by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
Just across the street from the merry-go-round on San Marco Avenue in St. Augustine is a jewel of a restaurant called Cortessés Bistro. We entered from the side, into a charming garden patio with vines and a fountain. Tiled, comfortable looking built-in booths serve as most of the seating, rather than the standard lawn furniture sets you’ll find in most restaurants’ garden seating. Inside and out, Cortessés takes garden elegance to the next level. You can also be seated with a garden view inside, where the sunny yellow flowers in the vases contrast the cobalt blue glasses and the crisp, white tablecloths. It’s a very St. Augustine kind of place, with a sense of age (because it’s in a late nineteenth century house) and the garden elegance that mirrors little European bistros. Not every table has a romantic view (though most do), so if you’re going there for an anniversary dinner, make sure you request a garden view or let the staff know in advance.
If you’re of the mind to drink your meal instead of eating it, there’s always Cortessés Flamingo Room, which offers a great atmosphere as well as a good selection of wines and specialty martinis. Among the interesting martini selections is the Red Delicious, which is reported to taste like an alcoholic version of its apple namesake. With regular entertainment, stiff drinks and tons of atmosphere, the Flamingo room is considered to be the best bar in St. Augustine by many locals.
Cortessés encourages intimate dining because the main restaurant is really a house and is broken up into different sections or rooms. We sat in a room with walls of green and murals of images stolen from Renaissance artists in love with Greek and Roman deities. Because Cortessés is sectioned, you’ll have a fairly quiet meal, without a lot of noise and hubbub, even if they’re fully booked.
Their reasonably priced Sunday Champagne Jazz Brunches do draw a crowd. Selections range in price from a $9 vegetarian omelet to a $14 seafood crepe. Each meal comes with a complimentary glass of champagne, mimosa, bellini or poinsettia.
Though fine dining is the watchword of Cortessés, they’re also known for their burgers. Artichoke fans will also love their house specialty, artichoke soup, one item that often brings patrons back. In a nod toward local St. Augustine cuisine, one of the entrée selections is Minorcan Stew.
If you meet Cortessés owner, Michael Smyth, you’ll know it because of his unmistakable Irish brogue. He’s a native of Ireland with international experience in the restaurant industry, from Hawaii to Australia and London to Las Vegas. It was in Vegas that Smyth owned The Aristocrat, which received accolades as one of the top gourmet restaurants in the city. St. Augustine, luckily, stole him away and he’s been part of the gourmet establishment ever since. The place has won local awards from the fashionable Taste of St. Augustine, as well as first prize in the Great Chowder Debate.
We began our Cortessés dining experience with their fried oyster appetizer. The oysters were both tender and plump, lovingly encased in fried goodness, served on a bed of fried spinach with a creamy and slightly spicy sauce. The fried spinach both contrasted and supported the various flavors and textures of the dish, which was well executed overall. The leaves were fried just enough to lend them a slightly papery texture, bringing out a full, robust flavor. My only complaint was that there was an excess of oil used to fry the spinach, and it was a little much for me, particularly with the creamy hollandaise that accompanied it. Still, it was a lovely appetizer, one that will remain in my memory and will be ordered again.
Other appetizers on the menu include their homemade crab cakes, served with a lemon aioli, dill-peppered salmon and a seafood crepe. Next time I’ll be ordering the imported brie, which is wrapped in a puff pastry and served with fruit and a lingonberry sauce for dipping.
There’s an entrée for nearly every palate on the menu, from filet mignon and pork tenderloin to various pasta-based dishes. Since I haven’t indulged in duck in a while, I chose the citrus duckling. It’s slow roasted, brushed with a Szechuan-style glaze and served with mandarin oranges. Some duck presentations lean more towards very sweet, which I don’t mind, but this one had a nice balance of sweet and savory. I loved the addition of mandarin oranges, which gave the dish more color and flair.
Desserts here are classic and traditional, with selections such as crème brûlée, tiramisu and cheesecake. All of the desserts are prepared in-house. I stole a few bites of my husband’s lush chocolate cake and enjoyed a genuine key lime pie. The whipped cream, is lovely here, not really sweet, but piled atop or beside lush and sweet desserts, letting the creamy contrast add to the experience of the dessert. A good whipped cream isn’t weighed down by sweetness, and Cortessés gets it right.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
