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Scott Conant hasn't been involved with Scarpetta since 2014 so I had to wipe the slate clean and start fresh with this spinoff Onda. Is there is one word to describe the food? Yes. Amazing.
I started with the creamy polenta which was served with the most savory and rich truffled mushroom gravy I have ever tasted. It was referred to as a fricassee on the menu but this was certainly not of the chicken variety. They were in separate bowls and you could take as much or as little of the mushrooms and mix it.
The polenta by itself had the consistency of a fine bechamel, except it was deep with fresh corn flavor and just a hint of nuttiness. The gravy by itself could be its own dish as a delicious mushroom soup if it had been thinned down or creamed just a bit. This gravy was the definition of what mushroom flavor should be: Earthy, meaty and savory - all in one. And it had some sweet onions to balance it. Of course the idea is to mix the two together to your taste, which is what the waiter had started for me. There are not many perfect bites of food I have had in in my life. A few come to mind. My first soup dumpling at Joe's Shanghai in New York's Chinatown. The Stuffed Short Rib Burger at Maison Boulud in Beijing China, The Clam Roll at The Clam Shack in Kennebunkport Maine. And the Pacific Oysters from Freycinet Oyster Farm in Tasmania. I will now add this creamy polenta to that list. I really wanted to scrape the polenta down to the bottom of the bowl, but I knew what other items were coming and didn't want to get too full - at least not yet.
Next up was Short Rib Ravioli. This pasta was just delicate pillows of dough, stuffed with some of the most flavorful beefy short ribs I have had. It came with some garlic chips which were great for crunch and shavings of horseradish for a subtle bite. Too often you see ravioli served without any thought about contrasting the texture of the pasta. This was a very thoughtful and flavorful dish.
My wife ordered the braised octopus. This is one of my all time favorite seafood proteins - when cooked properly. And they did a great job here. Octopus is just like calamari. You either cook it eally quick or really low and slow. In the middle of those two extremes and you will likely wind up with large, stringy rubber bands. The chefs knew what they were doing when they braised this. Buttery and tender served with a sofrito. A sofrito is essentially a Spanish tomato sauce although peppers and garlic are usually the star attraction instead of tomatoes as you would find in an Italian sauce (or gravy). There were also some chickpeas for texture and small pieces of pancetta for some saltiness. Pancetta was a smart addition since bacon would have added an unnecessary smoky flavor to the delicate octopus.
I was able to try the seared tuna which was so well cooked. Often when a kitchen sears tuna, it comes to your table more on the medium side which ruins the intention of ordering it. When we asked the waiter he said the searing was just for a few seconds a side, and the plating confirmed that!! Perfect rare tuna!! What made this dish stand out was the pistachio vinaigrette. The added nuttiness and acid married perfectly with the rich tuna. It also has some green beans for crunch.
This was the pan seared Branzino which is also sometimes referred to as European Sea Bass. I would have liked the skin to be a bit crispier however the fish was perfectly seasoned. Perhaps another minute searing on the skin side would have helped. The fish has a sweet taste and I appreciated that they kept the sauce on the bottom of the plate under the fish. Too often you see restaurants spend alot of time cooking something for crispiness or appearance, only to plate it then drown it in a sauce. Here the lemony caper sauce was complimentary to the fish - not the other way around. You could dip into the sauce and have as much or as little as you wanted. It also went nicely with the rainbow cauliflower.
It was a terrific meal and I would recommend you eat here when sailing on NCL Encore. I have heard they are adding this to other ships, replacing their existing Italian restaurant La Cocina. My only complaint is that the main part of the restaurant is very loud. There are no drapes and the ceiling appears to have no sound dampening. So you will hear the clatter of the kitchen and the mumbling of fellow diners throughout your meal. It may not be a good choice if you are looking for a romantic dinner. They did offer outdoor seating on the Waterfront which may be a better option for less noise, although depending on weather conditions, might be windy. But even with the noise factor, the menu here is well designed and the food expertly prepared.
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