Fifty Five Degrees

Time for a restaurant review! Saturday night, Bryan and I visited Fifty Five Degrees, a fairly new place located along the river near where we live. I'd been wanting to try it for a while, and we finally got around to it.

It wasn't very busy Saturday night, which was a surprise considering how pleasant the atmosphere was. They were serving from their spring menu, which had about eight entree options ranging in price from around $16 to $32. I started with the house salad, which was a bowl of fresh greens topped with fried capers, Parmesan croutons and a light, lemon vinaigrette. The salad was exactly what I wanted- refreshing and light. I loved that the dressing was not overpowering, and Bryan loved the fried capers. Bryan tried the french onion soup, which was a small bowl of rich broth topped with a large crouton and melty Gruyere cheese. We were also served a basket of bread that had a surprising ribbon of pesto throughout.

I tried the stuffed pork loin as my entree, which was a generous portion of tender pork filled with goat cheese and apple wood smoked bacon. The pork loin was grilled and was crispy and flavorful on the outside. It was served alongside mashed potatoes, and although the menu said it came with grilled asparagus, mine was served with what appeared to be sauteed scallions. A piquant sauce surrounded the meat, which blended deliciously with the goat cheese stuffing.

Bryan tried the halibut dish, which was probably the star of our dinner. A flaky, buttery fillet of halibut was perched on top a potato crab pancake and spears of grilled asparagus (mine, perhaps?) and then topped with strings of fried leeks. It was, in a word, wonderful. The texture of the fish mingled perfectly with the potato cake and the leeks.

Fifty Five Degrees also has an extensive wine menu, which I longingly perused and then passed over, my fear of a migraine winning over my desire for a glass of pinot noir. We also skipped dessert (darn diet!), but our waitress told us they were serving bread pudding, chocolate lava cake and mixed berries with cream.

I recommend this restaurant for for a special date night, as it is priced a bit above this married girl's usual dining-out budget, however, Bryan and I want to go back for happy hour, which they advertise as being from 4-7 pm on weeknights. At happy hour, they serve $5 glasses of house wine and half priced hors de oeuvres.

Have an excellent Monday!