Repast—The Review

From the French “to take a meal,” repast has such pleasant connotations for me—lazy days spent passing the time nibbling on a bunch of grapes and a wedge of brie while sipping rosé and feeling a cool spring breeze on my face. In my book, a repast should be both relaxing and leisurely; Repast, the restaurant I recently visited, delivers on both counts.

The smallish main dining room is illuminated by soft up-lighting and low burning candles, its industrial elements tempered by natural wood and floral accents scattered around the space. Even a table in the middle of the room managed to feel intimate.

For some uncalculated reason, my dinner-mate and I both chose beverages from Germany: Struktur, a ‘04 Riesling for me and Aventinus, a high-gravity beer for him. The Riesling was delicious; warm and fruity in the mouth but with very little after-bite. Perfect for the person, like me, who doesn’t want to pair their wine with each course (or know how to), but would prefer one variety to enjoy for the night.

For the first course, we shared a Tasmanian salmon naan pizzette with goat cheese, fried capers and shallots. (This is the second dine in as many months that a dish we’ve ordered has included fried capers; they’re amazing, but do I smell a trend?) The generous portion of salmon was buttery without even a hint of fishiness. My only complaint—more goat cheese, please!

I also had the white bean soup with Tuscan kale and crispy bacon slices before the main dishes arrived. The soup was tomato based—a surprise—and could have benefited from a little more salt. I would have made the addition myself, but no salt or pepper was offered on our table. I hate this—it smacks of pretension to suggest that I’m not capable of adjusting the seasonings of my dish.

My entrée of Tasmanian salmon in grape leaves with wheat berry couscous in a curry emulsion quickly made me forget about my salt complaint, however. The salmon—cooked medium, as requested—was fork tender and complimented nicely by the salty, slightly crispy grape leaf wrapper. The curry emulsion might have been a little shy on heat, but the flavor definitely came through. I enjoyed it to the last bite.

For his main course, my dining companion chose the porcini-crusted filet mignon served alongside black truffle agnolotti and wild mushroom fricassee. The agnolotti was amazing—tender, ravioli-like pasta pouches stuffed with the most delicately balanced truffle puree I’ve ever tasted. The truffles really allowed the beef to “sing,” enhancing the rich, meaty flavor without coming close to overwhelming it. The filet was petite, indeed, but left us with room for dessert, which turn out to be a really, really good thing.

I’d been told to try the Japanese-style, soufflé cheesecake and I’m glad I heeded the advice. The menu described it as “garnished with citrus zest and tropical purées;” hmm. The citrus, as well as a hint of ginger, was there, but the purées were definitely blueberry and raspberry. It was still delicious, lighter and moister than the ubiquitous “New York-style” cheesecakes, and not the typical chocolate indulgence that leaves you feeling stuffed after a big meal. I’d recommend ending your repast at Repast on this light and sweet note.