I decided I should give the Wine Cask a try now that the new owner has had a chance to add his personal flourishes. So I reserved a table for 2 for my birthday Friday night. I previewed the wine list a couple days ahead to see what was worth ordering. Unfortunately, aside from some older Bordeaux with big city tickets, there was really nothing red with much age that I wanted to drink young.
So I carried in a bottle of 96 Groffier Chambolle-Musigny "Les Amoureuses", a wine that would not be an insult to the younger Burgs on the list.
My wife and I started with a half-bottle of Krug Grand Cuvee, a really powerful Champagne that nicely negotiated the bright flavors in my Hamachi Carpaccio starter. The Krug is no doubt the current edition on the street, as the Wine Cask restaurant and store move through inventory pretty rapidly. The complexity in the Krug far outstrips that in any other NV that I've had, and it was an easy pick off their list over my second choice - the Pierre Peters NV BdB.
The Hamachi was absolutely first rate. Topped with microgreens and really good radish, the marinade of yuzu and orange tobiko was perfectly balanced. A little chive oil rounded out the presentation. My wife's Wagyu carpaccio was OK, but could have stood a bit more sophisticated approach to its condiments.
The Amoureuses had been decanted during the appetizer course. Its initial aromas were captivating - exactly what one wants from a Burg of this majesty. My initial taste detected a barest hint of ultrafine, unresolved tannin, but this is expected at this early stage of its development. The slight sedimentation in the bottle suggested the wine would be just where it was.
A new feature this night was a group of musicians - an operatic-trained mezzo-soprano singing excerpts from Carmen, accompanied by Spanish guitar and later by an electric piano. The guitarist also played some solo Spanish guitar. The vocal presentation was more in the lieder style than opera, properly down-sizing her vibratto to fit the scale of the room.
When the main courses arrived after a deliberate pause, the Groffier reached a stage of great harmony, balance, and smoothness. This is the kind of Burgundy that, in youth, is so easy to drink. No edges, pure Chambolle silk. Not ponderous in the least, just an elegant delight.
My duck confit (basically a leg-thigh portion crisped under the salamander) was a repeat from the menu last winter. Basically a bistro dish, not involving much technique, this was a fine pairing with the wine. It came with a root vegetable hash, supposedly flavored with foie gras, though I couldn't tell.
My wife ordered the potato gnocchi with my urging. This was a very sophisticated treatment, with small roast golden beets, fresh baby artichoke, a light vegetable broth-based butter emulsion sauce, fresh porcini and some Reggiano. The gnocchi were finished by pan toasting before being sauced. This was a really delicious dish, best gnocchi dish I've had in several years, and also married well to the wine.
I had the Mexican chocolate bread pudding for dessert for a homey ending.
The new owner has tried to revitalize some of the decor, but he has a confused sense of design. The chairs a new, showing a modern style that is a slight clash to the Mexican hacienda interior architecture and Spanish ceiling. And he has replaced the old Hugh Margerum modern abstract mishmash oils with old Masters-style oils, mostly of mid-19th century European origin. All pieces are for sale. A 16th century 3rd tier Dutch Master oil is notable for its drabness.
Indeed, this is my bigest complaint of the redesign. All the oils are subdued, dark browns and earth tones. Landscapes without color or people standing around disengaged from one another and disengaged from the viewer. Very placid. Every one of these classically wooden-framed studies in brown just melts into the walls under the muted lighting. Unlike a museum or parlor, none of the paintings is individually illuminated, and they just deaden the room. Nothing against these works, which are at least competant. But a Restaurant needs lively art that adds energy to the room instead of draining it.
Anyway, the food and service are very good. The menu has not changed much in a year. The cuisine is mainly upscale bistro food with some California nouvelle accents and a few nods to local ethnic influences. It will be difficult to push the cuisine to a more ambitious level given the limited floor space in the kitchen. Nevertheless, the kitchen does a pretty good job of turning out wine friendly food that can satisfy most diners' moods this side of a Michelin star.