OK, this is what we ordered (we shared everything):
Pistols on Horseback, $6 (Chesapeake fried oysters, jamon serrano, herb crepes, pickled pearl onion, smoked aioli)
Black Truffle Chawanmushi, $7 (Japanese egg custard, uni, celery root, green apple)
Lobster Bisque (no longer on menu for description, but we got the large portion for $13, as I recall)
Market Fish Fillet, $24 (striped bass, braised French lentils, glazed baby carrots, vadouvan curry, orange-carrot dal)
Roasted Brussel Sprouts, aged balsamic ($5)
new bay fries ($5)
And to accompany it all, we ordered a bottle of Sancerre for $56 after consulting with our waitress and being given tries of that wine (which was also offered for the glass) and the Riesling they sold by the glass, which was dry and good but lacked the subtle minerality we liked in the Sancerre (we agreed that it had more character). I asked the waitress about any wine that she thought might be even more interesting in that price range and she mentioned some but ultimately said that we were probably best off getting that Sancerre. It went well with everything.
The standouts among the items we ordered were the Pistols on Horseback, the Lobster Bisque and the Market Fish Fillet - essentially, most of the meal. We loved the terrific fresh taste of the fried oysters, and the Serrano ham went well with them. The lobster bisque was really fantastic, and it contained a delicious small green herb we struggled to identify. I don’t think it was just chives, because it had an aromatic quality to it. The fish filet was a wonderful French-style curry with just a little kick to it. The fish was delicious and perfectly cooked, and so were the carrots.
The Black Truffle Chawanmushi was something we sort of had to get, because we love great uni, having had fantastic uni as part of a 10-course kaiseki dinner for a previous birthday of my girlfriend several years ago. That was Hokkaido uni and this was Santa Barbara uni. It was excellent, totally fresh uni, and the little dish was quite good. My only criticism is that the amount of crunchy dices of celery root detracted somewhat from the custardy quality I like in chawanmushi.
The sides were both perfectly fine. My girlfriend loves brussels sprouts, so it’s almost inevitable that when we see it on the menu, we order it. These were quite pleasant and again pretty much perfectly cooked. The fries, since they were topped with Old Bay Seasoning and paprika, were pretty salty, but there was otherwise nothing to complain about.
We had knowledgeable, gracious service throughout, and the manager came by a couple of times and was very nice, though of course it helps when you are an appreciative customer.
I had mentioned to the reservationist that this was my girlfriend’s birthday, so the restaurant brought out a slice of key lime pie for dessert and put a little candle in it. It was terrific key lime pie - sour as we like it, with a delicious graham crust. We were comped the pie.
I of course tipped based on the pre-tax amount including the pie and then added several dollars on top, to show appreciation for the restaurant’s generosity and great performance in all aspects.
I definitely plan on returning.
