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Twilight Just As Wonderful The Second Time Around
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Food: 4 stars (out of 4)
Atmosphere: 3 stars (out of 4)
Service: 3 stars (out of 4) |
January 2, 2009
It seems the Sanibel snowbirds are a forgiving lot. Or maybe they just really appreciate a good meal.
Either way, they've flocked to the newly reopened and relocated Twilight Cafe in droves.
A two-year absence and a change of scenery have done little to deter fans of chef Robert Parks' eclectic, inventive menu. And after a delicious meal at the new location, I can see what all the flocking's about.
I stopped in on an otherwise quiet Monday night, sans reservation - big mistake.
The parking lot overflowed with cars and, inside, patrons lined the bar and waiting area, wine glasses in hand, waiting for tables.
We joined them, sipping glasses of Cristalino, a sparkling, citrusy white wine from Spain. Twilight's wine list is dominated by Californian and Pacific Northwest selections, with a few international varietals thrown into the mix.
After 30 minutes or so, the hostess took us to a corner table in the cafe's open and expansive dining room. The decor is a beachy-Southwestern hybrid with exposed wood-beamed ceilings and whitewashed walls studded with pounded metal suns and moons, the Cafe's signatures.
The airy nature of the dining room does little to absorb the sounds of 100-some diners chatting, their glasses clinking and forks scraping, while a dozen or so servers hustle to and from the kitchen.
To put it bluntly, Twilight is loud. In its defense, it's a sort of convivial noise that reminds me of big family reunions or neighborhood block parties - the kind of loud you want to be a part of.
After many more minutes our waitress appeared to take our order. She apologized for the long waits and her charming, friendly nature made them easy to forget.
We settled on New Zealand green-lipped mussels and a spinach arugula salad to start.
The former were enormous. Beautiful, green-rimmed shells popped with plump bits of meat. The mussels swam in a creamy pool of garlicky, white wine broth.
The salad was a refreshing counterpoint.
Bitter arugula and tender leaves of baby spinach mingled in a warm pancetta dressing with candied pecans, gorgonzola and tomatoes.
That's about all I need to sustain me in life. Well, that and a perfectly cooked filet of beef.
Blackened on the exterior and beautifully medium rare within, the filet came with a hearty scoop of goat cheese mashed potatoes laced with bits of fragrant basil.
And while we're on the topic of perfection, there was the sesame-crusted tuna.
The ruby-red meat cut like butter, but still maintained that steak-like texture I love so much in ahi. A side of wasabi-infused mashed potatoes added just the right amount of sinus-clearing heat.
Both entrees came with a side of Twilight's signature grilled broccoli. It didn't pair quite as nicely with the tuna as it did with the filet, but it was perfectly cooked, leaving the little florets slightly caramelized and nicely crunchy.
Having finished our vegetables we treated ourselves to dessert - a baked apple wrapped in puff pastry and a decadent chocolate cobbler.
The cobbler - imagine a kind of brownie bread pudding - was a tad too rich for my taste, but any chocoholic would likely disagree.
The apple was cored and seeded, but otherwise left whole to roast in its own juices. The end product was fork-tender and delicious, perfectly complemented by a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Twilight Cafe is back.
And like the many Sanibel residents who packed in for dinner that Monday night, I'm happy to have it. |
