When Mom, my sister Ret and I walked into Starfish Brasserie last night, we were the first customers of the evening, greeted professionally yet casually by SaraBeth, who has only been waitressing there for a week. She asked if we'd been there before, and I told her I was there about five years ago for the fixed price dinner with a friend (this dinner had remained a stand-out in my mind over the years). My sister had previously eaten there about a year ago. SaraBeth told us the restaurant is under new management since my last visit, that all food is fresh, and that the new owner is very aware of the environment and brings in his fish, meat and other foodstuffs from eco-friendly suppliers.
We started out with a drink - Ret had a mojito, Mom a whiskey sour, and I had the "Treaty of 1905 Martini", made from lemongrass/ginger-infused organic vodka, muddled sage, simple syrup and saki, with a ginger garnish. It was an interesting drink that tasted better the longer it sat peacefully, with the ginger stick sending its spice into the liquid. SaraBeth then brought us a special treat from the chef - trout mousse on a slice of cucumber. I thought this was very good, but I'm a more adventurous eater than Mom or Ret - they thought it was strange.
Ret and I decided to go for the fixed price dinner for $35, when we saw that one of the dessert choices was creme brulee, our fave. For appetizer, I chose the crab cake, as I love these and rarely get them. Per Sara's description, it did indeed consist of almost all crab, and the mustard aoli surrounding it was delish (there could have been a bit more of this to go with the crab).
The trout - fresh from Idaho - had replaced the Bass dish, so I ordered it as my entree. It came with roasted asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and angel-hair pasta. Before this arrived, we dug into the bread, served with a dipping oil of basil, tomato, and garlic. It was wonderful - small slices with a crispy crust.
My trout was done to perfection, but what made this dish exceptional was the pasta, which can often be duddy and just sit there, bland and ignored, a wallflower on the plate. I cut the trout, twirled the pasta around my fork, and then speared a piece of fish to go with each mouthful. That pasta was seasoned and cooked to perfection - I love garlic, and it was in there. I was, as my sister says, obviously "relishing" my food. In fact, when Sara came to check on us, I asked her if she liked my sound effects, and she said she really appreciated them!
Between the crab cake and the trout, I was as happy with this dinner as with my memories of the prior one five years before. My only disappointment was the creme brulee. It took forever to arrive, and then was not as firm and light as Ret and I prefer - nor was the top glaze warm. It reminded me more of my grandmother's custard from the "olden days." Not bad, but not what we'd hoped for.
By now, you readers know that I prefer service to be unobtrusive, which it was. SaraBeth did not hover (I abhor hovering) yet made sure we were happy. She was very informative before we ordered, answered any questions knowledgeably during the ordering process, and didn't clear plates away before we were finished. I highly recommend this restaurant. Take good company along with you and enjoy the staff, the food, and the atmosphere. You might spend more than at many Valley restaurants, but it's worth it.
NOTE: Older diners might want to be aware that the background music is a mix of blues and rock and may not be to their liking. As a child of the 60's and a rocker from way back, I relished the music as well as the food.
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