EATING Out: DISH! It's a Must!

The masterminds behind DISH! are chefs Riche Griffin (pictured at right) and Cyrus Keefer. Riche, well known locally as a chef at a number of establishments, met Cyrus in the fall of 2001, and it wasn’t long before they started sharing ideas of hip, fun food in a great environment. They both love fusion cuisine as well as classic French, so DISH! has a very varied menu full of taste sensations from around the world.

Rocky was our waitress, and she was great fun. She knew her menu well, made suggestions, and had a wonderful sense of humor. She told us of the day’s specials while we looked over the menu. For starters our possibilities included steamed pork wontons with spicy cucumber salad and wasabi foam, shrimp toast with horseradish and roasted garlic puree, as well as grilled pizzas and more. We opted for the corn and lump crab cakes with chipotle mayonnaise, red pepper coulis, and fried onion crunches, which was very artfully served with the sauces drizzled on and around the crab cakes, the onions bringing in some crunchiness, and the crab itself, exquisite. Our second choice was crispy calamari, which we ordered only after grilling Rocky. Both my dinner companion and I warned her that we have been to too many restaurants that say theirs is crispy, but somehow you always end up with a plate of greasy rubbery and disappointing calamari. She assured us this would not happen here, and she was right. It’s served with a sweet Thai dipping sauce, fried Thai basil, and crushed peanuts, and we both agreed that this was probably the best calamari we have ever had. It was perfectly done, very crunchy, and the addition of the peanuts and fried basil just added new dimensions to its flavor and texture. There was not a crumb left on the plate!

For entrees, the special whole red snapper sounded right up my alley, but then so did the maple lacquered salmon fillet with bourbon cream and the grilled chili dusted pork medallions with jalapeno polenta and avocado puree. We finally ordered the lightly jerked sea bass with crunchy corn crust, served with a banana-rum beurre blanc, vanilla infused sweet potato puree, banana fritters and marinated asparagus. Beautifully presented, it was superb.

The fish was fresh and tasty, especially with the crust, and all the flavors and textures on the plate were quite wonderful. My friend chose the prosciutto wrapped pan-seared filet mignon with blue butter, red currant-port reduction, grilled figs, and house made herb potato chips. The filet was so tender you could cut it with your fork, and it sat atop the potatoes, which were all in turn sitting in that delicious reduction that perfectly complemented it. The figs were a nice touch. Highly recommended!

A light orange crème brulee with fresh berries and Girl Scout cookies (how can you go wrong with that?) and a dense chocolate crunch torte with peanut butter whipped cream and toffee crème anglaise brought a perfect meal to a perfect close.

In addition to the great food and service, I was also very happy to see the display of absolutely divine mosaic mirrors created by local artist/chef Mary Gaffney. All made of hand-cut stained glass, mirror, ceramic tiles and various found objects, each one is gorgeous and unique.