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drwexI went to Gargoyles in Davis after Diesel last night. Having the rare pleasure of a babysitter, the wifey and I decided to do something radical like actually go out to eat together. At a real restaurant. Concept.
We thought about 400 Highland, which is newer, but I had recently heard some good things about Gargoyles from friends that contradicted my early experiences with them. I had gone a couple times shortly after they opened and was disappointed both times. So I figured it was time to give them another chance. I was not disappointed this time, but it was a fairly close call.
Gargoyles had just rolled out their "summer" menu, which seems to be contrary to my preferences. Five of the seven entrees were ruled out immediately for having one or more of the three 'p's I try to avoid in food: pig, peppers, and (pea)nuts. Another listed entree was a duck done up in what looked to be an excessively sweet tropical fruit presentation. I'm not a big fan of sweet flavors on meat, even fowl. I prefer savory and herb-based sauces.
Just as we were contemplating the "well, I can get a couple appetizers instead of an entree" option, our waiter mentioned they had also just started a prix fixe menu. This turned out to be a big win. Three courses, $29, two choices each in appetizer, entree, and dessert. And apparently the prix fixe items are not on the regular menu. Pygment and I both chose this option.
We both had the rabbit appetizer, which was quite good. Excellent sauce that seemed to be mostly the rabbit juices and a few light herbs. The rabbit was sliced over some kind of pasta lumps (gnocchi?) that ended up being tasty and not at all lumpen when consumed.
Pygment had the salmon. My taste of it was quite good, done just enough to flake properly but without dryness. It was grilled, with some charcoaling on the outside, and came with fava beans, avocado, and other summery garnishes.
My own entree was steak-and-fries. No, really. Steak and standard American-style French fries. With a heap of baby spinach and some kind of light cheesy sauce on top. The steak was also grilled just as I'd ordered it (I had asked the waiter how they defined "medium" and the resulting meat was in fact just the right shade of pink all the way through).
We ordered a couple glasses of wine. Pygment tasted a California sauvignon blanc that the waiter said (and I agree) was pretty standard for that breed. She found it too dry (she likes her wines much more on the sweet side than I do). I had asked to taste a Chilean merlot because, frankly, I was dubious. My experience with Chilean wines is that they're very complexly flavored, but often have sharp or bitter edges. I have thus avoided the Chilean merlots, because I want my merlot to be smooth all the way through.
This turned out to be a good suggestion by the waiter and surprisingly Pygment also liked it, so we both had that with our entrees. I shall have to visit a wine store and pick up a couple bottles for my own home experimentation. (At $7/glass I can't do much restaurant sampling.)
Dessert was a dark chocolate mousse cake. I don't even remember what the other option was, since there was no way we were going to pass this one up. We wisely elected to take one slice home and share the other there, since they were substantial slices. Quite tasty and once again not too heavy for the summer theme. Even with a shared dessert we were both happily full at the end.
A side note on the wait staff - the place was relatively uncrowded and perhaps as a result we had service that was helpful, prompt, and not at all pushy. A large tip was left, of course.
Overall, three stars out of four. The chefs did quite well with the preparation and I was pleased that they kept all the dishes light. Portions were good-sized without being excessive. My only regret was that I wished they'd been more imaginative with the vegetables - summer should offer them lots more options with which to experiment. Still, three stars out of four and Gargoyles goes back on my list of places at which to eat, when I can afford it.
We thought about 400 Highland, which is newer, but I had recently heard some good things about Gargoyles from friends that contradicted my early experiences with them. I had gone a couple times shortly after they opened and was disappointed both times. So I figured it was time to give them another chance. I was not disappointed this time, but it was a fairly close call.
Gargoyles had just rolled out their "summer" menu, which seems to be contrary to my preferences. Five of the seven entrees were ruled out immediately for having one or more of the three 'p's I try to avoid in food: pig, peppers, and (pea)nuts. Another listed entree was a duck done up in what looked to be an excessively sweet tropical fruit presentation. I'm not a big fan of sweet flavors on meat, even fowl. I prefer savory and herb-based sauces.
Just as we were contemplating the "well, I can get a couple appetizers instead of an entree" option, our waiter mentioned they had also just started a prix fixe menu. This turned out to be a big win. Three courses, $29, two choices each in appetizer, entree, and dessert. And apparently the prix fixe items are not on the regular menu. Pygment and I both chose this option.
We both had the rabbit appetizer, which was quite good. Excellent sauce that seemed to be mostly the rabbit juices and a few light herbs. The rabbit was sliced over some kind of pasta lumps (gnocchi?) that ended up being tasty and not at all lumpen when consumed.
Pygment had the salmon. My taste of it was quite good, done just enough to flake properly but without dryness. It was grilled, with some charcoaling on the outside, and came with fava beans, avocado, and other summery garnishes.
My own entree was steak-and-fries. No, really. Steak and standard American-style French fries. With a heap of baby spinach and some kind of light cheesy sauce on top. The steak was also grilled just as I'd ordered it (I had asked the waiter how they defined "medium" and the resulting meat was in fact just the right shade of pink all the way through).
We ordered a couple glasses of wine. Pygment tasted a California sauvignon blanc that the waiter said (and I agree) was pretty standard for that breed. She found it too dry (she likes her wines much more on the sweet side than I do). I had asked to taste a Chilean merlot because, frankly, I was dubious. My experience with Chilean wines is that they're very complexly flavored, but often have sharp or bitter edges. I have thus avoided the Chilean merlots, because I want my merlot to be smooth all the way through.
This turned out to be a good suggestion by the waiter and surprisingly Pygment also liked it, so we both had that with our entrees. I shall have to visit a wine store and pick up a couple bottles for my own home experimentation. (At $7/glass I can't do much restaurant sampling.)
Dessert was a dark chocolate mousse cake. I don't even remember what the other option was, since there was no way we were going to pass this one up. We wisely elected to take one slice home and share the other there, since they were substantial slices. Quite tasty and once again not too heavy for the summer theme. Even with a shared dessert we were both happily full at the end.
A side note on the wait staff - the place was relatively uncrowded and perhaps as a result we had service that was helpful, prompt, and not at all pushy. A large tip was left, of course.
Overall, three stars out of four. The chefs did quite well with the preparation and I was pleased that they kept all the dishes light. Portions were good-sized without being excessive. My only regret was that I wished they'd been more imaginative with the vegetables - summer should offer them lots more options with which to experiment. Still, three stars out of four and Gargoyles goes back on my list of places at which to eat, when I can afford it.
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no subject
Date: 2006-07-12 02:38 pm (UTC)yay! i am glad you enjoyed it, since i think i was one of the people that pushed you back towards it.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-13 11:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-13 01:18 pm (UTC)