I am often asked these days if I miss writing about restaurants. The answer is "yes," especially if I have just enjoyed a meal at an excellent restaurant. I am always anxious to let my friends know about my find. Recently me and my wife, Lynn, along with Ted Owen, President and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, and his wife, Kathy, decided to try The Argyle Steakhouse at Four Seasons in Carlsbad.
Located in the former country club dining room, Argyle is still a work-in-progress, but has been redesigned and transformed into a truly upscale restaurant. It now has more private dining rooms for groups, as well as a new entrance for the current dining room. The evening we were there, the Oakwood lined dining room sparkled with candlelit tables.
Mark, our waiter, presented us with menus and the wine list. It was very clear from the start that he knew his "stuff" when it came to the wine list, and he was very well versed on the menu items and how each was to be prepared. The executive chef at the Argyle, Kurtis Habecker, has designed a menu with variety and unique treats for the palette. Kurtis learned his trade by working at many fine-dining establishments around the country, and is a real asset to Argyle.
Just to give you an idea of the variety, the first course offers items that include Kumamoto Oyster's from Washington State, Blue Point Oysters from New York State, Ahi Carpaccio garnished with Eggplant Caviar with mint, Dungeness Crab Cake with beets and avocado, Saut?ed Shrimp in garlic and white wine sauce, and Steamed Manila Clams in a Lemon sauce. Those are just the appetizers.
I began my evening with a large soup plate filled with Butternut Squash Soup topped with a pastry filled with apple wood smoked bacon. The soup was smooth and had a hearty taste on a chilly winter evening. My wife had the warm spinach salad with Julian Apples, walnuts, and topped with bacon vinaigrette. I was going to try it but it was gone before I had the chance. My soup was $9, the salad was $12.
With the first course came a basket of freshly baked, and very warm puff pastries. They were melt-in-your -mouth delicious, especially when topped with the honey butter on the table. I could have had a second helping of these delicious hot rolls.
If you like fish, the restaurant offers three items on the menu, Blue Fin Tuna Steak, $29, Maine Lobster, 2 lbs, $59, and Tasmanian King Salmon, $27. My wife had the salmon with a side order of jumbo asparagus. The salmon was moist and delicious, the asparagus was the best I have ever tried.
Should you be a beefeater, you will think you have died and gone to heaven because Argyle offers steaks that are Nebraska corn-fed U.S.D.A. prime. They also serve California Brandt natural prime beef as well as American Wagyu Angus "Kobe style beef." The latter is on the most expensive side of the menu.
I was hungry for a good steak, so I ordered the Nebraska corn-fed New York 10-ounce strip for $34. I requested that it be cooked medium rare with a side a dish of Cognac and Green Peppercorn sauce. Chef Habecker offers many sauces for the various menu items including Shallot and red wine, Argyle steak sauce, Maytag Blue Cheese, Bearnaise, Lemon butter and Foie Gras Sauce. I also tried the chef's signature potatoes, the potato tots. These are not like the frozen tatter tots you buy at the grocery store. The Argyle potato tots are a dollop of mashed potato in a golden brown batter served piping hot, another melt in your mouth item.
The Owens both had Nebraska U.S.D.A. prime beef, the Filet Mignon 16-ounce cut with bone. It was prepared to perfection. There was a bit of a wait between the soup and the entr?e, probably because this is a new restaurant and they are still working some of the bugs out of things.
The dessert menu is also a unique offering. The Julian Apple fritter and Root Beer Float caught my attention. We ordered the Tahitian Vanilla Bean Cr?me Brulee and spicy shortbread with four spoons.
This is certainly one of those special places where you take your special someone. It is the kind of place I can not wait to tell my friends about, because I know they will thank me for the fine dining tip.
Located in the former country club dining room, Argyle is still a work-in-progress, but has been redesigned and transformed into a truly upscale restaurant. It now has more private dining rooms for groups, as well as a new entrance for the current dining room. The evening we were there, the Oakwood lined dining room sparkled with candlelit tables.
Mark, our waiter, presented us with menus and the wine list. It was very clear from the start that he knew his "stuff" when it came to the wine list, and he was very well versed on the menu items and how each was to be prepared. The executive chef at the Argyle, Kurtis Habecker, has designed a menu with variety and unique treats for the palette. Kurtis learned his trade by working at many fine-dining establishments around the country, and is a real asset to Argyle.
Just to give you an idea of the variety, the first course offers items that include Kumamoto Oyster's from Washington State, Blue Point Oysters from New York State, Ahi Carpaccio garnished with Eggplant Caviar with mint, Dungeness Crab Cake with beets and avocado, Saut?ed Shrimp in garlic and white wine sauce, and Steamed Manila Clams in a Lemon sauce. Those are just the appetizers.
I began my evening with a large soup plate filled with Butternut Squash Soup topped with a pastry filled with apple wood smoked bacon. The soup was smooth and had a hearty taste on a chilly winter evening. My wife had the warm spinach salad with Julian Apples, walnuts, and topped with bacon vinaigrette. I was going to try it but it was gone before I had the chance. My soup was $9, the salad was $12.
With the first course came a basket of freshly baked, and very warm puff pastries. They were melt-in-your -mouth delicious, especially when topped with the honey butter on the table. I could have had a second helping of these delicious hot rolls.
If you like fish, the restaurant offers three items on the menu, Blue Fin Tuna Steak, $29, Maine Lobster, 2 lbs, $59, and Tasmanian King Salmon, $27. My wife had the salmon with a side order of jumbo asparagus. The salmon was moist and delicious, the asparagus was the best I have ever tried.
Should you be a beefeater, you will think you have died and gone to heaven because Argyle offers steaks that are Nebraska corn-fed U.S.D.A. prime. They also serve California Brandt natural prime beef as well as American Wagyu Angus "Kobe style beef." The latter is on the most expensive side of the menu.
I was hungry for a good steak, so I ordered the Nebraska corn-fed New York 10-ounce strip for $34. I requested that it be cooked medium rare with a side a dish of Cognac and Green Peppercorn sauce. Chef Habecker offers many sauces for the various menu items including Shallot and red wine, Argyle steak sauce, Maytag Blue Cheese, Bearnaise, Lemon butter and Foie Gras Sauce. I also tried the chef's signature potatoes, the potato tots. These are not like the frozen tatter tots you buy at the grocery store. The Argyle potato tots are a dollop of mashed potato in a golden brown batter served piping hot, another melt in your mouth item.
The Owens both had Nebraska U.S.D.A. prime beef, the Filet Mignon 16-ounce cut with bone. It was prepared to perfection. There was a bit of a wait between the soup and the entr?e, probably because this is a new restaurant and they are still working some of the bugs out of things.
The dessert menu is also a unique offering. The Julian Apple fritter and Root Beer Float caught my attention. We ordered the Tahitian Vanilla Bean Cr?me Brulee and spicy shortbread with four spoons.
This is certainly one of those special places where you take your special someone. It is the kind of place I can not wait to tell my friends about, because I know they will thank me for the fine dining tip.