Hot date at Sanctuary

Every now and then, Sharon and I go on a hot date. Dinner at a nice place for just the two of us. Last night it was at Sanctuary. An odd little place on 903 Washington Ave S. The long shaped restaurant is decorated with gargoyles. Between that and the name, I can't help but to think of Sharon's PS3 role-playing games. To add to the oddity, the menus are attached to balusters, making them hard to negotiate while sitting at the small table.

We are almost instantly puzzled by the menu. Usually there are several items I want to try and narrowing it down is difficult. Further adding to the oddity of the place, each item on the menu starts with a good description, and then some strange and unexpected ingredient is added. Judge for yourself:

• Tuna sashimi, mustard seed oil, grilled avocados and shaved dark chocolate
• Bruschetta of tomatoes, roasted bell pepper, lemongrass cilantro pesto and tequila braised veal tongue
• Wild acres farm duck breast with a sweet potato puree, spicy macintosh apple chutney and eau de vie of douglas fir sauce
• Lobster tail over rice on an egg nog sauce

The chef is either excellent and very confident on his ability to combine surprising ingredients or got the recipes mixed up. To break the stalemate we encounter ourselves with the menu I say to Sharon: "let's be adventurous". My intent is to steer clear off the safe items on the menu and go with the flow.

For appetizers we share the tuna sashimi with dark chocolate shavings and the tequila braised veal tongue bruschetta. They are both terrific! The tuna is of excellent quality, served at a perfect temperature and, while a tad salty, the small amount of chocolate added goes quite well. The bruschetta is hearty, fresh and the tongue feels light, yet meaty enough. Good start.

For the main entrees, Sharon opts for the butternut squash ravioli in a champagne cream sauce with roasted cayenne pistachios. I go for the Massachusetts swordfish with mirepoix, andouille sausage, calamari, saffron tomato sauce and lime crème fraîche (pictured below). As a side note, I need to say that as much as I love fish (usually what I order when I go out), I have never been a fan of swordfish. I have always felt it lacks the delicate texture of other types of fish and it is often tough and/or dry.

We are both pleasantly surprised with our dishes. The swordfish is moist and the tomato saffron sauce is delicate yet flavorful.

For dessert Sharon choses the bread pudding with a glass of Macallan 12 Scotch. I order the cheese plate and a glass of 6 grape Graham port. Other than the large amount of bread that comes with the cheese (covering the small portions of cheese in a very odd presentation that makes it look like a bread plate), the cheeses are well selected. A goat chèvre with fine herbs and two cow-milk cheeses similar to a brie, one with a softer texture and palate and the other more aged and full of flavor. The bread pudding is not much of a hit, perhaps because of teh egg nog-like sauce on the bottom of the plate.

Overall a good meal. Still a little off of a place, but worth visiting again to see if the chef can pull off those other strange concoctions and ingredients into successful dishes.