ChelleinNC
Say "Hi" to Art the Greeter for me!
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- Jul 15, 2007
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**I know I said earlier I was going to post this on the blog, but I decided that since it's not really a restaurant review that I'm just going to post it here. I'll leave the really lengthy / big stuff for the blog.**
So, you may be wondering how I even found out about this series of dinners that's being hosted by Oceano Bistro over the next twelve months considering that Jay and I have never eaten there. I recently discovered an on-line website devoted to local restaurants, festivals, boozes, and all the things the Jay and I love.They have a calendar of events and just happened to post a link Wednesday morning that caught my eye ... a click, a gasp, and a thin ribbon of drool later I was emailing the hubba from my desk at work.
"There's a five-course dinner tomorrow night that features the chef from Harvest ... the dude is serving foie gras for the third course. I think it's a moral imperative that we attend if we can still get in ... what do you think?"
Jay's response was typically to the point: "We gotta eat."
I wasn't able to call the restaurant until about 3PM on Wednesday afternoon but luck was with us and we were able to nab a reservation. They didn't even require a credit card to hold our spots, which was refreshing. I have a feeling that will change as the series progresses because it looked like there were about a dozen no-shows Thursday night ... and that's too bad because those folks missed a great dinner.
The guest chef series is actually a group of charity dinners that features an executive chef from a local upscale restaurant once a month - proceeds from the dinner go to the chef's charity of choice. Our chef, Steve Gontram, from Harvest Restaurant (it's awesome - go there if you're ever in Stinktown) chose The Smile Train as his charity - this group is the world's leading cleft lip and cleft palate foundation.
Chef Steve created the menu for the evening and oversaw preparation and presentation, but he very generously took pains to point out that it was the Executive Chef and staff at Oceano Bistro who cooked everything for us. And they did a wonderful job! Jay and I are looking forward to trying more of these dinners throughout the year as time and money permits.
So, let's get it on with it, shall we?
We arrived at the restaurant a little early since we knew that parking was going to be an issue. Once we checked in with the staff we headed for the bar and each ordered a Manhattan. We were seated about twenty minutes later and while it looked like we were going to share with another couple, no one ever showed so we ended up with our own private table for the evening.
Jay and I weren't sure if wine pairings were being included with the dinner or not because there was no mention of alcohol on the website, but once we were seated the staff began pouring a white wine that we both really liked as soon as we tried it: 2005 Viognier from Whitman Cellars. I liked that they are apparently located in Walla Walla Valley; say that three times fast after downing a cocktail and half a bottle of wine on an empty stomach!This wine had a lot of fruity aromas ... pear, lemon, maybe grapefruit and it had a light, balanced taste. Not at all acidic or bitter, it was very smooth and paired wonderfully with our first course:
Pan Roasted Jumbo Sea Scallop with Yukon Gold Potato and Asparagus Strudel, Fava Bean-Smoked Bacon Relish, and Sun Choke Soubise.
Yummy!
This dish smelled wonderful ... and it tasted pretty good, too! The scallop was perfect ... silky and smooth and sweet, it melted in my mouth just like buttah. The potato and asparagoose strudel was good - flaky pastry, mashed taters, and generous asparagoose spears - but it actually struck me as a little bland, like it needed some seasoning. Jay reminded me that I should probably have been soaking up some of that soubise with the strudel, but there wasn't a whole lot of it on the plate. What there was tasted pretty good and I really liked it with the chewy bacon bits and firm fava beans (no Hannibal Lecter impersonations this time!) but I still think it needed a little something to move it from good to fantastic.
At this point we received more white wine (unlimited pours, you can't beat that!) and a red wine, too. The red wine was a Pinot Noir from Rvtz Cellars. I am not known for red wine fondness ... it gives me baaaad headaches, but this seemed like a lighter, more fruity pinot noir and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I didn't think it worked all that well with our second course but it was still tasty and nice to mix and match the wines to see which we liked best with each course.
