NEW OWNER EXPANDS THE CAFE CABERNET MENU

By Ashby Stiff
Tallahassee Democrat Correspondent
Friday, April 12, 2002

Once it was an upper-tier drinks and munchies destination, with a rocking nightclub through the wall.

Well, times and tempos have changed at Cafe Cabernet. The sometimes-raucous Cabstand, next door, is long gone. Its former square footage has been incorporated into much needed auxiliary bar and dining room space for the Cafe.

The menu still retains a lot of the tapas, or small plates, that also work as shared appetizers, but offerings have grown to include soups and salads, a nicely varied assortment of main courses, and a display cabinet groaning with dessert cakes and pastries, many the creations of local attorney and hobbyist baker Archie Gardner.

The catalyst for change has been new owner Jay Burleson who, as a student in FSU's Dedman School of Hospitality, showed early entrepreneurial promise as proprietor of Potbelly's on West College Avenue.

Wisely, Burleson went for experience and talent in choosing his Cafe colleagues. David Ferguson is a wine aficionado and probably the city's best-and-longest-known face behind a maitre d's desk. Chef C.J. Reilly spent two early years immersed in seafood cookery at The Wharf, then another three expanding his creative bent with the gifted Chef Keith Baxter, at Kool Beanz and Mozaik.

Greg Brown, who in former years served us through at least two top-hat reviews at Andrew's Second Act, exemplifies wait staff quality. His recommendations - rare Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand's Marlborough region, and Allegrino Amarone, '97, a Valpolicella rated 93 by Wine Spectator - lent zest and finesse to already superior recent dinners.

Wine buffs can go bonkers with the Cafe's 500-label cellar, and its more than 30 wines by the glass. And for the cocktail crowd, the back bar displays one of the most comprehensive spirits collections in the city.

Twelve feet high, dominating the length of the interior, and visible from all perspectives, the back-bar was fashioned to match the heavy mahogany library cornices found in a Havana antiques shop. Handsome by any measure, it complements the dim, Old World aura of the Cafe's towering ceilings, weathered sandstone-textured walls and half-dome chandeliers.

It's a good-looking venue, one in which folks can meet friends and associates over drinks, have a late afternoon bite or, later, a full-course dinner. They also might drop in, before the kitchen's midnight closing, for after-theatre dolci e liquori and a little night music.

Some 20 "Little Somethings For Everyone," as the small plates are headlined, include such offerings as Gravlox ($7.95) served with cream cheese, onion, capers and baguette toast; Cajun Pork Medallions ($8.50), blackened and sided by goat cheese and white beans; and Spitted Shrimp and Olives ($8.95), accompanied by toasted focaccia and roasted pepper salsa.

Good were the Walnut Crusted Scallops ($9.95), served on bleu cheese cream sauce. Better, Escargots in Pesto ($8.25), each topped with a Roma tomato slice and pesto, blanketed under toasty provolone. And best, we thought, was the Grilled Portobello Mushroom ($9.25), whose giant black slices lay among sauteed spinach, red onion and feta cheese.

A soup or salad choice accompanies dinners. Sad to report, an unlikely combination of flavors, and maybe a bit of overenthusiastic seasoning, gave Saffron Tomato Soup a strong, medicinal flavor.

Instead, spring for Chef's Salad. Its arugula and mesclun mix arrives scattered through with pecans, red onion and Brie cheese, all orchestrated by superb black raspberry vinaigrette. And if luck be with ye, you'll have some of Chef Reilly's crunchy-crusted Irish soda bread to munch with it.

Seafarers can score quite a catch in Grilled Tuna Steak ($19.50), expanded by peanut rice and topped with sweet Asian glaze and wasabi aioli. Or in Peppercorn Seared Salmon ($17.95), served with lemon butter sauce, pesto mashed potatoes and fried yellow squash.

A bit dry, but quite tender and infused with the flavor of a limejuice and island spice soak, Marinated Pork Loin ($18.95) came atop tasty sweet mashed potatoes, napped with orange-clove syrup. Or, if chicken's in the picture, try Chef Reilly's ($16.95) pecan crusted pan-fry, topped with brandy blueberry sauce and served on a pancake of creamed, soft polenta. We enjoyed both.

Dessert? Take a tip from us: Archie Gardner's feather-crusted Key Lime Pie, with just a firming bit of cream cheese in the filling, is flat-out killer.