STAMFORD ADVOCATE
Restaurant Review: Osetra
By Melanie Barnard, Special Correspondent
Article Launched: 07/24/2008

Americans have always been a nation of nibblers. But now it is not only acceptable in polite company to nosh through dinner, it is the height of culinary fashion. The opening of Osetra Restaurant is part of a fast-growing trend of what is dubbed "small plates" as full meals.

While the classic bar food of the United States may be pretzels, chips and peanuts to wash down a draft beer or whisky on the rocks, the Spanish took the concept much further, though their reasons were more of staving off hunger until the usual 10 p.m. dinner time than simply putting salty snacks on the bar to encourage thirst. In Spain, these small plates of everything from cold omelets to hot sausage are among the tastiest foods on the planet, and with the fun of sampling lots of different dishes added in, tapas and an array of wines have become the whole meal.

In America, tapas bars are thriving and several in our area are especially good. But it is only recently that the tapas small plate concept has been expanded to more cuisines and more wines, and the American public is embracing it with gusto.

Osetra Restaurant - its name is taken from one of the most exotic caviars - also subtitles itself as "beyond the sea." The menu does focus on seafood, but exotic is the operative word.

Many of the combinations and presentations of ingredients are unlike anything you have seen or tasted before. Chef/owner David Nevins has fulfilled his lifelong culinary dream with this restaurant, and he is quite an adventurous sort.

Fortunately, he is also highly talented. Most of his dishes are quite memorable, some are sensational, and a few miss the mark.

But the wine component of the restaurant, headed by David's brother, Douglas Nevins, is a success and alone worth the trip. With a list of 150 selections and an astonishing 50 available by the glass, take some time to make your choice. And meanwhile, enjoy the complimentary plate of herbed grilled pita wedges.

Also, enjoy the comfortable and pleasing ambiance created with the use of natural butcher block tabletops and pleasing earth tones on the walls. Tables are nicely separated from the bar area and form an intimate, warm and sophisticated dining environment.

Service at Osetra is excellent, both in timing and in the thorough explanations of the unique menu concepts. All dishes, we were told, consist of plates of about six bites, though a few of the more traditional meats and fish, such as grilled beef, veal scalloppine or snapper filet, also are available in larger, main-course portions for those who want their meal in the usual manner.

We also are told that the choices described as "flash grilled" are seared only on one side, thus presenting as nearly raw. However, anything can be cooked through upon request, which is a good philosophy since even the most adventurous diner might like their salmon or yellowtail a bit beyond the sushi stage.

The wait staff also helps patrons walk through the options, telling us that littleneck clam ceviche is a mŽlange of mustard-marinated sliced clams spooned over warm, fluffy Johnnycakes accompanied by a golden parsnip-infused mayonnaise. This combination is a winner in looks and taste with brilliant counterpoints of texture, color, temperature and flavor.

Equally unique are tender, meaty boneless pork ribs alongside a small heap of crisp, lightly battered and fried small mussels atop a sweet-tart raisin compote and a richly tart foie gras-sparked dressing, all sprinkled with baby arugula leaves. Lump crab scampi is a brilliant pairing of gently sautŽed sweet crab and slivered garlic spooned over a light, fluffy egg noodle pudding - only a tasteful genius would come up with this unlikely combination and make it successful.

But sometimes even genius goes off track, and caramel fried lobster with Cheddar cheese sauce, scallions and chilies is a case in point. Naturally sweet lobster needs little embellishment, and here it is utterly overwhelmed with deep-frying in batter, and served in a caramel sauce better suited to dessert. A terrible thing to do to a lobster.

But back to the many good things to do with food. A small hunk of perfectly grilled beef is perfect with crisp fried oysters, crunchy cucumber and seaweed salad, and a shower of wispy golden fried onions. More traditional, but equally impressive are perfectly fried clams served with a sparkling vinegar mayo and a cornichon relish, showing that the chef also understands quality in simplicity.

Other interesting seafood combinations include blue snapper with roasted tomato gravy, fried green tomatoes and warm brie; flash-grilled yellowtail with white bean "fluff," oyster mushrooms, toasted eel and rosemary butter; or Columbia River sturgeon with silver corn, honeydew, shiitake, dragon tongue and squid ink.

Intriguing meat combinations are veal scallops in a caviar crust, melons and Prosecco zabaglione; and lamb chop tonnato with caper-braised chick peas and green bean salad. Imaginative salads are plum tomato panzanella with graham crackers and cucumber, shaved fennel salad with porcini mushrooms, red grapes and cornbread croutons, or curried crab with crispy chicken and garlicky cucumbers.

Desserts are equally dazzling in concept, description and presentation, though we would have liked a bit more flavor and less embellishment. Meyer lemon tart isn't quite tart enough and diluted further with perfumy lavender ice cream and the silly concept of lavender foam. Opera cake of chocolate cardamom cake, coffee toffee butter cream and Manjarai chocolate ganache is as rich as it reads, though too dense and too chilled to really enjoy the subtle flavors. Blueberry ginger clafoutis fares better by showcasing the natural flavors of the summer berries in a gentle custard accented by a crisp, homemade gingersnap triangle.

Other seasonal desserts include warm peach bread pudding with mascarpone pistachio ice cream, orange creme brulee accompanied by a coconut tea cake and strawberry gel, key lime souffle with mango cr me Anglaise, and chocolate hazelnut cake with frozen banana nougatine and chocolate cr me.

Osetra is a unique dining experience that will astonish and satisfy on all levels.