lovely meal. just thought i'd throw my two cents in.
we went to pane rustica this last saturday before heading off to an 8 o'clock show. i had already seen pictures of the outside so driving up to a mini mall wasn't too disconcerting. and luckily, walking in the decor was warm and beautiful. it didn't at all feel like the kind of place that people would be walking in to scream out orders to the bakery, or bringing groups to come and get gelato, which was what i had been worried about as i was taking my boyfriend here for his birthday dinner and had been looking for something upscale.
i had made reservations so we were immediately taken back to our table. it was a little half couch-half table along the back wall and you could see the open kitchen and the bakery working away. on a personal note, i hate these kinds of tables and i really wish restaurants would stop seating two tops this was. yes, it's much more functional, but i hate being on top of other diners and later in the meal that was an issue.
so, the food. the first thing that was brought to the table was bread with homemade hummus. honestly, i was completely unimpressed. i've had better bread from whole foods and the hummus badly needed salt. but it is just bread so even though this is a bakery, i let it go.
the cocktails looked creative and tasty so i decided to start with the smashed grapes while my boyfriend started with his ever present glass of malbec. the malbec was very tasty (it's hard to do a bad malbec) and the smashed grapes, though good, was.. i don't have another word for it, watery. the flavors were all there but it tasted like they had put everything in a shaker, let it sit for a little too long and then strained it. the water was palpable. either way, it must have been good enough to finish because after the first course had came and went it was gone too and i moved on to a very nice white blend from spain that i was very happy with.
the first course. i decided to start out with the grilled asparagus with the cheddar fondue. they were grilled to perfection and the fondue was creamy without wimping out on flavor. my boyfriend started with the kurobuta pork cheeks which he loved, but when i had a taste i found a little lackluster. maybe i just failed in my bite to get some of the cranberry sage jus because i thought it really needed something to brighten it up.
second course for me was the scallops with the corn fondue and for him the wild stripped bass with the boar bacon. the entrees is where this place really shined. my scallops were cooked to perfection, the corn fondue was creamy and permeated with the flavor of fresh summer corn. the rendered chorizo gave it the exact salty bite it needed and the crispy potato coins were the perfect crunch. i would definitely recommend this dish. his snapper was perfectly cooked, the boar bacon has a wonderful flavor that was not at all gamey, the brussels sprouts were impossibly fresh without any bitter aftertaste and the tabasco butter is exactly what you wanted on that beautiful piece of fish. i'm sure the dishes sound a little overdone but somehow it all melded together perfectly with every component feeling necessary.
we were originally going to head over to the harry waugh dessert room after dinner, but we had underestimated how long it would take to eat. when the server said that dessert was complimentary on your birthday, that solidified our choice. seeing as it was his birthday, he picked. i would have went for the cookie sundae as i'm fonder of sweeter desserts, but he likes things lighter and so he picked the summer cake with the blueberry compote.
i have to say, it was a great choice. the cake itself was so well done. i have a little old italian couple that lives across the street from me. they owned a bakery for thirty years and send over this exact cake all the time. they fail on so many levels in comparison. the summer cake from pane was light and sweet but buttery and umptious. it had a perfect crumb and went delightfully with the blueberry compote and the zabaglione. i will say their zabaglione could have used some improving on as instead of a creamy custard it felt like they had made it in the gelato machine and left it in for too long. maybe we just got a bad batch. my boyfriend isn't italian so he didn't notice at all.
the whole thing came to a neat $140 and i'd say it was worth it. we left pleasantly full and happy unlike some other posh restaurants who forget that the end game is supposed to be to feed you. i would definitely like to go back again if for no other reason than to try their rack of lamb and the salmon that both had me torn as to what to order.
i always forget to mention this part but the service was well paced, friendly and accommodating. to me service that you don't notice is there is the best kind so it was wonderful. and as for the seating being bothersome, at the tail end of the meal, after the dessert had come, we had a very annoying pair of blondes sit next to us and they proceeded to be loud and obnoxious until we left. i felt bad for the older couple who was on our other side.
overall, four stars. couple of minor things, but all in all a great meal. i would go back and i would recommend.