C.J. Bienert at the Sbrocco
cheese station.
Sbrocco
208 Court Ave.,
282-3663
Mon. - Sat.
11a.m. - 2 p.m.
and 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
|
Sbrocco
Sbrocco is the latest venture
of Full Court Press, a local group
of buddies whose themed bars and
restaurants (Hessen Haus, El Bait
Shop, Royal Mile, etc.) have reinvigorated
the Court Avenue district. Their
new café is also evidence
that the laws of maturity apply
even to fun loving crews with
exceptional energy and imagination.
Wine, not beer, is the focus here,
and Sbrocco has discounted wine
so much that partners said they
heard they have aggravated some
other restaurateurs. That could
be. I spotted one $18 bottle that
recently poured for $9 a glass
elsewhere. Sbrocco’s glasses,
served in Riedel stemware, began
at just $4, and almost all of
its 200 bottles were priced under
$40.
That’s enough to lure a lot
of people into this intriguing
hodgepodge of design where copper
ceiling tiles have been welded
into bar tops, banquettes have
escaped from the Embassy Club
and stained glass windows have
found refuge from several churches.
A cheese station anchors the dining
room, and cheese plates included
top rated French, U.S. and Italian
options with fruit and fruit preserves.
Hearty homemade breads were way
above average, too. Good soups
included a corn bisque and sun
dried tomato with bacon. House
salads featured good fresh greens
(a rare thing in this rain drenched
year), prosciutto, goat cheese,
fresh green beans and radishes
dressed neatly in lemon juice
and olive oil.
Duck skewers were served surprisingly
without any skin or fat, and the
remaining meat seemed despondent
about the separation. Its pomegranate
barbecue dressing tasted sweet
more than fruity. Oysters were
fried perfectly in crunchy corn
meal and paired well with an inventive
roast corn pico de gallo and a
chipotle cream sauce. They were
served on fried tortillas that
detracted from the oysters. A
marvelous bacon wrapped polenta
kept the corn theme going with
creamy smoked Gouda invigorating
an under appreciated dish. White
beer mussels were served with
a good broth of Iowa beer, andouille,
peppers and onions. The dish could
have used more than the two tiny
pieces of sausage, and most of
the broth was sadly wasted on
the bottom of an awkwardly narrow
cast iron kettle. Accompanying
pommes frites lacked the crispness
one expects from that dish, but
an excellent aioli compensated.
I had planned to order Creole
style quail but, while enjoying
appetizers, I noticed people at
the next table struggling to cut
any quail meat from its bones
and finally giving up. I switched
to a nearly perfect escolar, crisp
and moist with a crust of cumin
and accompanied by more roast
corn pico de gallo and a good
cilantro cream sauce. Rice was
advertised on the menu but missing
from my plate. The best, and most
inventive, dishes were vegetarian:
“Sun-dried tomato risotto” resembled
rice cakes — its starches remained
trapped within the rice kernels,
not released into a creamy broth
as in literal risottos. Such deceptions
backfire if the dish isn’t really
good, but this one was — crisp,
subtly flavored and paired beautifully
with fresh micro greens. A wild
mushroom, potato and kohlrabi
“pave” was even better, despite
taking liberties with its name.
(No mousse, foam, nor even a square
shape could be discerned.) The
vegetables worked beautifully
together, a goat cheese topping
added contrast and the accompanying
Port wine reduction was sensational.
I taste at least 20 boring wine
reductions for every one that
truly improves a good dish like
this one did. A cold strawberry
cream soup made a perfect summer
dessert.
Bottom line — creative chef Darin
Sturgill is a good match for Full
Court Press. Like that crew, he’s
committed to local foods, but
he values eclecticism and risk-taking
over standard operating procedures.
Side dish
Enoteca, a wine shop, opened adjacent
to Mosaix in West Des Moines.
Wine purchased at Enoteca is not
subject to corkage fees in that
café… Django, in Hotel
Fort Des Moines, has suspended
corkage fees on Sundays. CV
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