Best Cellar, Blowing Rock, North Carolina

I’ve found that the more fun I’m having, the less detailed my reports. It’s not a problem in barbecue places where I place my order, eat a couple of the hushpuppies as soon as they’re within reach, and then photograph my plate, perhaps with a close-up, while eating more hushpuppies. But when I’m with a group in a nice restaurant my bloggy duties recede into the mist. Rather than take a lot of notes, I try to reconstruct afterwards. This meal was so fun that it may be my least detailed report ever, which is a shame because it was one of my favorite meals, one well worthy of the occasion.

Nancy and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary with a fantastic dinner at Best Cellar in Blowing Rock, with Michael and Liza and my older brother Jim and his wife Cantey.

Best Cellar is in the lovely Inn at Ragged Gardens, just a block or so off Main Street. I encourage you to explore their website. The staff was exceptional from the time we first arrived.

Cantey moved Heaven and earth to get us a reservation, and we were able to get a table out on the deck to the right.

Note that the columns and walls are covered with sheets of bark, which is common in the mountains. It adds a natural, woodsy feel. The interior through which we passed had the warm, cosy air that wood and stone fireplaces evoke. There seem to be a number of small dining rooms that ensure that the noise stays subdued. All in all it’s as elegantly comfortable a place for a meal as you’re likely to find.

I had a glass of Gundlach Bundschu while we looked over the menu and talked about our various plans for the week. My camera snoozed through the bread service and appetizers. I had the Crispy Fried Oyster Salad, fried oysters over spinach, red onion, and hard boiled egg all tied together by a vinaigrette that brought with it a taste of bacon. Michael enjoyed the Lobster Bisque, and I recall a salad or two and someone, Cantey, had the Mediterranean Beet Salad, which looked very good. I was very impressed not only by the flavor but by the freshness and the attention to detail that marked my dishes, certainly, and that seemed to pervade the table.

On to the entrees. Someone reminded me to take pictures in the now-fading light. One of the specials was North Carolina Trout Almandine. Nancy ordered it without flour, and Michael had it with. This is Nancy’s N.C. Mountain Trout Almondine.

Jim had the N.C. Mountain Trout from the menu, which describes it as, “Pan sautéed; finished with a Greek relish of artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, capers and mixed olives; finished with herb crema.” Doesn’t that sound good? I thought about getting it.

I also thought about the Best Cellar Tuna, which Cantey did order. “Marinated in olive oil, light soy, lemon and fresh ginger; seared and garnished with cucumber-ginger slaw and wasabi crema.” What a well-considered medley of flavors and textures!

Those were attractive options, but forsaking all others, I cleaved only unto the Alaskan Halibut Piccata.

I grant that I’m always susceptible to a sauce with lemon, white wine, and butter, and capers usually push me over the edge, but this was exceptional. It was a big thick piece of halibut that could not have been cooked better. Really. It was cooked just to the very verge of flaking, and the fish itself was sweet and delicate and yearning for the piccata sauce. This dish reminded me of the time Nancy and I had a Dorade in Playa Bonita, D.R. that had been prepared by the personal chef to President Mitterrand. It was so good we went back for lunch the next day and ordered the exact same dish.

I need to acknowledge and praise the perfection of the service. I use the word advisably. When a group of people who love one another have rare get-togethers, it takes grace and finesse to make sure things progress in time with the kitchen, and here it was done beautifully. Everything appeared and disappeared without delay or hurry. Every aspect of the meal was as smooth as silk. It’s high praise indeed to say the service matched the food. And, our anniversary noted, we were all treated to a chocolate dessert of the sort that gives decadence a good name, and Nancy and I were all but given the key to the city.

If you want to mark a special occasion, or make an ordinary day special, Best Cellar is the place. Give the Inn a good look as a place to stay, and call way ahead to get a table for dinner.

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