Cuisine with class

You don’t always have to be in the mood to eat to do a food critique. In fact, it’s often in the best interest of readers that the writer not be feeling particularly famished while dining. A voracious appetite does not necessarily produce a trustworthy commentary.

It was on a not-so-hungry stomach that I went to dine at Tapestries. I was hoping the chefs might present me with a dish so mouthwatering it would whip my digestive juices into a turbulent whirlpool, sending my desire for food skyrocketing.

A hearty vegetarian dish sounded like it might do the trick. Alas, there were no vegetarian options on the entrée menu. I could have gone for a vegetarian appetizer, either the spanakopita ($8) or the baked brie and wild mushrooms en croute ($10), but I decided a true entrée would be more appropriate. Since Tapestries offers a wide variety of meat options, including broiled lobster tail at market price, I thought a shellfish dish was the proper course.

Because I’m just mad about saffron, I ordered the shrimp and scallop linguine in a creamy saffron sauce ($26). The presentation was beautiful. The bright yellow pasta was surrounded by chopped, emerald-colored spinach. Scallops were mixed throughout the pasta, and the shrimp was arranged around the edge of the plate in a sunburst pattern. Between the shrimp pieces were red dollops of a chunky, tomato-based sauce.

The pasta, though tasty, was garlic-heavy, so that the saffron was barely noticeable. If I had really wanted garlic, I would have ordered the sautéed scallops and prawns in a buttery garlic white wine sauce ($24). The huge, juicy, fresh shrimp were pleasant when eaten with the tomato sauce; the scallops, however, were dry. It was merely a decent pasta dish, meaning it was at least twice as expensive as decent pasta should cost.

My date, Regino, ordered the Cajun jambalaya ($22). The appearance, again, was very appetizing, and Regino said it was as tasty as some of the varieties he’d had in New Orleans, although a little soupy. Containing chicken, shrimp, ham and andouille sausage, it was on the light side when it came to the jumble of meats that some jambalayas contain. The flavor, however, was exceptional.

Because neither dish had whisked me into the feeding frenzy I’d hoped for, I was hesitant to order dessert. When I saw the options, I quickly changed my mind. The vanilla bean creme brulée and double chocolate cake with berry coulis sounded tempting, but when I saw “cranberry currant bread pudding with warm Tennessee whiskey sauce ($7),” there was no contest.

Finally! The biophysical response I’d been waiting for. Despite already feeling full, I practically inhaled the nutty, fruity, slippery medley. It was probably the best bread pudding I’ve had. I’d have had no problem paying four times what it cost.

The service at Tapestries is tasteful and unpretentious. Regino noted the classiness of the hostess. She wasn’t your typical 20-year-old longing for a position waiting tables. She was a simply dressed older woman with a slow, sophisticated gait and lovely posture. She embodied the entire atmosphere of Tapestries: simple, upscale and warm.