Wine And Dine Wednesday: Paul Martin's American Bistro
Sometimes, it's the smallest bite that makes you swoon. That perfect bite that you'll never forget. You just can't wait to taste it again, and think about it and tell your friends until you can. For me, it was the Hammersley Inlet oysters at Paul Martin's American Bistro in Roseville. (More pictures below)
The mantra at Paul Martin's is to use fresh, local, peak of the season ingredients. The idea is to take diners back to the farm with meat raised in a humane and wholesome way, locally sourced organic produce, the best of both wild and farmed fish, artisan cheeses and cured meats from small local purveyors. Brian Bennett and restaurateur Paul Fleming spend months hand-picking the ingredients for the bistro. AND, the staff, who were extremely professional and polished. Plus, they knew the menu backward and forward and helped with drink pairing, which was spot-on.
Back to those oysters. I do not remember exactly how many I had, myself. As I noted, they are from Hammersley Inlet in Washington State. I like small oysters, such as Kumamoto. These Hammersley oysters are TINY! So easy to slip down, with a nice, clean oceany flavor and a bit of cucumber. We were given a mignonette sauce and a cocktail sauce, which were very good, but all we needed was to eat them naked with a splash of lemon. Oh, yes…washed down with a house-made Bistro Champagne Lemonade: house infused meyer lemon vodka, lemon juice and a touch of fresh basil topped with Piper Sonoma bubbles. So happy!
For supper, Dale had the blackened rib eye, which came with their house seasoning and house made mashed potatoes. I tried the Paul Martin "3 Courses For $30″ menu, which came with salad (I chose Caeser), "Petaluma Family Farms Brick Chicken," free-range chicken from Petaluma with mashed potatoes and a dessert. I choose a raspberry creme brule. Dale also got a warm spinach salad and banana cream pie. We shared a side of Bloomsdale spinach, a very special type of green. Dale and I have a huge organic garden, so we really appreciate good produce, simply prepared. This was lightly sautéed with oil and garlic and was still just this side of crisp. Very nice.
I have to tell you, for $30 you will get a lot of food. Great food! My chicken was SO moist, with whole garlic cloves that had roasted with the juices. Great to spread on our Acme bread. We had to admit that Paul Martin's can sure do mash. Some places you go, they're just…well..meh. Not these: rich, light , really spuddy! Is that an adjective? Well, it is now…
The salads were crisp and bright, although I would have liked more than 2 little croutons. They DO use anchovies in their Caesar dressing, which I really dig. The banana cream pie was banana cream pie. My raspberry creme brule was off the hook yummy with its two shortbread cookies.
Paul Martin's has a nice patio, which we took full advantage of on a very warm evening. A little dark, but there's nothing wrong with that. Nice water feature, too. Sounded very pretty.
I would definitely recommend the "3 For $30″ menu. Great value. But, oh….those oysters. So glad that there a few more months with an "R" in them!
Enjoy your Wine & Dine Wednesday Offer – $25 for $50 at Paul Martin's American Bistro! Buy your certificate NOW!
