Amy Lawless: Good bar food: who knew?
Entering Sapphire, we passed a group of friends dining al fresco and enjoying the unseasonably warm weather and the company of their very friendly dog. Once inside, we were quickly greeted by a pleasantly perky waitress who led us to the prime seating position in the front window. Totally private and ensconced in the seductively lit darkness, we commenced to perusing the menu.
First things first—cocktails. As it happened, we sat down before 7pm, which meant that it was happy hour. Yay! I ordered $3 champagne, and to my bargain-loving delight, received an upgrade to Domaine St. Michele Blanc de Blanc since the house champagne was out of stock. Our waitress supplied a bowl of crunchy wasabi peas, which had just the right amount of sinus-clearing bite.
To start, I ordered a warm goat cheese salad, comprised of mixed greens, Sapphire’s basil vinaigrette, and a small square of breadcrumb-coated goat cheese. The goat cheese was warm and creamy, and I really enjoyed it paired with the basil vinaigrette. This was a very good start (in fact, I wished they had included more of the cheesy goodness on my salad).
For the main event, I chose the special that night: roasted duck breast with corn and black bean salsa. When the plate arrived, I thought, “wow, fancy portions,” which translates into “wow, not much food here.” However, once I tasted the richness of the duck combined with the spiciness of the salsa, I adjusted my first impression. This portion was just right.
Feeling on-the-brink-of-full and my mouth still buzzing from the salsa’s peppers, I decided to order something sweet. I wanted to try one of Sapphire’s much touted holiday-themed cocktails because I was feeling festive. After much flip-flopping, I decided on the ginger fizz, which turned out to be not too sweet and very gingery. The ginger fizz is champagne-based, served in a flute, with Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) and ginger vodka. This is a good cocktail for those who don’t like syrupy sweet drinks.
To go along with my festive cocktail, our ever-helpful waitress recommended the chocolate plate, and I excitedly agreed. This was a chocolate lovers dream come true: chocolate truffle, which was fabulous dipped in the accompanying pineapple puree; vanilla coconut truffle, with a very strong vanilla flavor; and pieces of various chocolate bars like chocolate mint, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and 88% dark chocolate (wow!).
So while I did indeed have a great cocktail or two, as expected, I also learned that Sapphire serves some very fine food as well. You won’t find chicken fingers or fish and chips at this pub. Expect fancier fare along with some fancier prices, though my overall bill wasn’t so bad considering the quality of food, the chic atmosphere, and the excellent service. I would definitely recommend Sapphire for a special holiday evening with that special someone.
This just in: Sapphire will now be serving fresh, hand-rolled sushi Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights!
Comments
i'll have to remember the chocolate plate sometime. i could use a good choco-ssert.
Posted by: mock | December 7, 2006 02:16 PM