Tierra Sur Restaurant
Review
On
the very eastern edge of Oxnard, in one of the most unlikely of places -- at
least from my point of view -- is one of the very neatest restaurants at
which I have had the pleasure of having dined: Tierra Sur. From the Herzog
winery Website, I have lifted the following quote:
"... inside Herzog Wine Cellars new state-of-the-art
winery, is Chef Todd Aarons’ second incarnation of Mediterranean
influenced seasonal cuisine, this time utilizing California’s local
produce. Chef Aarons is a veteran of Zuni Café in San Francisco and Savoy
in Manhattan, and is now returning home to California to make Tierra Sur
his new abode."
Believe me when I tell you that everything about Tierra Sur,
from the appetizers to the fine wines from the cellars of Herzog, is top
notch. Lauren and I had stopped at the Herzog wine Cellars building a day
earlier just to do a tasting and to check out the winery - a kosher winery
by the way - and, after looking at the menu and speaking with some of the
nicest people that I have yet encountered (especially at a winery), we
decided that we would return for dinner. By the way, we decided to do the
Special Reserve Tasting - $6 per person, the tasting fee waived with the
purchase of a Special Reserve wine; (we did purchase one) - and enjoyed a
2004 Russian River Chardonnay, a 2002 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a
2005 Lodi Zinfandel and a 2005 Late Harvest Zinfandel. All were excellent;
the self-guided tour of the winery is something that one should definitely
take advantage of; there was some great history of the family and its
wine-making endeavors.
Upon returning the next evening, we were
seated at a four-top - one of only about a dozen tables in the whole place -
that was covered with a starched and pristine white cloth; fresh cloth
napkins were folded at each place, and a single flower and a candle graced
the austere table. A basket of warm bread was brought immediately, along
with glasses of ice water. The menu was a plethora of items that I would
generally not expect to see... all of them a study in mouth-watering
masterpieces from Executive Chef Todd Aarons.
The appetizer list boasted
items such as Cornmeal Cod Cake with Bowfin Caviar and Truffled Chive
Vinegrette, Chorizo Lamb Sausage and Black Olive Piadina; Flat Bread with
Watercress and Cherry Tomato Salad with Zahtar Dressing, and Jerusalem
Artichoke Soup with Fired Artichoke Croutons and Toasted Walnut Oil.
Entrees included Mustard and Juniper-encrusted
Venison with Sautéed Brussel Sprouts, Lardons and Homemade Spatzle with Red
Wine Currant Jus, Breaded Veal Chop with Broccoli Rabe, House-made Lamb
Bacon and Braeburn Apples with Cider and
Red Wine Lentil Stew and Pan-seared Onaga, Hawaiian Red Snapper with Black
Rice Pilaf and Curried Fish Stew.
Choices were difficult - I have selected but a tiny sample of
the many listed; the menu changes seasonally - due to the interesting entree
selections, but we finally decided to split a dish called "Platillos,
small plates of salt cod beignets, mushrooms and garlic custard, molasses
cured salmon" as an appetizer (wonderful flavors by the way!). For dinner,
Lauren ordered the "Marjoram and savory roasted chicken with wild mushrooms,
roasted baby carrots and turnips" and I chose the "Pan seared Onaga" (see
above). The service was paced perfectly and we had plenty of time to not
only enjoy dinner but to enjoy our conversation as well. The kitchen was in
full view, and I was surprised at the relatively small size of the facility,
but everything almost seemed to be choreographed and not a motion was
wasted; neither was there much conversation in the kitchen. When the food
was delivered to the table, it was as hot as I could ever imagine - a real
treat for me, as that is how I was taught it should be; rarely have I
experienced it.
We also ordered a glass of the same
vintage Chardonnay that we had sampled the day before; it was brought by a
sommelier with subtle but elegant manner and presented with style and
grace. As we proceeded with dinner, I noticed that the entire room was
dining with the calm, quiet and dignity that I would SO like to see more
often in restaurants and rarely do. Our dinners were absolutely exquisite
and more than ample enough to dissuade us from trying one of the many
desserts. We even had to take a small bit of our dinners home with us.
I do have to say that, even
though it was a Monday evening, I would have thought that Tierra Sur would
have been busier. The prices were a bit higher than other fine dining
venues, but then again, what is offered is far and away above many of those
same places. The bottom line is that that Tierra Sur is definitely a
four-and-a-half Zin dining experience. I would attribute much of this to
the attention to detail - of everything from the initial seating to the
presentation of the meal and wine. Tierra Sur is a top notch restaurant and
it definitely deserves to be placed at the top of you places to visit when
in the Oxnard area. They also serve lunch and offer a wine tasting menu
(with food) as well. Great job by Chef Aarons and his fine kitchen crew,
and also to the excellent wait-staff!

Ralph Pancetta
reviews@ralphpancetta.com
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