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By Kelly Ranasinghe
Cuvee is a discovery… a serendipitous meeting
in the midst of springtime. Nestled in the sun-soaked hills of western
La Jolla, and guarded by white terraces and spring flowers so reminiscent
of Southern France, Cuvee is as much a happy accident, as a restaurant
of caliber.
From the grace and friendly charm of Cuvee’s
staff, so tactfully demonstrated to this inelegant writer by a young
Stacy, to it’s eighty-vintage strong wine list, Cuvee shelters
it’s parishioners from society by inviting them to dine in
an earth-bound cloud of hospitality, taste, and intimacy.
Cuvee’s menu is unlike the common place three
or four page culinary milieu. On a single page, Cuvee’s menu
is elegantly brief…ranging from several aperitifs (consider
an Arugula Salad), to more complete entrees (For example, Duck Breast
and Grilled Sausage on White Beans)..
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Each selection is accompanied by a tactful wine suggestion, flanked
with a wide range of vintages ranging from a Stag’s Leap Petit
Syrah, to a Kanu. Yet despite the elegant brevity so akin to a restaurant
from a Peter Mayle novel, the patron will not want for lack of selection.
Cuvee’s breadth of flavor ranges from a Black
Mussel Gumbo, to a subtle lobster bisque, and does not neglect fowl,
nor hoof. Indeed, this author was entranced with a superbly done
braised beef guarded by flagettes of yellow squash and corgettes,
while his companion ceased all conversation to direct her full attentions
to a magnificently done salmon similarly posed upon a bed of mash.
Indeed, truth be told, written or spoken words cannot
do justice to the level of expertise and attention which was paid
to these meals.
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