Michael Ó.
Yelp
I added this as a separate business from the hotel, and then wrote my review. Meanwhile, back in San Francisco, Yelp! declined to keep it on as a separate entity, so yelpers have to review both their hotel stays and their dining experiences under the same business. I think that's a mistake, but I, of course, don't have the "big picture" that headquarters has got. Anyway, about our dinner in "The Dining Room at Wheatleigh:"
Here's the menu we'll be eating, Monday, 6 March 2017, with anticipatory excitement!
The Tasting -
Snapper: Daikon, Kumquat and Pointy Snout Caviar
Dungeness Crab: Beets, Cress, and Gelée
Hot Foie Gras: Sicilian Pistachio, Duck Prosciutto and Sea Buckthorn
Rabbit Saddle: Endive, Crosnes and Pork Rillette
Turbot: Matsutake, Sweet Potato and Périgord Truffle
Lamb Saddle: Basmati, Artichoke and Black Trumpets
Cheese Trolley - (Supplement $22/29)
Chestnut and Hazelnut: Azelia, Namelaka and Chestnut Ice Cream
$175 per Person || $305 per Person with Wine Pairing
Everything on the menu was outstanding, and you won't leave hungry. The snapper was snappy, the crab was succulent, the hot foie gras just what duck liver should be when served hot, the rabbit saddle surprisingly moist and tender, the turbot meaty and delicious, the lamb did everything you'd hope it could to make the wine better while the wine did the same for the lamb in turn, the cheese trolley was nearly overwhelming, and the chestnut and hazelnut dessert is what everyone hopes for - a dessert that is ANYTHING but anticlimactic. Service was impeccable, on top of that, and the wines we chose, a Pol Roger Winston Churchill and a bottle of Opus One, did justice to a fabulous meal, as the meal did justice to them. We were the ONLY diners in the restaurant, as the hotel has only three other guests beside ourselves, so this review must be taken in that light - we felt like royalty as we got 100% of everyone's attention.
V O C A B U L A R Y S E C T I O N
Kinmedai is "Golden Eye Snapper" which is the fish, Beryx splendens; I'm uncertain which species we were served but it was snapper and it was excellent.
Pointy Snout is a brand name, out of Connecticut, for fine caviar from Sturgeon species.
Crosnes are the starchy tubers of an Asian plant, Stachys affinis.
Matsutake is an Asian mushroom, also called "Pine Mushrooms."
Périgord Truffles are a species of fungus whose underground fruiting bodies are a gourmet delight!
Black Trumpets are a very flavorful wild mushroom.
Namelaka is the Japanese word for "creamy," and refers to a method for making creamy textured chocolate.