Peter S.
Yelp
Oh, what a night! We tried The Pompadour and - wow!!!
Upon entering, we fell in love with the decor. I'd say it is farmhouse-chic, both elegantly and stylishly fashionable. From the chopped wood on the walls, the art deco era barstools, and the pennies lined up behind the bar like a tile mosaic, this Fairport Harbor gastropub is both bold and sexy.
A unique and impressive cocktail list laid before our eyes, which we quickly took advantage of. I ordered the "Don't call it a comeback"; which is Tangarey Sevilla gin, Grand Mariner, spiced cranberry cordial, lime, hibiscus bitters, and sparkling wine. Sweet, refreshing, and delicious.
Now let's talk food... the menu is incredible. I literally wanted it all...
First we had the dates. Beautiful... We're talking almond-stuffed dates, served with iberico chorizo, goat cheese, and green onion. The dates, combined with the stuffed cocao gave it a sensual chew and almost a creaminess, like biting into a caramel stuffed chocolate. The sweetness contrasted with the savoriness, and hint of crispiness, from the chorizo made this explode with taste on ones palate. And the goat cheese brought in a scrumptious side of flavor. I wanted to take tweezers and eat every last little bit off. It was that delicious.
Next, the mussels... beautifully presented, these muscles were served with Mexican chorizo, white beans, and tomato broth infused with thyme and smoked in Spanish paprika. It also came with a side of toasted bread. Again, amazing. The muscles had a wonderful chew, tasted delicious, and the tomato broth was wonderful to dip the bread in and devour. It was so delicious I wanted every last drop the broth. I wish we could've got more bread so I could stop up every last drop, but that was not available; and it's totally fine I get it. I literally thought about asking for a spoon (or a straw) to get up every last drop.
And then - the duck! I love duck. But I know it's not easy. I know there's very little room for error. The best I've ever had in the world was in Paris, Toronto, and now Fairport Harbor. This was seared, macerated with wine and strawberries, served with a parsnip purée, and red ribbon sorrel - get it...!!! The duck was magnificently cooked. It was tender, juicy, had just the right amount of fat on it to give it the perfect amount of extra flavor without making it greasy. It worked magically with the parsnip purée, and the beautifully paired wine-macerated strawberries. That pairing of the fruit with the duck is a must have! It's an amazing balance of sweet and savory in one bite. Even the aftertaste was out of this world. I wanted to have a cigar later just to finish off this heavenly satiation.
The lamb followed... this is pepper-crusted lamb rib chops with: honey maple drizzle, tart apple, celery, Gorgonzola, and candied pecan. Amazingly flavored, the lamb is tender, again juicy, and I just wanted to suck on the bones because of the flavor. It was yet another dish where I had a scoop of every last bit of the sides with a fork and eat it all, amazingly, masterfully, well done.
We could've stopped eating, but this was just too good, we had to get another dish!
Last we went with the ravioli. This is short rib and Manchego-stuffed, with short rib broth, grilled peach, whipped ricotta, and fresh basil. Normally, I hate ricotta. I've never liked lasagna my whole life. But this was whipped almost like whip cream. Soft, creamy, kind of fluffy, which made it almost like a sauce. The sweetness of the peach, along with the savoriness of the short rib, just made this, once again, an extraordinary dish. The pairing of sweet and savory, was like having several courses, including dessert.
We didn't do dessert. We were so stuffed, that we couldn't do it. Moreover, I just didn't feel that we needed it. The fruit that was paired with all of the dishes helped get us our sweet fix.
This is an extraordinary restaurant, with a capital chef, and superb staff. This is a real deal, extraordinary Chef. This is their passion!Be prepared to spend some money, but well worth it. We (hopefully) joked that if we lost our sense of taste and smell from Covid, this would've been an unquestionably worthy last meal. It's great to go anytime. But definitely a great restaurant for an impressive first date, classy anniversary, cordial family get together, or if you're really living high, just a regular dinner. I'm thrilled to hear that they have a changing seasonal menu - but I don't want to miss anything! So now I want to be a regular there.
A+. GRAND SLAM. HOME RUN.
Oh, what a night!