Another year, another dinner at Madison's, the flagship restaurant at the Old Edwards Inn (the high-end resort/spa/hotel on Main Street in Highlands, North Carolina) that at its best really hits a groove. I have great admiration for the chef Chris Huerta, who is a serious student of what is known as modern American cuisine. Although we are now finding very creative restaurants in rural areas that are serious dining destinations (Town House in Chilhowie, Virginia; Volt in Frederick, Maryland; Revolver in Findlay, Ohio; June in Peoria Heights, Illinois), Madison's doesn't quite fit this model. As a hotel, it caters to many well-heeled guests who prefer well-cooked mainstream cuisine (my wife ordered a Caesar Salad and a Seared Ribeye - she enjoyed both of them, but both could have been had at most well-chefed upper-middle strata restaurants). Madison's must balance the desire of their customers not to be surprised, and the desire of the chef to spread his wings. Someday I would love to see Chef Huerta open his own place in Atlanta, Chicago, or Brooklyn.
Of the three dishes that I ordered one was truly superb, one had considerable potential (slightly limited by the cut of striped bass), and one, the dessert, was quite tasty, but aiming for a general audience. Part of Madison's strategy - and they are not alone in this - is to constitute themselves as farm-to-table cuisine, permitting them to avoid some of the excesses of modern cuisine in the name of authenticity. As I have stated elsewhere, I am skeptical that I would be able to taste the difference between local ingredients and distant ingredients if the menu did not advertise the fact. When I see a reference to, say, field mushrooms from Cowpie Farms, I don't know whether this is the same farm from which the fungi have always come, but now a publicist has crowned the farm with a name. (The Old Edwards Inn has a farm garden and grows some of its own food).
The appetizer, Pancetta Wrapped Palmetto Quail with Roasted Apples, Dates, Swiss Chard, and Natural Jus, was a distinguished dish. Confident, subtle, complex, moist, and exquisite. Dates, it must be pointed out, are not known to be native to North Carolina and it might be a bit early for apples. I assume that quails are somewhere about (South Carolina?), but I am no hunter. But philosophical quibbles aside, it was as glorious a dish as might be desired.
The entree, Striped Bass with Truffled White Asparagus, Poached Peaches, Spinach, and Lemon Creme Fraiche, was well-conceived (it is a little late for asparagus, which unlike its sunlit green cousin, tends toward the mushy). But the accompaniments matched well, and it was a pretty plate. The fish, while not over-cooked was not translucent, and in talking with Chef Huerta after dinner, I learned that they received a bass that was of a larger size than desired, requiring some extra cooking to avoid toughness. The spiced crust on the fish was exceptionally flavorful as was the Lemon Creme Fraiche.
As mentioned, the dessert - Warm Banana Cake with Rum Raisin Ice Cream in Dark Myers Rum Sauce - was sweet and good, but no challenge to the senses. It was well-made, but owing more to tradition that to innovation, although the puck-like cake was nicely moist and well-textured.
There are many restaurants in this resort community - On the Verandah, Wolfgang's - where one can eat a well-cooked meal, but it is only at Madison's where there are flashes of brilliance. Granted these flashes are particularly evident in the specials, but that is why they are called specials.
Madison's
Old Edwards Inn
Fourth and Main Street
Highland, North Carolina
866-526-8008
828-526-8008
http://www.oldedwardsinn.com/
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