Friday, July 30, 2010

Tartine Triumph

I...finally...made it to...Tartine! For those of you that follow me on Twitter, you know that I tweeted several months ago that "R" and I were on our way to Tartine Bistro in Rocky River for the first time. With a gift certificate in hand that expired that day (oops), we arrived and quickly found out that they were closed for a private wine dinner. Which apparently happens a lot- beware. It happened to be the owner who greeted us at the door, and he graciously assured us that he didn't care if the gift certificate had expired if we came back at a later date. I was immediately impressed. Well, I successfully made my way there last night for dinner and drinks with two fabulous blends (that's blog friends, right Allison?).

Both had been there before, so I didn't have to spend too much time navigating the menu. Suzanne and I decided to share the Roasted Dates- bacon, goat cheese, and port wine syrup. Bacon-hello! Goat cheese- yes, please! These little nuggets were the perfect size to just pop in your mouth, and the blend of flavors and texture were spot on. I knew that I was in for a good meal.

Then I moved on to the Roasted Beets salad- braised pistachios, goat cheese, and honey vinaigrette. I happen to love beets and "R" does not, so when I see a beet salad on the menu when dining out- I am inevitably drawn to it. Mix in a combination of some of my favorites, like pistachios and goat cheese, and I'm sold. The surprising twist is that this dish was actually a salad- lettuce and all. Which I was not expecting. The vinaigrette was light and tangy, and really let the two different types of beets shine. Based on Suzanne's and our server's suggestion, I ordered the Duck Confit tartine (pictured above)- creamy brie, fig & roasted shallot preserves, and cracked pepper for my main course. This open-faced sandwich is served on thinly sliced and toasted baguette and topped with rich duck meat, melted brie, and a smear of the preserves underneath. The dish is rich, but it is expertly served with a side of greens lightly sauced with a vinaigrette. It was a perfect combination, and I was able to take a few bites of the tartine and then cleanse my palate with the greens before digging back in. I really thought that this dish was excellent, and I would order it again in a heartbeat. With half of the appetizer, a salad, entree, and three glasses of the House White on my bill, I thought it was very reasonably priced. With tax and tip, it only ran me $52 for a great meal.

We were seated on the small-ish patio outside the restaurant. However, the front of the restaurant is actually a series of doors and on a nice evening (like last night) they are all open- allowing the staff and guests to move freely between. It was nice to be able to be seated outside on a gorgeous night, but still be able to enjoy the atmosphere of the main dining room. I had a great view of the dark wood accents, tin ceiling, soft lighting, exposed brick and wine bottles galore. There seemed to be a great mix of guests dining there- young, old, casual, classic, business attire, and lots of tables filled with women gabbing over glasses of wine.

I can finally cross Tartine off the list of 10 New Restaurants to Try for my 2010 New Year's Resolution. Now I just need to get "R" over there- he'll love it!

Tartine Bistro
19110 Detroit Road
Rocky River, OH 44116
(440) 331-0800

Tartine Bistro on Urbanspoon

3 comments:

Mel said...

Love, love, love the Roasted Dates at Tartine! Probably my favorite preparation.

I need to get there again before I move.

Alana said...

I love this bar! It's a perfect spot for a date night or a night out with the girls

Bite Buff said...

Or you'll just have to come back and visit often Mel! Does PA have dates like that? :)