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| - Retro chic from the bygone era of American classic films collides with reinvented American cuisine to create an interesting; ummm unique; ok, different, dining adventure.
The food sounds familiar but the updated approach to their preparation is not. Sometimes, grandmas recipes can be improved upon but sometimes its best to leave a classic alone.
The seared foie with a vanilla French toast and cherry chutney is perfectly balanced and delicious. Use the toast to mop up the foie fat and wow, the flavors are sublime. Successful reinvention! Then there is the steak tartare with a lemon crème fraiche and an olive tepenade that mask the raw beef flavor and instead heighten the metallic flavor. Eek.
For mains, top props to the fried free range chicken drizzled with a honey-sherry glaze. Juicy, crispy, and a finger licking good sweet / acidic glaze. The crispy Korean style pork belly is OK. The accompanying kimchee fried rice is not. Flat flavor and oily.
Finally, the steaks, the servers claim their prime but they are definitely not top prime or well aged. A little tough. A little lacking in beefy goodness.
Service is very good.
Nice selection of wines. The 50 under $50 list is well chosen and offers some good value. The Captains List has some great finds if you are willing to look but the lack of organization and obscene overpricing of top wines make it hard for any connoisseur to take seriously ('00 Mouton $2900 [$1200 over retail], '00 Lafite $5800 [$3300 over retail]).
The Barrymore fills the void, providing a Strip like, exclusive dining experience without the Strip prices or hassle. Is it worth it? That's for you to decide.
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