholesale price of a bottle really rattles my glass. And $35 for the Estancia Chardonnay I can buy for less than $6 at the Price Club? Jeez. The list is undeniably extensive, but you’ll find little under $30 (and they were out of two $26 wines on the list). If, however, you are in the market for an 1898 Chateau LafiteRothschild (“recorked at the chateau in 1983,” according to the list) it can be yours for $10,000. On the plus side, the service was the best ever. All the waiters and busboys I dealt with were knowledgeable, genuinely friendly and smoothly effcient, with none of the superior attitude that can make a guest feel like a poor relation. And the physical setting seems somehow warmer and more inviting than in years past, with meticulously set tables and good china, cheery nosegays on each table and a fire that adds cozy charm. The tables are spaced rather closely, especially in the dramatic room closest to the sea, but I still found it comfortable. Dinner for two, with a very modest bottle of wine, can easily exceed $100. But for a special occasion, Top O’ the Cove could be just what you ordered. |
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