Tony Stella’s Encore

Tony Stella’s Encore gets a standing ovation for service. We poked our heads in at 6:00 p.m. the Sunday before Labor Day and were immediately seated at the one table with a cancelled reservation. Water, fresh bread and a drink menu arrived as we were “settling in.” In the corner, a young pianist sang Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, one of the most excruciatingly beautiful love songs ever to pass for background music.

The recommended Napa Valley cabernet was smooth and bursting with berries. The absinthe menu was long—fully eight labels, plus mixed drinks—and included a helpful explanation about louching, the process of dripping ice water into the clear spirit until it becomes cloudy. 

Having never tried absinthe before I naturally ordered the 138-proof Grand Absente distilled in Forcalquier, France for $20. Our server reappeared with an armful of accoutrement, and as we watched the water dissolve a sugar cube on the absinthe spoon, she explained how Picasso, Van Gogh and Hemingway waited for “the green fairy.”

Absinthe became legal in this country in 2007. It is traditionally made with anise, fennel and wormwood, giving it a strong licorice flavor. For someone who enjoys both Sambuca and black jelly beans, Grande Absente was refreshingly sweet and herbal. Nursing it through dinner, it acted as a palate cleanser, like pickled ginger with sushi.

Dinner had mixed reviews. Tony himself appeared like a summer storm in a white dress shirt to present the evening specials. "I have chicken: Toscana breaded and grilled breast of chicken over spinach, onion and tomato finished with a balsamic vinaigrette. Chicken. I have filet of sole—hang tight—"

He had received a phone call mid-recital, and it wasn’t until after we overheard his performance at other tables that we realized he never completed our list. 

We ordered off the ample menu. My date’s roasted duck was dry, to the point that she regretted not sending it back. My veal was good—firm but not chewy and covered in a rich dark sauce that Tony said was his mother’s unusual recipe. I tasted garlic, rosemary, onion and vinegar. 

The complementary salad was good; it had a mild blue cheese. The complementary side of pasta was unnecessary: the pasta was out of a box, and the entrées were already too big to finish. I finished my entrée anyway. And most of my pasta. (It had good sauce.)

The meal lasted a spacious two hours. I felt pampered and relaxed. My date felt annoyed about the duck. When the pianist launched into Hallelujah again we knew it was time to go.

http://www.tonystellasencore.com/#!menus/c24tf