Dan's Papers - May 30, 2008 -

When Kenny Barra designed The Inn and Spa At East Wind, he created one of the most beautiful hotels, conference and Wedding complexes you could ever hope to see, but he also incorporated into it a multi-million dollar spa plus a restaurant. The restaurant here is elegant, warm, casual and very welcoming all at the same time. It is a pity that many may still pass without knowing that Desmond's is open to everyone and perhaps even more importantly, that it offers a level of cooking, service and ambience that is very hard to beat for quality and value.

As we drove in we were, as always, enthralled by the wonderful landscaping and soon were sitting in the low lit dining room, reading the menus while drinking a glass of Martha Clara's 'Five-O' blend of chardonnay, viognier, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, semillon and gewürztraminer, that we really enjoyed with its subtle refreshing blend of fruits and minerals.

We decided to start with the ahi tuna duo combination that sounded interesting and we really enjoyed the delicacy of the ultra fresh tuna tartare and the comparison with the deeper tastes of the char crusted tuna and the yellow pepper puree. The other appetizer was even better. Perfectly grilled large shrimp wrapped in proscuitto and served with a lemon caper beurre blanc on some incredible grilled Tuscan bread. Todd Sabatini, Desmond's new Chef de Cuisine, is fantastic! Todd comes from a family that is steeped in cooking traditions. Eight generations cooked for the Kings of Egypt and his great grandfather Nicolia was chef to the Tsars of Russia - quite an act to follow!

We moved on to the main courses and Stella selected the baby veal chops. Todd cooked these in a white balsamic and herb marinade and they were incredibly tender and succulent and this definitely should be regarded as one of the restaurant's signature dishes and is highly recommended. I chose another fairly novel dish. Catfish ratatouille was featured as one of the entrees on the daily prix fixe (a real bargain but more of that later). The dish featured four large pieces of some of the best catfish I have ever eaten, even in the southern states where it is so popular, together with a corn and tomato sauté, thinly sliced peppers and squash. The combination made for a really excellent fish dish. Simple but with a lot of delicacy, another recommended dish.

Portions at Desmond's are generous, so we could only sample one dessert from the selection offered by pastry chef Emilio Gomez. The molten chocolate soufflé was light and with enough chocolate to satisfy any chocoholic. In texture it was really more like a very light warm chocolate cake but that is quibbling over nomenclature.

You could be forgiven for looking at the grandeur of the East Wind complex and then at the warmth and luxury of Desmond's and thinking that it would be prohibitively expensive to eat there. In fact the reverse is true. They have one of the best three-course prix-fixes at $22.95 that I have ever seen, with appetizers such as a chicken portobello napoleon and main courses that include a seafood medley of shrimp, scallops, mussels, and clams over linguini and a pan seared duck breast. If you can eat earlier, the early bird special, served from 3 to 5.30 p.m., offers, amongst others, grilled salmon, sliced sirloin, breast of chicken or the duck breast as entrees plus a choice of both appetizer and dessert for as little as $16 to $19, which is really a bargain by any standard, especially when you consider the quality of the cuisine. Even the full a la carte menu has appetizers from $6 to $12; main courses are from $19 up to $34 for a 30oz porterhouse. Wines are equally affordable at $6 to $8 by the glass or from $20 a bottle.

Desmond's has now matured into an excellent place to choose whether for a family celebration, corporate event or that wonderful romantic 'diner a deux' or simply on impulse if you are in the area. Based on our experience, Todd Sabatini has certainly raised the restaurant's culinary standards to a new high.