Dinner and a Movie
By Teri Bayus
I spent a superb 2-day “staycation” in Cambria at the 9 Iron Inn (see: www.9ironinn.com), where innkeeper, Michelle, guided me to new culinary finds in this city of pines and seaside beaches.
I would encourage everyone to do the same, as this brief time away energized my soul and cemented my passion at finding new brasseries.
Michelle came to dine with us at the recommended Madeline’s Restaurant. The quaintness of this bistro was instantly apparent with an herb and vegetable garden growing in the flower boxes out front. Tuffs of basil, chive, Rosemary, parsley, cilantro, and a variety of vegetables sprouted as a welcoming greenery of smell and visual delight. I knew that the chef would be a connoisseur when his herb garden is also a decoration.
Owner/chef David greeted us, and we settled in to taste some of his fantastic local boutique wines. First I noticed a bottle of Brian Benson, one of my favorite young wine makers and a rare find in a wine shop.
The artwork adoring the walls, by Nadezhda (“Nadja”) Tselikova gave a sense of sensuality that was a common thread through all the wines and food.
Madeline’s Restaurant specializes in intimate American/French influenced dinner. David told us the menu is based upon locally sourced and seasonably available products.
Gary started with lime and raspberry pie, which delighted our host and companions. The sweet raspberries evened out the tart, lime custard. It is filled onto a Graham cracker crust, garnished with fresh limes and raspberries.
We started with the 2014 Pinot Grigio, made by Andrew Adam of Edna Valley, a rare find that startled my taste buds with its honey notes. We ordered the chef tasting, which is always the best way to order when a restaurant offers this choice. It would be five courses and we shared to make sure we tasted it all.
The first dish was crab and lobster cakes served over wilted leeks with lemon thyme aioli. The richness of the crab claw and lobster meat was complemented with a complex sauce.
Next we tried the diver scallops, with large, handpicked scallops, lightly seared and served over a mushroom duxelle with a beurre blanc sauce. This was shaping up to be a meal of epic proportions.
We moved on to a “Wild” bottle from Locatelli in Paso Robles. It was a Meritage blend that alone could have been the rest of my meal. Our first entrée was fresh halibut with a beurre blanc sauce, roasted summer squash, zucchini, and carrots. The fish was cooked flawlessly and complemented the sauce and rice. But those carrots caught my attention.
[pullquote align=”full” cite=”Teri Bayus” link=”” color=”#FF9933″ class=”” size=””]I usually only like raw carrots but these were sweet and crispy. David said they were simmered in a sauce all night adding more carrots, reducing the sugars, and bringing out an outstanding flavor. Rarely have I been so taken with a root vegetable.[/pullquote]Next we had the stuffed breast of chicken with candied walnuts, Brie, and spinach rolled into the breast and permeating the meat with flavor and a wonderful texture. It was served with a sage, brown butter sauce and delectable scalloped potatoes and those amazing vegetables.
Another entrée that we fought over was the Long Island duck breast. It was pan seared, topped with dried cherries and brandy reduction, served with scalloped potatoes and vegetables. Duck done right — as this was — is glorious.
The vegetarian selection surprised us all at being chock full of flavor. It was called a polenta Madeline. The polenta was topped with seasonal vegetables, with a pumpkin seed pesto and roasted tomato sauce.
For dessert, a mountainous chocolate truffle mousse cake arrived with layers of dark chocolate truffle, milk chocolate mousse cooked over a buttery walnut crust. It was Heavenly.
The others had Crème Brule with sliced strawberries. As we were leaving, we purchased a couple of bottles of wine to enjoy in our room. Full and very happy we strolled down the quaint Cambria Village and then toasted a fantastic meal on a seaside bench.
Madeline’s Restaurant is located at 788 Main St., Cambria. They are open daily from 5-9 p.m. Call them at (805) 927-4175.