So, what was the second offering?
Braised Rabbit Risotto with English Pea Emulsion, Crispy Pea Tendril-Spring Radish Salad, and White Truffle Oil.
It's violently green...
Visually this dish had no comparison throughout the rest of the evening ... it was so green that it hurt my eyes. And the repeated use of the word pea gave me the urge to use the bathroom.I'm still undecided about this dish ... the risotto was good but cooked unevenly and there were times when I took a bite and found al dente risotto, which is a real turn off for me. I do think this was a very smart way to serve rabbit, which isn't something that one often sees on a restaurant menu in Stinktown. The meat was shredded and mixed in with the risotto, masking the rather gamey flavor that rabbit can sometimes have. Jay really liked this course and ended up eating about half of mine because I just didn't care for it as much as he did. Besides, I was priming my tastebuds for the third course:
Pan Roasted Hudson Valley Foie Gras served with an Almond and Mascarpone Toasted Brioche and Strawberry Gastrique.
Foie Gras #1
Foie Gras #2
Although it didn't compare with the foie gras we've had at V&A, this was a very good alternative. Heh, who would ever have thought that we couldn't obtain foie gras at a 5-star gourmet restaurant in WDW but would be served the delicacy at a seafood restaurant in Stinktown? Is the world turned upside-down, or what?
Anyway, this had a light, buttery texture that tasted great with the strawberry gastrique which we think was actually balsamic. I wasn't sold on the mascarpone and brioche with this dish only because they added nothing to the foie gras - on their own they would probably be quite good, but I don't think the cheese was sweetened so there was no offset to the saltiness of the foie gras and the acidity of the berries and the balsamic. That did not stop me from practically licking my plate clean, however.
Time for "dinner" with course four: Grilled Rack of Spring Lamb with Salemville Amish Blue Cheese and Morel Mushroom Fritter, Sauteed Local Spinach, and Forest Mushroom Sauce.
I will call you lamb.
These chops have been frenched!!!
Lamb is not my meat of choice, but I did eat one entire chop before handing this off to the hubby. It had a good flavor, but was a bit more pink than I would have liked and I also thought it was a little on the fatty side. As you might guess, there was just too much mushroomieness to this dish for me. I even tried the fritter ,which I thought was a clever idea until I saw an ugly 'shroom eyeballing me from within the fritter's cornmealie-cheesie guts.
And then there was dessert ... Warmed Brioche Bread Pudding with Bourbon Currant Sauce and Vanilla Whipped Cream.
Thank you sir, may we have another?
Do you have any scotch or port to wash this down?
Incredible! Just the right mix of warm, soft bread and buttery bourbon sauce. It really could only have been better with a dessert drink, but sadly by the time our serving team came back around Jay and I just ordered cappuccinos instead. But no complaints - the caps were really good and not only hit the spot, but served to wake us both up since we had a 40-mile drive to get back home. And since Jay picked me up from work, we had to go get my car first and then we both had to drive home ... it made for a long night but it was totally worth it!
Overall this was a lovely event - the restaurant staff was personable and efficient and very excited to discuss the menu with us; the restaurant owner was there and he stopped at each table at least twice during the evening to thank us all for coming and to ask for feedback. The guest chef also made the rounds at least twice and signed our menu for us as well as encouraging Jay and I to spend our anniversary celebrating at his restaurant after we mentioned how much we've enjoyed dining there previously. For $65 per person this meal was priced and portioned just right - we actually thought it was very generous, especially with unlimited wine.
Not only do Jay and I plan to pick up another couple of dinners in this series, but we've already told some of our friends about it. We hope that they'll join us as time permits for them and we fully expect to continue to be impressed with future meals.
Thanks for letting me share!
Wow wow wow wow wow! and unlimited wine pours?! WOW!
Sounds like that will be a great series of dinners. I hope that your friends will jump on the bandwagon and attend with you (and that you'll keep posting the pictures!) 
