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New owner, talented chef create revised view of restaurant
Dennis R. Getto
Journal Sentinel dining critic
What a difference a new owner can make.
Two years ago, I reviewed Arlene's, a restaurant in the clubhouse of the Bristlecone Pines Golf Course in Hartland.
An attractive place, the restaurant had large windows overlooking the course and the exclusive Bristlecone Pines subdivision that surrounds it. But at its best, the food at Arlene's rose only a bit over mediocre.
In February, Milwaukee restaurateur Norm Eckstaedt, who also owns the elegant Red Circle Inn, took over the restaurant operation and renamed it The Pines.
Eckstaedt's goal was to provide a place where golfers could combine a round on the course with an elegant meal afterward. He's succeeded, but the result is a white-tablecloth restaurant where you don't have to be a golfer or a country club member to enjoy a creatively prepared meal.
Much of the credit for the great food goes to creative chef R.C. Schroeder, who established his reputation as the main man in the kitchen at Zydeco's in Greenfield in the mid 1990s.
So it came as no surprise to me that the blackened catfish fillets ($17.95) were among the best I've eaten anywhere. The three pieces of boneless fish had been dredged through a lively blend of peppers and other Cajun spices, then sauteed in a white-hot pan.
What did come as a surprise was the mound of saffron pasta that lay beneath the fish. Schroeder had bathed the thin noodles in a fragrant fennel-tomato broth. That detail, and many others like it, distinguished the Pines on the two nights I visited it.
At Zydeco's, Schroeder was restrained by the limitations of Louisianan cuisine. In his new kitchen, he's flying high, drawing in flavors from all over the world. And he adds a small complimentary appetizer to each meal. On one recent night, it was a slice of lovely homemade seafood sausage flavored with tarragon and bathed in basil oil.
On the two nights we visited, a special appetizer featured three large shrimp each wrapped in a strip of ahi tuna, rolled in toasted and blackened sesame seeds, then served with a small mold of Asian sticky rice. It was as good an appetizer as I've eaten in any sushi shop.
The chef's rendition of duck breast ($18.95) went a step further. The meat had been marinated in a citrus-soy sauce, grilled, sliced, then served around a homemade Oriental rice cake with a slightly sweet, Mexican-inspired chipotle peanut sauce. A bright mound of freshly julienned strips of carrot, squash and sweet pepper added color and crunch to the plate.
Other dishes showed that Schroeder has the kind of creativity that has rocketed new American cooking to new heights in recent years.
Fresh Atlantic salmon was grilled perfectly (crusty on the outside, creamy on the inside) then placed atop a mound of hash made from buttery Yukon Gold potatoes, chunks of fresh fennel, bacon and sweet red pepper. The dish looked as good as it tasted.
Schroeder put a creative spin on a nightly special entree of scallops ($20.95) by crusting them with crushed almonds and sauteing them just long enough to set the scallops and sweeten the nuts. They were drizzled with a satiny emulsified butter sauce.
An appetizer of halibut cheeks ($7.95) received an equally creative treatment - they had been dusted with cornmeal, sauteed and served atop a thick, emulsified raspberry vinaigrette sauce.
And even the appetizer standby of crab cakes ($8.50) came out of The Pines kitchen with an interesting twist. Rolled in crushed pistachios, the sweet cakes were covered with an orange butter sauce. In the center of the plate stood a delicate little basket of fried Parmesan cheese filled with fresh greens that had been bathed in a sesame oil dressing.
While Schroeder showed a creative hand in many dishes, it was obvious he was just as comfortable working with the traditional. Braised veal shank ($23.95) was the classic Italian osso buco, moist, tender and flavorful with saffron risotto beneath it and braised carrots on the side.
And a cup of chicken rice soup ($2.95) started with fresh homemade broth and held more carrots, celery, onions and rice than Grandma would have added. And traditional, tossed salads ($2.95) were made of the finest field greens.
Only a few minor flaws marred the two dinners I ate at The Pines. Sichuan pepper-seared steer tenderloin ($23.95) was tender and richly flavored, but neither a friend nor I could detect a taste of the fragrant pepper for which the dish was named. And the dauphinoise potatoes that accompanied it hadn't been thoroughly cooked - they were still slightly crunchy.
I appreciated the homemade breads served with dinner, especially the sharp sourdough. But on one occasion, I was served a pale, white bread roll. Another five minutes in the oven would have given it the golden glow it needed.
And while I loved the Grand Marnier cheesecake ($4.50) and thick creme brulee ($4.75), I wasn't impressed by the house whiskey bread pudding ($3.95). It tasted too much like a spice cake that hadn't held together in baking.
Those criticisms weren't enough to limit my enthusiasm about The Pines. This fine new restaurant with its country club atmosphere and fine service is a wonderful addition to western Waukesha County and belongs high on the list of best new restaurants in southeastern Wisconsin.
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* Prices and items may have changed since the publication of this article. *
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