by Leah A » Sun Oct 26, 2008 9:47 pm
We finally made it to Tony York's Saturday and it is a huge turn around from The Depot. Now renamed Tony York's on Main, the place is beautiful. Clean lines and 2 large dining rooms leave practically no hint of its former self. There is also plenty of space for outside seating on the front deck or in a side patio. The main dining room has a large opening, in place of doors, looking directly into the kitchen so diners can see the staff in action. There is also a counter with seating just inside the kitchen for the Chef's Table which is supposed to open up in November with seating for 6 per night. At $40 a person, the Chef's table seems fairly inexpensive although it doesn't sound like he has a separate tasting menu. You basically get to sample everything on the menu over the course of about 2 hours. Maybe he will sneak in a few off the menu items.
More importantly, the food followed the lead of the surroundings and was just as impressive. His menu has been distilled down from a very lengthy list to just 2 starters, 2 soups, 2 salads and about 5-7 entrees. Very simple, basic dishes done properly. We had a Caesar salad which was very enjoyable. Real Parmesano Reggiano. It had a nice bite from the fresh garlic and anchovy. The croutons weren't as crisp and uniform as they typically are when coming pre-made in boxes making me think they could have been made in house. It also had chopped pecans which seemed more of a distraction and out of place but otherwise the salad was very good. A roasted red pepper and corn soup was very good. It could have used a touch more salt but it seemed to use very fresh ingredients and it let the the ingredients speak for themselves.
We arrived at about 7:45 and they were out of 3 entrees at that time (Shepherd's pie, Australian Lamb chops, and New york strip with a blue cheese sauce). My husband ordered the Boullabaise. I wish we had ordered it when it was offered at the Depot so I could compare it to the previous version. The seafood was extremely fresh. The shrimp, although minimal in quantity, was very large and just perfectly cooked through yet retaining a nice firm crunch on the outside and very soft on the inside. It had several chunks of fish that melted in your mouth without seeming overcooked or like they had been soaking in broth for hours. It also offered slices of squid and a few mussles. The sweetness of the broth was well balanced by the infusion of anise. I ordered the Chicken and Rice entree so our daughter could have something to eat. It was reasonable but somewhat dry and not highly recommended unless they run out of the other entrees or if you similarly have a 16 month daughter to keep happy.
Prices were anywhere from $15-29 per entree with most in the 20-24 range. Portion size was on the large end of the spectrum. Service was very friendly and attentive. Having a very young child at the table didn't throw anyone off of their game and we were always very well accomodated by the staff. His staff must be over 3-4 times the size it was before. He no longer has to work the front door while keeping the kitchen running. He still had a pianist playing last night and there was also a very good vocalist as well. He also still has the same BYO beer or wine policy. The women's bathroom has separate rooms for stalls each with its own individual sink and a real baby changing table. All in all a very nice evening. If Tony can maintain consistency and quality, which I'm confident that he will, York's on Main will be a good excuse for us to avoid driving to Louisville for a nice dinner out.
