Daveed's still mesmerizing

On the menu at Daveed's are grilled New Zealand lamb chops and loin (foreground) and a smoked rainbow trout appetizer. (Credit: Leigh Taylor | Special to Metromix)

The economic mess we're in is, naturally, having an effect on local restaurants. Many restaurants are adding value with specials and cheaper menu choices. At Daveed's at 934 in Mount Adams, the changes are a little different. There's now a New York strip steak on the menu instead of flank steak.

That may seem counterintuitive. But using the humble flank steak in an upscale restaurant was a little daring, and apparently, daring doesn't work so well in scary times. A more expensive but more familiar strip steak is safer.

Chef/owner David Cook has always dared in other ways, too, using luxury ingredients, creatively exploiting humble ones, and often ignoring the formula of a large piece of meat in the middle of the plate. But on his latest menu, every entrée features a popular protein such as steak, duck or lamb chops with side, sauce, starch.

I've liked the sense of exploration at Daveed's, so I'm a little disappointed.

Except those were the best damn lamb chops I've had in years.

Meaty, fully expressive of lamb without being too strong, tender within, crusty around the bones with a hint of zahtar spice, they were wonderful cuts of meat. And the tzatziki sauce, quinoa salad and nicely done Brussels sprouts were hardly meat-and-potato sides ($29).

In other words, one thing Cook has not changed is culinary expertise or an ability to put together a plate of intriguing flavors. We started with his signature seared sea scallops ($14), cooked just past raw, with Thanksgiving-style garnishes of pureed squash and parsnips.

The cranberries were perhaps a little strong and tangy for the overall dish, but my friend said the scallops just disappeared before she knew it. House-smoked trout ($12) was served molded, a la tuna tartare, with a delightful little salad in roasted garlic dressing. Romaine salad with apples and walnut ($9) was topped with a disc of crazy luxurious fried Camembert.

The New York strip ($31) was slightly chewy. While the horseradish crust could have bitten more sharply, the beef flavor was outspoken, and it was served on top of delicious truffley-tasting spinach, fingerling potatoes and slices of portabella.

The light-brown powder atop my pan-roasted duck breast ($26) turned out to be sieved foie gras, which instantly melted in my mouth like rich, buttery snowflakes. Pasta mixed with sharp cheddar echoed the richness under the duck.

The food is more tasteful than the surroundings of the small Mount Adams dining room. The décor relies on too many colorful, busy abstract canvases on the wall, instead of an overall design.

Service was very good, from being seated to the last course ($8): moist, rosemary-scented polenta cake with panna cotta and blackberries, and a delicious layered milk chocolate-peanut crisp confection.

Add a comment