Restaurant O

I spent this past weekend in the Bay Area, visiting with family and friends. One night, we went to a restaurant that occupies a space I knew years ago as my favorite osso buco spot. Now, it's a tidy little space with upholstered walls, wood paneling, and twisted track lighting. Restaurant O boasts a comprehensive wine list, market fresh food, and a knowledgeable waitstaff that emphasizes wine pairings and witty banter.

We started with mussels roasted in a wood-burning oven, bathed in a lightly seasoned lemon butter sauce. Roasting the mussels gave them a slightly smoky flavor, but it also intensified the natural sweetness and softened the texture. They quite literally melted on the tongue. Also on the table was a Caesar salad with fried anchovies--lovely but not as memorable as what the menu calls a "strawberry napoleon." This dish consisted of layers of phyllo atop single leaves of buttery lime stone lettuce. The lettuce encased a small mound of tender pea shoots and bleu cheese drizzled with a wonderfully acidic strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. Scattered around the plate were thin slices of perfectly ripe strawberries, lending a subtle sweetness to each bite. My sauvignon blanc from Husch Vineyards ('05) played nicely with this appetizer, lightening the thick balsamic.

For our entrees, we had a raviolo filled with lentils and Dungess crab, sitting in a creamy Madeira obster sauce. There was a hint of anise in the sauce, enhancing the succulent crab meat. While I'm not a fan of lentils, they worked well with this dish, adding a nice texture to the filling. The huge veal chop was juicy and tender, the rosemary balsamic reduction serving as a piquant backdrop against the buttery meat. My favorite, however, was the seared scallops topped with pan-crisped foie gras. The grapefruit reduction bore no traces of the bitterness most people associate with grapefruit. Instead, there was simply a subtle citrus essence, which worked as a delectable foil against the apple relish that topped the dish. The scallops, sweet and moist, were accentuated by the creaminess of the foie gras. Again, the sauvignon blanc was a wonderful suggestion from our waiter; cutting through the heavy foie and bringing out the natural fresh flavor of the scallops, this wine was the best choice to accompany my dish.

Our dessert was a layer of cake soaked in coffee, the topped with chocolate and coffee mousse. The cake itself was perfect: rich and velvety, with a tender crumb and spongy texture. The mousse was light and airy, making for a dessert that was a perfect, if sinful, end to our meal.

While it is a bit of a drive from anywhere in the Bay Area, this Campbell restaurant is definitely worth a return visit. I left inspired by the creative flavor combinations, ready to try my hand at re-creating this excllent meal.

Restaurant O
2081 S. Winchester Blvd.
Campbell, CA 95008
www.restaurant-o.com