by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
You might know Heirlooms Culinary Café and Market, especially if you live in Mandarin. You can get a casual but classy lunch or a dinner chock full of fresh ingredients. Despite the excellence of the meals there, it’s the kind of place you take people for an impressive lunch (not dinner), just to show them that you know where the good places are.
The owners of this most exquisite café have seen fit to open up a bistro version of Heirlooms. Aptly named Heirlooms Bistro, it is more elegant than the original and more suitable for dinner. They’ve set up shop in the Bartram Walk area of Julington Creek at Racetrack Road and San Jose, where the relatively short-lived Bistro 101 was located. They’ve refitted the restaurant and the skeleton of Bistro 101’s hip and graceful atmosphere is clothed with their own touches to the décor.
The gray-asparagus color of the high-backed booths looks lush surrounding white tabletops and yellow flowers. It’s an elegant and modern look with lots of wood tones and moss olive walls. Big windows brighten the space with a view of a fountain and, of course, the expanse of white tables.
They’re just kicking off the restaurant at Bartram, and they knew I was coming, so as far as service goes, I can’t give you an accurate picture. I do know that the staff is enthusiastically vested in what goes on at the restaurant. The waitstaff tries everything from new drink specials to menu items.
I think the slower pace of dinner will be a good thing for Heirlooms, because the food is served not with an eye toward speed, but with a search for culinary beauty and taste. While it’s great to have both, I think the dinnertime atmosphere will give people the chance to appreciate the chefs’ artistry more fully than they might have at the Café.
Both Heirlooms are owned by Cheryl and Jamey, who have substantial resumes in the culinary world. Among other things, Chef Cheryl Clark, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, has run an elegant catering business for private clients. Chef Jamey Evoniuk has worked in the industry for about ten years, putting time in at the lovely b.b.’s before opening the first Heirlooms with his wife Cheryl.
Naturally, the food at Heirlooms Bistro is fantastic. A few things from the menu at the Café made it over to the Bistro, such as the luxuriant golden lobster bisque and the BBQ duck wonton. Both are worthy selections that deserved to make the leap to the Bistro. None of the tasty sandwiches made it from the Café, but the Bistro just has a different air than the Café, so they had to go.
One thing they do have is a full bar. The wine list is compact but well chosen with about 15 essential whites, 20 essential reds, a few ports, sparkling wines and a few beer choices. You can mix it up with whatever hard liquor you might like, but one taste of a beautifully amber “the Soprano” Martini and I was sure that the bartender was some kind of cocktail-shaker-wielding god of all that is tasty and alcoholic. If you’re into sweet specialty martinis, this is the place to sip. Granted, these lovelies are $10 each, but they’re worth it.
When I got my stacked BBQ Duck Wonton, I was afraid to disturb the tiny tower of culinary comeliness as it sat there looking like a miniature work of gastronomic art. I couldn’t eat around the pretty. The first thrust of my fork destroyed it. I felt a little guilty for doing it, but the guilt evaporated with the sweet, tangy taste of duck and perfect puree of butternut squash. Boursin cheese, tart apples and a crisp wonton sets this ducky delight apart from the competition. There is definitely sweetness to this preparation, so if you like sweet with your meats, this is the appetizer for you.
Under salads, I’d dare to recommend the Ahi Tuna Chop Chop, which seems to be a variation of the popular Asian Chop Chop served at the Café, though you can’t really go wrong with any salad selection.
Entrées run in the $15-30 range, standard for the mid-to-high-end market. Presentation is outstanding and preparation is excellent. Try a miso-marinated Chilean sea bass or a citrus-scented salmon filet on saffron angel hair and wilted arugula. More traditionally-minded steak lovers can go in for a ribeye, a tenderloin or New York Strip Steak.
I feasted on the Thai BBQ Pork Chop, a substantial portion of bone-in pork chop in an incredible Thai-barbecue sauce, topped with a sriracha pesto and served with butternut squash puree and a side of baby bok choy.
In the area of dessert, they’ve got a rotating designer cake selection from the always fabulous Let Them Eat Cake. They’ve also got a few luscious selections of their own to try, like their chocolate soufflé, tiramisu trifle and bistro bananas foster. I sampled their impressive bourbon pecan tower, an A++ for presentation and taste, strewn with various fresh fruits and laced with caramel.
Heirlooms Bistro opened about a month ago and they’re still getting their legs under them as a restaurant. However, they’re far ahead of most restaurants after only a month of dining service. Rest assured, with chefs like these at the helm, what’s set before you will always be of excellent taste and quality.
Heirlooms Bistro
104 Bartram Walk, Suite 101, zip 32259
(904) 230-3999
Mon-Thurs 4:30-10 pm & Fri-Sat 4:30-11 pm
Heirlooms Café
9545 San Jose Blvd
(904) 880-2291
|
EU Critic’s Choice Awards
