I am a long time fan of Boston chef, Will Gilson. His first restaurant, Garden at the Cellar, is one of my all time favorites (read the review from my first visit here). At the end of May I shared with you that Will and his business partner, Aaron Cohen, would be taking over dinner service at the Cape Cod restaurant Adrian's in Truro. As luck would have it, my family has been vacationing in Truro since July 1st.
As soon as I learned of Will and Aaron's take over, I knew I had to experience it. I made a reservation for our family for 7:30pm on Thursday night.
Though I had driven past the entrance to Adrian's countless times on Route 6, I had never actually been. As we pulled up, I was surprised by how casual the atmosphere is.
Adrian's is still open for it's usual service for breakfast, so the Eat decor has to be removable. I was incredibly impressed by the thoughtful touches the duo added to make the place their own.
When you first walk in you are greeted by a welcome message on a large blackboard.
We were seated at a comfortable, spacious table in one of the corners of the restaurant. I immediately noticed the Eat logo stamped in red and black ink on the white, paper table cloths. There was potted rosemary on every table, a design element Gilson also uses at Garden at the Cellar.
The Eat logo also made it's way onto the paper the menus were printed on.
My favorite design element was the light panels. They added a degree of sophistication to the space and they also created a beautiful reflection in the restaurant's windows.
Before I go on, I must admit that I was so excited about this dinner that I had to let Will and Aaron know I was coming. They were kind enough to share my arrival with their manager, Garrett, who came right over once my family was seated and introduced himself. He encouraged us to ask him if we needed anything or had any questions. So kind.
While we looked over the menu our waiter delivered a basket of bread (hearty crust, doughy center - my favorite!) with a side of herbed butter. Another signature Gilson move.
First we placed our orders for drinks. My father ordered the G80, a play on the margarita with habenero syrup. He loved it, particularly the kick from the habenero. I ordered the Newcastle Crossing which was Pimm's with watermelon and lime. Both drinks arrived with a lovely, floating garnish.
My mom and sister each ordered a glass of rose, which my mother commented had a beautiful, raspberry sorbet color.
We drooled over the menu for a solid ten minutes and eventually selected a potpourri of appetizers to share.
We started with the homemade hummus and walnut pesto which was served with warm pita bread. The hummus was so creamy and not overly garlicky. We wiped the plate completely clean.
The bacon wrapped dates (stuffed with hazelnuts and goat cheese) came in an adorable presentation and my sister's boyfriend gobbled them up with glee. He said they were incredibly decadent and he could have eaten ten more.
My father had been looking forward to sampling the fish charcuterie plate after reading about it in Edible Cape Cod magazine. The presentation of the plate was gorgeous. I love the silver measuring spoon for the mustard! My father couldn't get enough of the bluefish and the salmon. After some reluctance, he agreed to let the rest of the family have a few bites. Just a few.
Just as we thought we were finishing our first course, we were delivered two more appetizers, compliments of the chef. The first plate was wood roasted meatballs served with tomato confit, lemon and creme fraiche. Though I don't eat meat, I was drooling at the sight of these. My mother enjoyed them most, pulling the dish back to her end of the table.
The second dish was the "stuffie", a local, stuffed quahog. The presentation of this dish was so elegant. Each stuffie was resting in a clam shell, which was placed on a bed of sea salt. My father, the seafood expert, said the stuffie was superb and he was surprised by how much clam meat was retained (rather that being overpowered by breading). My sister's boyfriend (experiencing the Cape for the first time this week) was also an enthusiastic fan of this dish.
At this point in the meal, as our fleet of appetizer plates were being cleared, my mother said, "Well, this was so fantastic I could stop right now!" I grinned and thought to myself, "Oh, just wait."
Thankfully, there was about a fifteen minute wait between the removal of our appetizer plates and the arrival of our dinners. We needed that time to digest!
For dinner both my mother and my sister ordered the cod. They were oooo-ing and ahhh-ing with every bite. They both agreed the cod was incredibly flaky and tender. As much as they loved the fish, they were even more enamored with the accompaniment, a salad of white beans, red and yellow tomatoes, edamame and bacon. My sister said, "I would come back for just this!"
My dad had original ordered the spaghetti vongole with clams, but they were all out. Instead he ordered the tuna, which he asked for rare. He said the preparation of the fish felt a bit salty, but he too loved the side dish on his plate, a mix of micro greens, zucchini, edamame and a cumin cake.
My sister's boyfriend, who had been falling in love with New England seafood all week, ordered one of the dinner specials, the lobster bucatini. The bowl came bursting with homemade pasta, lobster meat, clams, corn and edamame. He said, "The best part is, I get a piece of seafood with every twirl of my fork!"
As the only vegetarian in the group, I ordered the margherita pizza. I regularly order flatbread pizza at Garden at the Cellar, so my expectations were high. Though the pizza is technically an appetizer, the portion was huge! The pizza had a generous layer of gooey cheese, fresh basil, toasted garlic and had a surprising lemon flavor. I'm not sure if the lemon flavor was intended, but it was actually a nice, refreshing touch. Everyone at the table tasted my dish and agreed it was excellent.
At this point in the meal we were afraid we would have to roll home. Our waiter then circulated a dessert menu, which I found quite interesting, as Gilson doesn't serve dessert at Garden at the Cellar. Since everything we'd tasted so far had been exceptional, we felt we had to share at least one dessert.
We decided on the chocolate cake with banana sorbet, hazelnut butter, smoked chocolate and dulce de leche. When the chef put the plate into the window, we overheard our waiter ask, "Is this the chocolate cake? It doesn't look like it." Never a good sign.
It was indeed our selection and sadly, this presentation didn't live up to the previous courses. My sister put her face right up to the plate, inspected it and reported, "It looks like dirt." Oh boy.
Unafraid, I took the first bite. I must admit, the cake on it's own was very dry. On a forkful with the banana sorbet it was better, but definitely not something I would order again.
As we were getting ready to call it quits, we were delivered a second treat, compliments of the chef, a corn cake with lemon curd and fresh blueberries. This baked good was also dry, but improved when eaten with the lemon curd and the blueberries all in the same bite.
My family griped that both desserts were garnished with dill. They wondered why the dessert course couldn't be garnished with some more appropriate, like mint.
I felt sad that the course we ended on was a let down. After two previous courses of complete heaven, I hated that my family was walking out with their last thoughts being those two desserts.
Despite the lackluster dessert, our experience at Eat at Adrian's was magnificent. The craft cocktails were a perfect beginning, the appetizer course had everyone raving and each dinner selection was superb.
As a Gilson loyalist, I was thrilled to see Will put his spin on these local ingredients while still retaining his commitment to freshness, bold flavor combinations and elegant presentation.
If you are planning a Cape vacation this summer or even just a day trip, Eat at Adrian's must be part of your itinerary. The appetizers alone are enough to keep you coming back for more.
Thank you Will, Aaron and Garrett for such a wonderful evening and good luck with the rest of the season!
