Culinary Quest

My girlfriend and I arrived roughly 20 minutes early for our reservations, as usual, permitting us a chance to examine the restaurant's set-up.  Gibraltar has a very large display case across from the maitre'd's station on which they have placed their myriad awards and accolades received from such notable sources as Zagat Survey and Wine Spectator.  Like you, I am aware that tastes are very subjective and that a restaurant can have a bad night, so I decide to stay to do the review regardless of Zagat's high marks.   Arranged around the restaurant are wall displays of wine that is, one would hope, to be found on the wine list.  There are large palm trees, oversized urns, beautiful flowers, and an assortment of statues in the dining room providing very tasteful decorations.

The matron'd seats us and hands us our menus and the wine list.  Immediately, we are approached by our server who introduces herself and takes our water order.  We opt for tap water and begin to examine the menu.  When our server returns with our water, she informs us of tonight's specials and asks if we would like to begin with any drinks or wine.  We decline, but ask to keep the wine list.

Reading the menu is quite an experience.  If the food tastes only half as good as the descriptions sound, I will be in heaven.  A few of the fish listed are not among the species of which I have heard before, so I note that I will have to ask for some help.  Although Gibraltar is a renowned seafood restaurant, it does offer salads, meats, and pasta dishes as well to satisfy every appetite.  This is a good sign since over-specialization in a restaurant is never a good thing.  Such a tendency neglects to serve the whole public and loses a large potential clientele.  Nevertheless, I am here to eat seafood.

When our server returns, we ask her for some help.  First, I inquire about a fish called the Japanese Hamachi.  Not only is our server able to tell me about the dish offered by Gibraltar, she is able to describe the taste of the fish, the texture, and what it resembles.  As we ask her about other dishes on the menu, she is able to repeat this feat without fail.  Obviously, this is a woman who has tried these dishes, developed an opinion about them, and knows how to sell them or suggest alternatives should a customer not find a description appealing.  She is even willing to admit her weakness when asked about white wines to accompany the seafood, referring us to the front house manager for help.  Servers of this quality are in short supply and should be locked away by any restaurant that can find them.  Let them out only to work the busy dinner hours, and then hide them away again.

After we are regaled by our server's descriptions and assistance, we ask for a few moments to make our decisions.  My girlfriend and I decide to share a Raw Bar Shellfish Plateau (a dish for two, from the description,) containing steamed Maine lobster, steamed jumbo shrimp, fresh raw oysters--Island Creek (Duxbury Bay, MA,) Royal Miyagi (British Columbia, Canada,) Bluepoint (Long Island Sound, NY)--steamed littleneck clams, steamed king crab legs, steamed mussels, and calamari ceviche, served with a variety of accompaniments.  I was impressed enough with the description of the Japanese Hamachi--a spice-cured fish, served with roasted pineapple/mango salsa, micro-green salad, and Thai chili oil that I decide to order that for an appetizer. 

My entree is a bit more difficult.  I am torn between two dishes, so I decide to question our server one last time.  When she returns, I ask her about the side vegetables listed with the two entrees I am considering, noting that I would prefer one entree over the other, but ask if I can substitute the latter's vegetable for the former's.  She says that such a request is easy to handle, so I order the Whole Adriatic  Sea Branzino, an Italian Sea Bass, cooked Mediterranean style, on the bone, to preserve flavor, and served whole, with roasted Yukon gold potatoes, grilled asparagus, and tomato/olive/white wine sauce.  I, however, am substituting sautéed broccoli rabe for the asparagus.

We ask our server if she would choose each of us a glass of wine to accompany our entrees.  It was at this point that our server admitted her downfall with white wines, being a red wine drinker, and let us know that she would have the front house manager, Chris Trendler, make the choice for us. 

After a few minutes alone at the table, my girlfriend and I were approached by a gentleman who introduced himself as Chris, the front house manager.  He welcomed us to Gibraltar, asking if this was our first visit to the restaurant.  We answered yes.  He told us that instead of a single glass of wine to accompany our entrees, he would lie to serve us three smaller glasses of wine, one for each course, allowing us to experience a variety of wines that would complement the totality of our meals.  This sounded like a magnificent idea, and we readily agreed.

The first wine Chris served us was the Beringer Gewurztraminer, 2005, Premier Vineyard Collection.  This wine had aromas of citrus and orange blossoms giving way to the rich flavors of stonefruit and spice.  Semi-dry and spicy, I think this is a solid wine, balanced between sweetness and just enough acidity to make it a good aperitif wine.

Our Shellfish Plateau arrived; we were quite taken by the immense size of the platter of food.  The amount of seafood for us to eat was staggering.  Combine this with the size of the pieces of seafood, and we knew we would have to walk the 23 miles home to rationalize consuming this meal.  (The prawn on the platter was something out of a Godzilla movie!)   Each of the three different types of oysters had a unique taste to it.  I am unable to tell you which type was which, only that one type was buttery, one tasted briny, and one was buttery and salty mixed.  All were delicious, especially since they were raw.  The lobster was a true delicacy.  There were what appeared to be two different types of mussels on the platter.  I could describe each element, but I would run out of adjectives of praise should I try.  My favorite part of the dish, though, was the calamari ceviche.  For those of you who have not tried ceviche, be adventurous and give it a whirl.  The citrus (usually lime) used to marinate the seafood for a brief time "cooks" it with the acid found in the juice.  The flavors thus produced are beyond your wildest dreams.  The accompaniments were all very good, but I used them sparingly since I did not want to risk hiding the natural flavors of the fish.

