La Truffe Sauvage

After a week of eating substandard food in the line of duty, I decided to treat myself to one of the finer dining establishments in town. This was in mid July and the restaurant amidst all of its trees and shrubbery looked like an oasis. First item up was Chilled Spanish Gazpacho with Avocado . It was done chunky style which I prefer and there was not only some lump crab meat as garnish along with the usual avocado but it a spicy kick. Even with the spicy kick it was cool and refreshing. A shimmer of olive oil finished it off. There was a nice contrast between the melting qualities of the tomato, avocado, and fire roasted pepper and the crunch of onions and cucumber. The rich flavor of the avocado played well against the sweetness of the crab meat. A pleasant start to a great meal




Arthur Durham co owner and baker make such wonderful bread that I do not mind the extra charge for it. This was a her bed focaccia with a crisp crust and soft crumb . Dipped in Chef Chettos marvelous olive oil and balsamic mixture I could make a whole meal off of it

The entree was a magnificent piece of halibut in a sliced potato coat made to look like scales. It sat on a bed of fresh spinach on a lake of dill lemon butter sauce. The fillet was cooked just right. The contrast between the crisp salty potatoes, the sweet rich fish, the slightly bitter greens and the tartness of the sauce made for a great combination. The gestalt of the dish was more than the parts.

A espresso with my dessert set in the right mood for the rest of the afternoon. The espresso here has perfect crema and tends to be a little more bitter than most. For me this is a good thing because it set off the sweetness of the dessert. A prime example of opposites making for a better product

For dessert I had what the menu calls Frozen Nougat with Dried Fruit and Nuts with organic apricots, cherries, toasted almonds, walnuts & coconut folded in a light honey mousse. I would call it a semi-freddo of the first degree. Light, cool and creamy without being too rich with the contrast of the crunchy nuts adding to it. They finished it off with a raspberry and strawberry garnish then got fancy with puddle of raspberry sauce with creme anglaise hearts in the puddle. It was not inexpensive but it was something I felt I deserved.

A link to their website follows. The menus change seasonal and the special menus for various holidays are special indeed. I usually wind up here for Christmas Eve

http://www.thewildtruffle.com/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage