i had dinner at gravel road tonight before the concert at seaside. WOW, i am so glad for a restaurant like this. great food, attentive service by keri, relaxed atmosphere, and good music.
i started with the crabcake. nicely presented on the tomato confit, surrounded by the mustard sauce and the truffled frisee oil. man, the confit was rich, you needed the mustard to cut the sweetness. nice dish, able to stand on it's own.
for my entree, i ordered just the vegetables from numerous entrees. i asked if this was going to be a hassle. no problem. i got the spinach, asparagus, polenta, rice and squash.
baby spinach, tossed fleetingly in the pan so as not to wilt, seasoned with s/p, just the right amount, eaten in it's entirety, first.
pencil asparagus, same. tossed and seasoned.
crispy sundried tomato polenta cake, awesome, not overdone with too many tomatoes. and crispy is right, quite inventive.
marscapone cheese wild rice. i expected it to be thick with cheese, and it wasn't. light, but hints of the cheese swirling around. and the rice not overcooked, left a little chewy. i can't stand mushy rice.
butternut squash raqout. my favorite of the bunch. slowly sweated onions in this, and the squash just shy of carmelization. awesome.
for dessert, i had the orange and cinnamon creme brulee. served cool, and i tasted the orange, but no cinnamon. firm on top, thick runny on the botton, like ripe triple cream, cheeses.
needless to say, i will be back often. as you will, after you've been there once.
jr