Paul Carey
Google
I had the pleasure of dining at Enclos on Friday night. Full disclosure, we did get the meal comped because of my friend, however we paid for all of the alcohol.
There is so much good to say about this restaurant, I will try and organize my thoughts.
FOOD
We went with the 10 course meal, and all of the photos are actual photos from the meal. 10 course meal sounds like a lot, but each "meal is about 2 to 3 bites, so it's manageable.
What to say about the food. There are definitely flavors and combinations I have never tried before, but I ended up absolutely loving. Have you ever had fried lichen before? Perhaps venison served on elk antlers? Maybe 60 day aged tuna belly is more your liking.
Here's another disclosure, I generally don't like fish. Half of the menu items were fish. I think I like fish now 🤭😲😀
If you opt for the 10 course meal, here are my top 3:
1. Masami Ranch Wagyu. I am definitely a carnivore, and I like meat. I like trying different kinds of beef, exotic meats, Wagyu is always in my top five. But it's not just the beef, it's the plating, it's the coordinating side dishes, this dish has it all.
2. 60 day tuna. I know, I don't like fish, but this made my top three. Seriously good, mixed with the warm Japanese rice, succulents, and passionfruit to brighten it up. Seriously not to be missed.
3. Gougere, orange blossom, and pine. It was kind of like a warm hug. It was one bite, and it had a little flower with pine extract on the top of it. It was a great way to start off the meal, and definitely set the tone for the outstanding tastes to come.
DRINK
We had a combination of wine, champagne, and sake. I don't remember the exact labels we had, but do yourself a favor and let the sommelier choose.
I found their sake menu to be exquisite. I lived in Japan for six years, and I grew to enjoy different kinds of sake. It's tough to find the different variations, and even tougher to find someone (the sommelier) who knows how to pair the different variations with food.
For you beer lovers, they have three types of beer. Don't let that dissuade you. They have a Belgian cherry Lambic, an American IPA, and a Bavarian Pilsner. All very highly rated. To me it speaks volumes when a restaurant chooses to have a very selective beer menu, especially when the beers are so highly rated.
SERVICE
Of course the service is going to be outstanding. But it's still bears mentioning. Sometimes one of the problems with high-end restaurants is that it can be a little inaccessible. If you were coming out to this restaurant, you were going to spend some money, you just need to accept that. But sometimes people want to save up for a special night and come out to places like this. Other places I've been tend to be inaccessible to people who aren't used to this type of dining.
Not Enclos. One of the things that set their service apart was their warmth. Yes, everybody was very professional, very courteous, everything you'd expect from this level of restaurant. But we were able to have conversations, and bantered a little bit with the staff. They learned a little bit about us, we learned a little bit about them, and it really turns it into a dining experience, not a dining transaction.
ATMOSPHERE
The atmosphere is everything you'd expect from this level of restaurant. I'd like to mention a few of the things that stuck out to me that I thought were really unique.
The steak knives we used were handmade/forged from a local blacksmith. I have a passing fancy with forging, so I spent several minutes examining the blades and was impressed with how well they were made. The staff and informed us that the knife makers have dined in the restaurant a few times. I mean how cool is that?
The jungle patio when you walk in is definitely an experience. Take note of the heavy curtain when you walk through. That thing does a great job of blocking sound from the road. Once that curtain shuts, you're in a different world.
Overall, 10 out of 10, five stars, definitely an experience to be treasured