Riviera

Our most recent visit was the best.

We started out a bit shaky when I ordered a Gibson. Now, a Gibson (for those who don't know) is simply a gin martini, traditionally served with onions, straight up in a cocktail glass.

About ten minutes later (after the others in my party had their drinks), our server asked if I wanted that on the rocks. I said "straight, with onions". She blinked twice when I said onions, so I assume that surprised her.

My drink finally arrived on the rocks and in a tumbler (instead of a cocktail glass). I sent it back and it was re-served to me straight up, but still in a tumbler. By then, I had been waiting fifteen minutes for a drink, so I didn't make a fuss.

The rest of the meal was nearly flawless.

Small Plates.

Diner 1 ordered the basque olives & Hummus. What he got was a bowl with about three to four dozen green olives and about three tablespoons of hummus with two large cracker-type sides. He was clearly disappointed by the disproportionate servings and we all got a good chuckle at how silly all those olives looked in that big bowl.

Diner 2 had the Smoked Tomato Basil Soup and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Diner 3 ordered the House Cured Duck Confit & Asparagus Salad: Pulled duck, shaved asparagus, roasted tomatoes, fried chickpeas, and white balsamic vinaigrette. Excellent!

I ordered the pommes frites tossed with garlic, white truffle oil and malt vinegar. Unbelievable!

Large plates.

Diner 3 had the Riviera Crab Cakes: Seared and plated atop a saffron cous cous salad with shaved fennel, and roasted garlic aioli. Little if any breading in the cakes. A large portion, and Diner 3 had some take-home. She was very pleased.

Diner 1 ordered Homemade Venison Sausage en Crute: Venison sausage wrapped with puff pastry and served over a Vidalia onion, fennel, and pepper ragout, truffled corn jus. Wonderful!

Diner 2 got the Deconstructed Spinach Salad (actually listed as a small plate): Local baby spinach, poached pears, walnuts, parmesan crisps, and a sliver of gorgonzola served with warm poppy-seed vinaigrette. The pear had such an incredible dark color to it that I thought it looked like sashimi-grade tuna! Fantastic.

And, I ordered a special described as "Paella". Just after ordering, I had second thoughts. While I was in the mood for seafood, I really didn't want too much rice. I can tell you: this paella was not a traditional presentation, but it was the most memorable I've ever had.

The bowl was ladled with a wonderful orange broth laced with saffron (I think I tasted cumin, too, near the bottom). Centered in the broth was a large disk of risotto which had been rolled in panko and then fried. So, the exterior of this large "puck" was brown and crunchy, yielding the wonderfully creamy rice within. Surrounding the puck were several clams, mussels and shrimp. At first glance, I thought the shrimp to be too small. But, I soon realized they were chosen to match the size of the clams and the mussels to make all the shellfish proportionate as they encircled the plate.

Desserts

Diner 2 had a unique bread budding with white and dark chocolate. The serving was certainly large enough for two and it was an excellent dish.

Diner 1 had a egg nog creme brulée, but we all agreed: while it was very good, it did not taste like egg nog.

Diner 3 and I split a tiramisu which was also very good.

Strangely, the tiramisu and the bread pudding were both served the same way: with a dusting of powdered sugar, a sprig of mint and a sliced strawberry. It would take just a little bit of extra effort to finish one of these dishes in a way that would set it apart from the other plating.

Final Thoughts

Our previous visit was not nearly has remarkable as this.
I hope the paella becomes a regular menu item.
I had a very tasty gaelic ale on tap.