LANGDON HALL REMAINS IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN
One invites friends to dine at a high-end restaurant with trepidation. Will the food meet expectations, the cost be justifiable? With entrées ranging from $36 to $56, dinner at Langdon Hall remains an expensive special event for most people. Happily, from the apple fennel parfait amuse-bouche, to a final offering of blackcurrant jelly and vanilla caramel treats, this well-paced three-hour dinner was hands-down the best, most relaxed, I’ve had in the region.
Our foursome was comfortably seated at a large table in the gracious main dining room. Friendly negotiations concluded, we ordered four of both the five à la carte appetizers and mains. Oddly no fish dishes were offered, except on the separate tasting menu: I was subsequently assured Langdon is pleased to serve wild salmon, tuna, sturgeon and trout at any meal upon request, something that should probably be made explicit by the otherwise-excellent servers.
We challenged the sommelier to find a white wine to complement the four very different apps, and a red for our equally varied mains, within our price range. After several questions regarding our preferences, he did so masterfully. A meaty Chilean Merlot/Cab blend followed a floral fruitforward Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, satisfying everyone.
My Sweetbreads Forestière ($27), finished with cognac, were cooked perfectly. The dish incorporated mushrooms foraged from the property, including morels found by the hotel’s pool that Executive Chef Jason Bangerter emphatically claims are the best in the world. My wife chose Dressed Snow Crab ($25) with honey crisp apple, sorrel, and dill. I thought it subtle and delightful, but agreed the portion was, shall we say, restrained. One of our companions thought her Veal Tartare ($26), spiked with pickled mustard seed and served with crispy Jerusalem artichoke chips and purée and golden raisin jam, the whole hiding under nasturtium leaves, was a knockout. It was, and I wish I had thought to ask her for a second mouthful.
We were delighted by a second amusebouche, a small complimentary appetizer before the mains. Chicken and duck liver parfait, flavoured with truffle, was playfully packed in a duck foot porcelain egg cup. Thin fried chicken skin, translucent caramel crisps, and cacao and dark chocolate crumb garnishes added further delicious dimensions.
Not having been asked how we wanted our meat, we were glad it came quite rare. My loin of tender Hay Baked Lamb ($48),with a parsnip root epically-roasted in brown butter for four hours, was a subtle meld of meat and field, prepared using an old world recipe. My wife’s Venison saddle ($56), accompanied by oxeye daisy leaves, mushrooms, and a sprinkle of sumac was tender, leaving her speechless. Our lucky companion swooned over three giant Sea Scallops ($55), though she was not enamoured of the cauliflower as a complement, even if it is a classic modern coupling.
Not everything was perfect, however. Even though our other friend thought the presentation of his Borscht En Gelée ($22), with its array of beetroot, trout caviar, crème fraîche and mint, stunning, he observed the mirror-like ruby gelée lacked in taste. He also deemed his sous-vide breast of Heritage Hen ($40), with morels, savoury jus and a hen bone bouillon, merely fine, though he found the complex accompanying terrine amazing.
Nevertheless, he joined the rest of us gasping in pleasure at the taste of Langdon Hall Honey Mousse, sourced from Langdon’s own beehives. The sweets ($16) were all spectacular. My dessert included pumpkin seed sponge cake, white chocolate and rhubarb sorbet, while my wife’s Terroir Bomb featured Chef’s own chocolate blend in a Chantilly mousse, spiked with Kalamansi lime, a mandarin-kumquat cross. It is little wonder desserts in other establishments often appear lacklustre.
Though the Chef now seeks inspiration from peers world-wide, he says he’s blessed to continue to be inspired by the gardens, the bees and the forest just outside his kitchen. With dining of this calibre, we are truly fortunate to have Langdon Hall on our own doorstep.
Assessing food, atmosphere, service and prices, Dining Out restaurant reviews are based on anonymous visits to the establishments. Restaurants do not pay for any portion of the reviewer’s meal. Alex Bielak can be reached at www.twitter.com/alexbielak.