First look: Taste

Two years ago, Chef Anthony Vincente found himself leaving Paris (where he worked at Pierre Gagnaire, a three-star, Michelin-rated restaurant) for Cleveland, thanks to a job opportunity for his wife at the Cleveland Clinic. After positions at Whole Foods and Fire, Vincente decided it was time to open his own restaurant. Enter Taste, a French-inspired restaurant in the former Wine Room space on Lee Road. Despite his thick French accent and training, Vincente is careful about being referred to as a French chef or owning a French restaurant. Rather, he says he wants people to talk about his food, which will focus on good, solid execution above all else, and doesn’t want to be known as the stereotypical pretentious French chef.

Food:  The limited menu features a choice of six appetizers, six entrées and six desserts with a slightly larger offering of side orders, including a basket of bread, which unfortunately is not complimentary. Expect the seasonal menu to change regularly and for the chef to offer at least two daily specials.

A daily prixe fixe menu, featuring three courses and two glasses of wine, is also available for $45.

While the chef is careful not to talk about signature dishes or house specialties (he’d rather let the customers decide what he’s good at), popular items include the rack of lamb with cumin mashed potatoes and pork belly with sautéed spinach and pears.

On a recent visit, we started with the glazed chicken spring rolls in a coriander crepe and the scallops with creamy leeks and sirloin steak with Jerusalem artichokes in an orange cinnamon sauce for dinner. All the appetizers were served chilled per the chef to enhance the flavors. It did make a difference on the spring rolls, which was definitely not your typical spring roll and had a rather unexpected but delicious taste.

For our entrées, the seared scallops were cooked and seasoned flawlessly and paired nicely with the leeks. The steak, while enjoyable, especially with the unique flavoring of the orange cinnamon sauce, was not cooked properly and parts were rather tough.

The desserts, all made in-house, were the highlights of the meal. The pistachio ile flottante, which translates into floating island, is pistachio custard layered with meringue then topped with caramelized sugar and dusted with cocoa powder. In a word, fantastic. If dining here, this beautifully-constructed dessert is a must with its rich pistachio flavor and overall texture. While it may not necessarily sound appealing, the savory red pepper cheesecake was, in fact, surprisingly good and is another must-try dessert.

Libations: No doubt Taste will soon become a destination for after-work and evening cocktails. The drink menu features 16 wines by the glass, 60 bottles, champagne drinks (try the pineapple flirtini), unique martinis like the saketini, cocktails, coffee drinks, a nice variety of scotch and cognac and finally, domestic, imported and craft beers.

Look for wine flights and wine tastings to be offered soon.

 Décor: This long and narrow restaurant is a clean blend of contemporary and classic finishes with good use of exposed brick and an open kitchen with adjacent chef’s table. The stylish granite bar area is big enough to house a decent sized weekend crowd.

 Service: Servers are incredibly friendly, prompt, and eager to offer suggestions and detailed descriptions of each item.

 Crowd: Expect to find foodies in the dining room and a mix of 20 and 30-somethings in the bar area, as well as random people enjoying a late night cocktail or dessert after taking in a movie at the Cedar-Lee Theatre.

Insider Tip: Happy hour is offered from 5-7 p.m. weekdays in the bar area. Enjoy wine and martinis for $5 while sampling complimentary prosciutto and smoked salmon that the chef cures himself. On Fridays, check out Bubbles and Bites—a glass of champagne with accompanied berries, or other appropriate snacks, for $7.50 to $8.50.

Bottom Line: While still in its infancy, this restaurant will no doubt continue to improve (the chef eagerly welcomes customer feedback and looks forward to making modifications where necessary) and be a good addition to the current restaurant mix on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights.

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