by Melissa Richards-Person » Wed Aug 22, 2007 9:57 am
(Split by moderator from "Varanese on Frankfort appears open" thread.)
Fully based on this thread, we went to Varanese last night. I'm happy to say, we will be going back frequently!
To Robin's early point, they have done a wonderful job remodeling the space - the garage doors and the neon are the only reminders of the Red Lounge, and the decor is understated and very, very nice. We were told that the plastic surrounding the indoor-outdoor part of the dining area is definitely only temporary. There are large floor to ceiling glass doors that had to be special ordered and are on their way. They will fold in sections, allowing the area to be open to the outdoors in nice weather, closed at other times. There is also a water wall in this area that we were told had leaking problems, so it was turned off until they get those issues solved.
No such issues exist in the kitchen, however!! We know it's a good sign when we want to order EVERY appetizer. We finally decided on three: the Stuffed Grape Leaves, House Made Potato Chips (one of the things that hubby really misses from Azalea) and the Curried Lamb Empanadas. We figured we'd decide if we were hungry enough for entrees after we had the apps. The Grape Leaves were my favorite, 5 leaves stuffed with rice, beef, pine nuts and dried cranberries, which was a nice surprise and added a slightly sweet note. That might strike those who like "traditional" grape leaves as odd or off-putting, but I thought it was a nice twist and really enjoyed it!
The Lamb Empanadas were also wonderful - the pastry crust had a nice, savory bite, and was not too thick to cut through or detract from the filling. This was NOT one of those empanadas that was all crust, very little filling! Curry is always a dangerous spice to work with - too many cooks overpower you with curry and you taste nothing else. Here, however, the curry was perfectly in balance with the other flavors - I tasted the nicely cooked lamb, the vegetables and all the ingredients with the curry as a complement. It makes me think that the Curried Lamb and Lentil Soup would be equally as tasty!
The Potato Chips (which are also served with all the sandwiches) were a great reminder of the ones we loved, with the addition of a green onion peppercorn dip and chipotle dip - hubby loved the green onion, I liked the chipotle.
In fact, hubby loved the appetizers so much, that when it came time to order entrees, he instead asked for another order of Grape Leaves and two more Lamb Empanadas. I wasn't hungry enough for an entree, so I ordered the Pistachio-Crusted goat cheese salad. Again, let's hear it for kitchens who actually know how to dress a salad! The baby spinach leaves were lightly coated in the tangy (and a bit creamy) tomato-balsamic vinagrette - adding flavor, not making them soggy! (Why, oh why can't other restaurants learn this lesson!) The goat cheese had a rather thick crust of pistachios and appeared to be fried, versus baked or sauteed. That made the crust a bit heavy, but not so much that it detracted from my enjoyment of the salad or the warm, soft goat cheese itself.
The wine list was fairly lengthy, with some interesting "by the glass" options like Renwood Viogner, which I ordered, and ranged nicely in both the red and white categories. There were also about 6 signature cocktails, which were not listed with prices, but sounded interesting. If I hadn't been driving, I probably would have tried the one with Lemoncello and a champagne float, among other ingredients.
While we didn't order entrees this time, we will when we go back, because the salmon over cream cheese grits sounded fabulous.
The dessert list had 6 options, but what really struck me were the flavors of ice cream that accompanied a number of desserts - oatmeal cookie dough, vanilla bean, etc. I asked if the ice cream was house made (YES!) and then asked if I could possibly order just a dish of ice cream (did I mention I LOVE ice cream?), which the kitchen obliged and I really appreciated! The server came back out and said that the Oatmeal Cookie dough ice cream had not set properly and they couldn't serve it, but would I like a dish of their vanilla bean. If the ice cream is any indication, the desserts were terrific! Rich without being cloying, smooth and dense with very little air, it had a wonderful deep vanilla flavor. Now I REALLY want to try the oatmeal cookie dough! Also appreciated that there was a "small bites" option, which is great when all you want is a little something sweet - last night, the "small bites" were a chocolate truffle and a chocolate-dipped strawberry.
Chef John came out to talk to and visit every table, and we enjoyed hearing how he put together the menu and his philosophy to create approachable food and flavors. Genuine and hospitable - a great guy.
For a brand-new restaurant, service was good. The server still seemed a bit uncomfortable - not yet familiar enough with the menu to make a confident recommendation, and a little overly concerned with getting the order for the next course without giving enough time for us to enjoy the course in front of us. We felt a bit rushed. However, she was very pleasant and we may have thrown her with the odd pacing and order requests (lots of apps, no entrees) We thought she did a good job overall.
We told him that we'd be back, and we definitely will - there are at least 3 more appetizers we need to try! I'd recommend it to anyone, although I know that will probably result in a much longer wait for a table!