Halfway through my tiramisu, cupping my last slurp of creamy espresso, it seems the warm lighting and velveteen sabayon are going straight to my head. Maybe it was the flight of local wines, or maybe it was the attention of the doe-eyed English major next to me, but somewhere in between good food and good company, I've long since filed this 3-course prix-fixe at Quattro on Fourth a glorious success of an evening.
I arrived too late for a coveted seat at the round table under the ornate, iron-leafed romantic chandelier in the corner, but from my banquet table seat with the rest of the candle-lit class, I heard my name whispered loudly from its other end. I could swear I saw the leather-bound lips of the hefty wine list move in time. Obligingly, I leaf through to find a delightful list of local wines by the glass, from the crisp and aromatic $11 Joie Noble Blend to the legendary Black Hills Nota Bene. For $24.50/glass, I'm happy that they offer this, but I'm not going to pay that much for a glass of wine and I don't know how they sell enough of it to keep it lively night in and night out. Fat bordeaux blends are not often agreeable with the menu's vegetarian options, either.
Primi: three little balls of bocconcini wrapped in grilled raddichio, balsamic reduction. Joie Noble Blend seemed an easy friend of this light vegetarian dish, but I don't know many dishes that wouldn't get along with this glass. Firm, yet lightly melted mild cheese was made all the more substantial and savory by the charred, pleasantly bitter flavor of fire-kissed raddichio. This mild textural affair found its counterpart in the intense sweetness and acidity of balsamic reduction, and even the garnish of frisee in lightly sweet cherry vinaigrette provided a nice break from everything that was going on in each of these subtle yet luxurious vegetarian bites. I chased each one with a leaf of the undressed endive garnish, like a glass of water shaped like a tulip petal.
Secondi: mushroom fettucine. Quail's Gate Pinot Noir. How could I not have pasta at an Italian ristorante? Besides, I just like saying its name – fettucine tartufate. Perfectly al dente fettucine dressed in a porcini gravy with plump wild mushroms and liberally shaved parmesan cheese. Light fruit and acidity in the local pinot pairs perfectly with the rich savor of this fantastic pasta. A hack restaurant would have served this fettucine in a cream sauce more like an alfredo, but this was clearly a highly reduced porcini jus, delicately mounted with dairy. So simple: just pasta, mushrooms, and cheese. I haven't had pasta this good since last time I made pasta myself.
As I considered risking an after-dinner cocktail, I was happy to hear that we also had a dessert option – cherry cheesecake or tiramisu. Of course! Why would I ever have an Italian meal without a final course of tiramisu and espresso? My anticipation of this denouement sends me into a blissful stratosphere. I've already decided that this will be good. At this point of the meal, they would have to work pretty hard to screw up this tiramisu.
Somewhere there is a break in our final course conversation of University Gastronomica, local fish stocks, and Foodism in general, and I find myself reveling in the whole of this dining experience. As a food-centric individual, I will often judge a restaurant rather harshly based solely on its food and drink service, pulling no punches and offering no quarter. But at this moment I realise, as if for the first time, that the experience of dining is often affected by things beyond the restaurant's control. It is up to the establishment to set the correct lighting, select music at appropriate volumes and tempos, and serve my wine in a clean glass, but can the restaurant control the music of happily chatting diners? A restaurant cannot control the good company I keep, nor the intensity and intelligence of conversation that comes to life over the table. These things are up to us, the diners, and our companions. So, as for my review of Quattro: impressively simple food, extensive local wine list, effortless service with few flaws. Quattro has done the job that it has been paid to do.
My dining companions, however, are those who have truly made my evening memorable. And I didn't even have to pay them to do so. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment