by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
One of the more notable restaurants in St. Augustine is Collage, which occupies the space of the former La Parisienne restaurant. When Mike Hyatt and Cindy Stangby took over La Parisienne in 2006, they began slowly revamping the menu from French cuisine to a more global menu. In February of this year they changed the name to Collage, in order to reflect that change from traditional French to a more eclectic menu, what they call “artful global dining.”
The atmosphere still recalls a French dining experience, with richly colored terracotta walls, white tablecloths and low lighting. It’s easy to understand why their intimate dining rooms would attract those looking for a romantic meal.
The appetizer menu leads off with an unsurprising ahi tuna, which seems to be available at every eatery these days, upscale or not. Though I love both the presentation and taste of ahi tuna, I decided to go for something else. My eyes widened at some of the more unusual choices, such as their homemade gingersnap cookies served with a wedge of Stilton cheese and topped with spiced nuts and a balsamic glaze. The mushroom poblano (a mild pepper), crêpes and the three-cheese pesto cheesecake snagged my attention. Empanadas were also included on the appetizer menu, served with an avocado cream sauce. I was faced with a tough decision, but in the end I opted for their escargot, a favorite of many of their regular diners. The excellent, creamy presentation was made rich and meaty with the addition of exquisitely sautéed mushrooms, all ensconced in a light-but-substantial puff pastry, which soaked up the sauce and added a delightful variance in texture. I’ve had so many bad preparations of escargot that this sent me into a fit of fierce joy. I knew we had more courses coming, so we pushed it away and had our waitress take it from the table so that it would no longer be a temptation.
Before I got the main course, I sampled the warmed goat cheese salad. The goat cheese they use has a creamier flavor than most, encrusted with macadamia nuts atop a spring greens salad. This salad sang, from the artichokes to the tomatoes, to the incredible brown butter vanilla bean vinaigrette.
After the heavenly salad and stellar appetizer, I was a bit disappointed in both the entrées I tried. I nearly cracked a tooth on a piece of shell when I took a bite of the Florida Bouillabaisse. There weren’t many pieces of broken shell in the dish, but I managed to find the sharpest piece. It reverberated through my tooth and then somehow stabbed my gum. Following that, I ate more carefully. The occasional shell piece does wander into dishes like this, so I was willing to forgive it. They certainly don’t skimp on the seafood in this entrée, piling it high with a cornucopia from the sea, but there were problems other than the stray shell pieces I encountered. The shrimp were overcooked, and that’s a culinary sin I can’t forgive. The scallops were fine and absorbed the flavor of the lush base nicely, and the small but tasty lobster crowning the dish gave me high hopes for the rest of it. Apparently, this entrée is something folks come back for again and again, so I may have had the only mediocre version of their Florida Bouillabaisse ever served.
My husband ordered the duck, which was smothered in a sharp and sweet raspberry shallot white wine reduction. Although I am a fan of sweet with my meat, the reduction simply overpowered the poor duck. The flavors balanced out somewhat with a bite of the goat cheese potatoes, which were more creamy than sharp. The duck was well-presented and it was tasty, once the sauce was scraped off. It wasn’t that the tart sauce wasn’t good, it was just that a little of it went a long, long way. It was a last minute substitution, as the menu said that it was a sherry sauce instead of a wine sauce. I don’t know if the original sauce is as intense, but I’d suggest ordering the sauce on the side, just to be safe.
For dessert, I decided on their signature Bougainvillea Dessert, made in honor of the bougainvillea tree peeking over the outside doorway of the restaurant. Frenchman Marceau Poncet transported the first bougainvillea to St. Augustine from Corsica in 1985. There’s just nothing like a good story to go with a good dessert, and Collage’s tree is unique in the U.S. The majority of the original tree was killed by a severe winter snowstorm in ‘87; but one small shoot survived to result in the twenty-foot tree that now hangs over the restaurant. Remarkable for its large clusters of hot pink and vivacious lilac flowers, the beauty of the bougainvillea tree is one of the most famous landmarks on narrow Hypolita Street.
Their Bougainvillea Dessert features a homemade vanilla bean ice cream served in a leaf-shaped phyllo cup, topped with a cabernet vanilla sauce and served with strawberries sautéed in butter with black pepper. The preparation brings out the tartness of the strawberries, nicely balanced with the sweetness of the ice cream and the papery phyllo.
I also sampled their respectable homemade butter rum cake finished with a sweet rum glaze, feather-light whipped topping and fresh strawberry garnish. This dessert would pair well with a fine port or a rich coffee.
While some of my experience at Collage wasn’t exactly what I’d hoped, there were plenty of happy diners all around us and Collage has quite a good reputation for fine cuisine in and around the St. Augustine area. For a terrific atmosphere and excellent service, they do very, very well.
INFO: 60 Hypolita Street, St. Augustine
(904) 829-0055 collagestaug.com
Dinner only, from 5:30 pm. Reservations recommended.
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