THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 31, 1994 TAG: 9407290070
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Restaurant review
SOURCE: BY DONNA REISS, RESTAURANT CRITIC
LENGTH: Long : 126 lines
WHEN WE MADE reservations at the Trellis in 1983, jackets and ties were suggested for men. In July 1994, the man at the table next to ours wore faded jeans and a sleeveless T-shirt.
Although the dress code has become more relaxed, the quality of the food and service have not. Patrons at the Trellis receive gracious, knowledgable service.
Tables are set with bread plates and butter knives, with individual pepper grinders, and fresh flowers in small pots. Each room seems cozy; separations disguise the size of the 200-seat enterprise. Another 70 or so seats are outdoors.
One room is decorated with rosy drapes; another features a slatted oak ceiling, suggestive of a wine barrel and complementing the bottles visible through a glass wall.
A spacious outdoor dining area offers people-watching of busy Merchant's Square. Waiters are crisp and professional in black trousers, white shirts and subdued floral vests. The staff recommends wine to match the meals and describes dinners with verve.
But the Trellis isn't just another pretty place.
Unspoiled by the national fame of its executive chef and cookbook author Marcel Desaulniers, the Trellis winningly combines Southern regional food with American specialties from other regions.
A decade ago, few local restaurants made their own flavored pastas, black-bean cakes and ice creams, as the Trellis did and continues to do. Few featured open kitchen areas as the Trellis always has. Innovations are a tradition here. Transparent cucumber slices, for example, line a salad plate, or paper-thin potato crisps garnish a salmon fillet.
Desaulniers' primary culinary associate is chef Andrew O'Connell, who has been with the restaurant since it opened. Having trained with Desaulniers, O'Connell skillfully reflects his mentor's style.
A pastry chef produces the crunchy pencil-thin bread sticks and flavored breads that fill the basket presented at the beginning of the meal.
Main-course prices, starting at $12, are reasonable considering the quality. Some evening specials may cost less; however, those selections do not always show off the kitchen's talent. Steak and fries, for instance, was a popular choice at several tables but hardly demonstrated the imagination and care of the less traditional dishes.
Appetizers, on the other hand, are costly at $4.75 to $9.95; and desserts expensive at about $4.50. But if your pocketbook and waistline can afford these courses, do try them.
Desaulnier's newest book, ``The Burger Meisters'' (Simon & Schuster, 1994), is promoted everywhere, including on the menu. Among the appetizers, for example, was shiitake mushroom burger on a bed of curly endive - a loose vegetable cake combining the wonderful flavors and textures of the chopped mushrooms with black-eyed peas.
We did not try the main course of John Doherty's tuna burger with sesame brioche and marinated carrot and ginger salad, though it sounded delectable.
We started with the mushroom burger and ``our own smoked trout,'' an excellent light fillet distinguished by the freshness of the fish, the accompanying tomatoes and the sheet of cucumber beneath. Spinach salad contained tiny delicate leaves, grilled potatoes and a row of sauteed whole shiitake mushrooms for a spectacular take on a familiar opener.
Soup of the evening - asparagus with shiitake mushrooms - was too heavily influenced by the mushrooms; gazpacho, on the other hand, was a stunning fresh blend of vegetables. Also available were two other soups; sausage and shrimp tart; crab with corn pasta; and two lettuce-based salads.
The Trellis has always offered a prix fixe seasonal supper, including salad and dessert; it's $19.95 this season. A limited list of a la carte main dishes begins at $12; most are about $15.
Lovers of fine food face a wealth of choices. We selected a combination of duck breast, Surry sausage and golden boy tomatoes on lightly herbed tarragon noodles. It was rich but not too heavy.
Pan-seared pork medallions were fine pieces of meat with an upscale crisp slaw and a sweetish, ketchupy barbecue sauce. It was one of the few disappointments of an otherwise outstanding evening. Three quarter-dollar-sized baking-powder biscuits grounded the dish in Southern tradition.
Pan-seared salmon fillet made the most of the delicate fish, with its red-pepper sauce, grilled summer squashes and crispy thin potato sheets to contrast the textures.
We didn't try the rainbow trout with crab; chicken breast with oranges, onions, olives and pesto; chicken breast with pecans and blueberries; and a tenderloin.
Attention to detail is apparent everywhere. Garnishes and accompaniments harmonize with the main items. In many restaurants, a wild-rice accompaniment is a scoop of white rice with a few grains of the wild tossed in. Here, however, this dish is the real thing.
In addition to the extensive wine listing, a separate sheet highlights Virginia wines. Like other regional products, they are always featured at the Trellis.
Chocolate dominates the desserts. How could we bypass the now-famous Death By Chocolate cake, with its layers of two mousses, meringue, ganache, brownie and mocha sauce? The thick slice was an excess of riches that lent itself to sharing. Lighter was a pecan tuile, a crunchy flower-shaped cookie shell filled with white chocolate ice cream and surrounded by white chocolate sauce and fresh berries.
The Trellis also has a lunch menu of sandwiches and salads. There's a cafe dinner menu for the informal front room and patio, where the main dishes are the appetizers from the large menu.
The main menu changes quarterly, and we would gladly visit the Trellis with every shift of seasons. MEMO: Reviews are based on a single, unannounced visit by a party of four,
unless otherwise noted. The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star pay for
the reviewer's meal and those of the guests. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
BILL OF FARE
The Trellis
Duke of Gloucester Street, Merchants Square, Williamsburg
(804) 229-8610
Cuisine: Innovative contemporary American, regional specialties.
Atmosphere: Several separate dining areas create coziness in this
large upscale casual restaurant; a spacious patio overlooks busy
Merchant's Square. Live jazz Friday and Saturday evenings and from
noon to 3 p.m. Sundays.
Prices: Lunch and Sunday brunch from $5 to $15; dinner starters
and salads from $3.95 to $9.95; main courses from $12 to $21.95;
desserts from $4 to $6; children's portions available on request.
Hours: lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays,
Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner from 5 to 9:30 p.m.
daily.
Reservations: Essential for restaurant, not taken for patio.
Smoking: Lounge and cafe only, usually not more than 10 tables.
by CNB