After we had finished this first course, Chris served our second wine:  Simonsig, Chenin Blanc, 2005, Stellenbosch.   The Chenin Blanc exhibited a bright, straw color with an aromatic nose of ripe pears, apples and flowers with a sweet touch of honey. Fresh and powerful mixed fruit flavors explode on the palate with a rich aftertaste.

My Japanese Hamachi arrived, a beautifully presented dish.  The hamachi is a peach colored fish, easily cut with a fork, on top of which was layered the pineapple-mango salsa and micro-green salad.  The Thai chili oil was drizzled over the whole of this.  The fish had an almost sweet flavor to it.  I could taste the spice used to cure it; however the spice was not so strong that it overpowered the natural flavors of the fish.  The combination of the sweet fruit salsa and the spicy Thai chili oil produced a pleasant mixture that complemented the hamachi perfectly.  The micro-greens picked up these tastes with their ever-so-subtle hint of fresh greens flavors, enhancing the hamachi's sweet character. 

Having finished this second course, our server refilled our water and inquired as to our progress, asking for our opinions on our food.  To this point, we were thrilled with everything.  The entrees had not arrived, of course, so I still had to see if Chef Vitale could handle the big job.

Chris served our third wine, a Conundrum, California White Table Wine, 2005.  This wine has a variety of characteristics, demonstrating the various grapes used in combination to create the wine.  I detected a green-melon character, a floral aroma, and deep, ripe flavors while maintaining great natural acidity.  The wine's flavors were fresh and crisp, with a great deal of complexity.  I can pick out a number of layers to this wine, with aromas of peach, green melon, and pear with an undercurrent of tropical fruits and vanilla.  The texture is creamy, caressing the tongue and palate.  It has a balanced finish with lingering notes of citrus.  This is a delicious wine, and very well suited to my entree.

When my entree arrives, I immediately notice that I have received asparagus rather than the broccoli rabe that I had requested.  I gesture to my server and point out the faux pas.  She apologizes profusely and promises to make things right immediately.  Within three minutes, she is back with what must be a double order of broccoli rabe for me to enjoy.  Where many servers would have changed out the platter, she remembered that I had mentioned that I enjoy asparagus and allowed me to relish that vegetable too.  Upon tasting the asparagus, I was doubly grateful for her kindness. 

The Whole Adriatic Sea Branzino is a very large fish indeed.  The meat is tender and flaky, sweet without being fishy.  The bones are easily avoided so no danger is to be encountered from them.  The tomato/olive/white wine sauce used on the fish enhances the Branzino rather than hides it.  Once again, Chef Vitale has placed the fish in the spotlight.  The mound of roasted Yukon gold potatoes are lightly seasoned so that the potatoes are the star flavor, not a fancy sauce or strong spices.  As an accompaniment to the fish, the potatoes are perfect.  The grilled asparagus is fabulous, the preparation method having brought out the flavors of the vegetable at the peak of ripeness.  The spears are crisp and green, not overcooked and soft.  And the broccoli rabe has been sautéed to perfection in olive oil and garlic.  This is a meal fit for a king.

Finally finished with our dinners, my girlfriend and I try to figure out how we had not heard of Gibraltar before the previous week.  With such fine food, service, wine, and ambience, the name Gibraltar should be on everyone's tongue.

Having cleared our dishes and refilled our water, our server brings us dessert menus.  I note that the desserts are all prepared in-house by the Pastry Chef, Chef Clarissa Barnes.  Each of the choices looks better than the next.  My eyes alight upon the Gibraltar Molten Chocolate Gateau--vanilla bean ice cream, vanilla and chocolate chip crisp, crème anglaise, and chocolate sauce inside of a chocolate cake.  As your friendly neighborhood chocoholic, I cannot fight the temptation and decide that this is what I must order.  I also notice that Gibraltar has a selection of Port wines and wait to ask my server for a suggestion. 

Our server arrives and takes our dessert orders.  Both my girlfriend and I are Port fans, so we ask for the server’s assistance in choosing the best Ports to go with our desserts.  Our server had been excited about serving us all evening long.  She was animated in her descriptions, overjoyed when we liked our food, and smiled from ear to ear when we thanked her for her suggestions.  However, I thought she would do back flips when we asked her for help ordering Port.  Not only does she drink and enjoy Port, she knows about Port and was aware that the bar had just changed the Port menu.   We took this to be a good sign, and told her to pick us each a Port. 

Within moments, our server returned to our table bearing a Port for each of us.  For me, she had a 1994 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port.  I had never tried a vintage Port before, so this was going to be my maiden voyage.  The Port is red in color, quite different from what I am used to.  I braced myself as I prepared to sip.  Full-bodied and sweet, the Vintage Port had a kick to it.  The flavor was unabashedly fruity.  I can only imagine how fantastic this Port will taste in another 10 years. 

My dessert arrived warm from the oven, having been baked upon being ordered.  The ice cream was smooth and creamy, full of real vanilla flavor.  The chocolate chip crisp was pleasing.  But the warm, moist chocolate cake filled with the chocolate syrup that oozed out when the cake was cut into with the fork was a true delight.  The crème anglaise provided the ideal topping for the dessert.  There was just enough cake to sop up every bit of the syrup.  Hershey's has nothing on Chef Barnes.