The short and sweet of it: Fresh
sustainable seafood, good variety in menu but not too much to
overwhelm. Unique simple décor, welcoming atmosphere, good use of
space.
After being lead through a beautiful
dinning room with high ceiling and perfect lighting, we rounded a
corner and were sat in a separate area being the main bar. It was a
bit too dark and the AC unit above us and kept blowing out our
candle. Our server seemed a bit frantic that he was given a new table
and didn't stop to greet us for a good 5 minutes. It took a while for
things to get going in a positive direction, but it was all uphill
from there.
We started off with mussels in a green
curry sauce. The mussels were cooked perfectly and the sauce was a
good accompaniment, and one that I've never had.
As a second course we ordered the
Little Gem Salad and the Shoestring Fries (unfortunately for my
figure, I am a french fry connoisseur). The salad was a delicious
“fancy caesar ” with whole anchovies and shaved parm on the top.
The fries were crispy and had a great flavor but the fine cut made
them cold almost immediately as they hit the table. Their saving
grace was the lemon aioli, a unique perfect balance of flavors.
My entree won the gold medal for the
night, although they were both impressive. I had seared rare tuna
with charred octopus and crispy potatoes. My boyfriend had wood fire
grilled halibut in a red wine fish bordelaise, and it was a close
second. Both dishes were simple, fresh, and sophisticated.
We had the lemon tart for desert. I have to say that I left unsatisfied with the last course. It was a bit boring and lacked finesse and creativity.
The wine pairing for the evening was a
2009 Cotes du Rhone. The wine menu was decent but nothing to get
excited about. Although I definitely want to try one of their
tempting cocktails next time. Needless to say, we will return to the
Optimist.
