I had been on a week long vacation to Key Largo with a great group of people. We stopped in to Crystal River, Florida to swim with the manatees. This was our final night on our journey, and we wanted to try somewhere a little more upscale and memorable for our final night together.
We showed up with no reservations, and the restaurant was booked solid. When they discovered we were from out of town and that we had a large group, they offered us a seat in the wine cellar where they sometimes place larger parties. We cordially accepted the invitation.
Ten minutes later, we were led to a building beside the main restaurant. We were led inside to the wine cellar, and the lady leading us was teaching us the history of the restaurant(which used to be a church) as she led us in. Wine and music surrounded us as we were sat down. It was a bit chilly, and without having to ask twice our waiter turned up the temperature for us. Not much time later, we all had a glass of Pinot Grigio and were swapping stories. The Pinot Grigio was cold and had a very mild flavor. It worked as a great pallet cleanser before the appetizers arrived.
For an appetizer we ordered a couple orders of the pork belly. Now, I'd never had pork belly. That was a treat. It came out in little blocks with a glaze on them. It reminded me very much of a fatty pork tenderloin, and the glaze had a sweet chili flavor to it. There was a sauce comprised of Siracha, garlic, cumin and paprika that made an excellent edition. It was fantastic. It also came on a bed of cabbage that had been seasoned and sauteed in sesame seed oil. It added great contrast to the pork, and the sesame seed oil was a nice break from the salty flavor of the pork. I highly recommend giving this a try.
All of us ordered a soup, either tomato basil or She Crab. I had the chance to try both. The tomato basil was somewhat sweet, well seasoned, and tasty. It also tasted like it may have had some mozzarella in it. It reminded me a lot of pizza soup. (I'm a big fan of pizza, so I'm alright with that.) The she crab soup seemed to be a white wine and crab soup. It was fairly sweet, and had a strong crab flavor. The crab was stringy instead of chunky, but I didn't mind this much. Of the two, I preferred the tomato basil, but seafood lovers might enjoy the She Crab soup a lot.
With dinner we had a Riesling, which was surprisingly sweet and smooth. I had never tried a Riesling, and this was recommended by the waiter, so why not? I was pleasantly surprised. My dinner entree was the "Maple Leaf Farms" Duck Breast. Today, the sauce they were topping it with was a pitaya(dragon fruit) puree, served with risotto. The portions felt a little small, but given that we had an appetizer and were going to have dessert, I think the portion sizes were acceptable.
My first bite was of the risotto, and oh my goodness can they make it well. It was creamy, with sun dried tomato and spinach. It had the perfect combination of salted creamy sauce with the occasional pop of sweet from the tomatoes. The risotto was cooked to perfect, both firm and soft to the bite. I find that a lot of places under cook or under cook rice, but this was not the case with a single grain.
The duck itself was warm, tender, juicy, and delicious. Instead of over-seasoning the duck, they cooked it naturally and let the natural flavor of the meat be the showpiece. The pitaya sauce was sweet and willingly stuck to the meat if desired. Together, the two formed a wonderful flavor combination that was very satisfying.
It was time for dessert. I noticed on the menu that every day the chef makes a chocolate dish to feature. I'm a large fan of chocolate, so this was tempting. So naturally, for dessert, I ordered the chef's chocolate feature. It was a flourless chocolate cake with walnuts. It was moist, rich, and sweet. I've had a few flourless chocolate cakes in my day, and this one definitely reached the top of my list.
When dinner was done, I felt full but not stuffed. In my opinion, that's the sign of portions well done. The waiter took pictures of our group upon request during and after dinner, and now we all have photos and a memory that will last a lifetime.
I highly recommend making reservations and visiting Vintage on 5th if you stop by Crystal River, Florida with a group of friends or a loved one. Not just for the cold wine, or the delicious food, or the atmosphere drenched with history. But for the southern hospitality, and the exceptional service of the staff. Your visit will be one that you won't regret.
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