Trip Report Part II: Stanley - Restaurant Cuvee

[wish I never left]

Saturday Lunch: Stanley

We’d been to Stanley once before and my wife loved the atmosphere, the design, and most importantly the food. A few service issues made us a bit hesitant to introduce a couple of local friends to the place, but it turns out we needn’t have worried.

When we arrived we were advised that there would be a thirty to forty minute wait. This seemed to dissuade a number of tourists, but we were unconcerned. As it happened, the four of us were seated within minutes of arriving. I ordered the eggs benedict po-boy and it was as delicious as the first time. The eggs here have always been consistently perfectly poached. To my left, I tried a few bites of my wife’s waffles bananas Foster. Those were delicious – essentially dessert for breakfast. A plate of onion rings for the table was quickly devoured before there was any chance of their crisp coating wilting. For comparison, I would say these were better than what we had at Middendorf’s. Across from me, friend number one reported that his corned beef hash was excellent and catty corner, friend number two was very impressed with his softshell crab po-boy. All in all a great meal with good service. I am very happy that this restaurant is what it is and where it is; those poor, easily turned away tourists shouldn’t have missed out on this.

Saturday Dinner: Restaurant Cuvee

Could anything match up to the previous night’s dinner our trio enjoyed at Coquette? Without our asking the question, the staff at Cuvee answered resoundingly in the affirmative. To begin, Chef Iacovone personally presented us with a wonderful amuse bouche, three slivers of peach topped with (if I recall correctly), a thick cream, candied pecan, and a little something extra that was a perfect exemplar of what this course should be. Things only went up from there.

Accompanied by a bottle of a dry sparkling wine, for our first course my wife and I were served the Foie Gras daily special, while our friend ordered a bowl of the turtle soup. The foie gras special was comprised of two dishes really, one a savory crème brulee incorporating the decadent liver and the other a simple but delicious sliver simply seared and lovingly sauced. A third component of the dish, something foie gras based encased in a fried pastry was similarly delicious. We were offered glasses of sauterne to accompany the foie gras and the classic pairing was vindicated with each element of the dish. Our friend’s turtle soup was served encased in three large globular fritters. Splitting each open revealed the delicious, meaty mixture within. It was an interesting and satisfying experiment with a classic dish.

Continuing on to our third course, my wife and I again chose the same thing, in this case a wonderful gazpacho whose equal I’ve not encountered. It was extremely strongly flavored with so many flavors pulling in different directions it nevertheless held together and delivered a stellar experience with each spoonful. For our friend’s third course, he was served the crabmeat and heirloom tomato salad. I didn’t taste this, but there was no complaint from him and he is quite discerning when it comes to both of this dish's main components.

We then moved on to another delicious wine that our friend had brought along – here, because we had already purchased a bottle no corkage was assessed – that took a while to open up and, at first was completely inaccessible to my wife and me due to the lingering acidity of the gazpacho. However as it breathed it became very subtle and matched impressively with our entrees. For my wife, the duck – a confit and a breast – both excellent examples perfect in preparation and presentation –with a delicious risotto underlying the dish. Our friend had the filet, and if you will allow me to digress for a moment: Beef is so often boring in restaurants and I hesitate to order it. However, my sirloin and short ribs (clichéd though they can be) at Coquette and the filet at Cuvee are the exceptions where it makes perfect sense to go for the beef. This filet was cooked precisely to order and seasoned delicately. The ‘crispy’ kale that accompanied it gave off an intriguing aroma that evoked that precarious point between charred and burnt. It reminded of the best Brussels sprouts in the way that the bitterness is just balanced to create an amazing effect. Finally, for my entrée, I was served several crispy lamb ribs and the tenderloin cooked just medium rare. Everyone agreed that each component was delicious and I couldn’t have been happier. [Cont'd]