Caroline's Cuisine

Greg Moody

Friday, May 14, 1999

I can now go back to Caroline's. Mud season is over. I am happy again.

I dropped in just before they shut up shop for April, that time between the winter and summer tourist seasons when there is nobody and nothing moving in Grand Lake other than the mud. As of Mother's Day, they assured me, they would be open again.

Thank goodness. I need a fix.

By look, the restaurant could be any number of places up there. But by sense and atmosphere it is decidedly stand-alone European, the perfect stop for a comfortably romantic dinner in the mountains, or by stretching the definition just a bit for the better, a special family dinner.

The staff can handle both with aplomb, provided, of course, that the children have one whit of manners.

The menu changes on a regular basis and it's tough to keep up with it even from night to night, but the adventure is worth it.

For instance, one night there was a chicken corn chowder ($2.75 or with entree) with a light base. Despite its deeply salty flavor, it proved to be very refreshing.

Two days later, there was a chicken spaetzel soup (also $2.75 or with any entree), again with a light base and a fully satisfying flavor. The spaetzel were deliciously small and not at all the Gummi dumplings I had been getting lately at restaurants.

We hit the mussel season on the appetizer menu. There were fresh mussels ($7.50) nearly every night as a special. One night they were served with a garlic butter Parmesan sauce, the next with a garlic butter and tomato broth. Both were excellent. The mussels were superb, large, firm and full of flavor.

Escargot ($7.50) is a house staple. There is also a house smoked salmon ($7.50) with pickled ginger and a wasabi cream sauce; an oriental duck salad ($7.50) with a confit of duck tossed with mixed greens and couscous in a sesame vinaigrette; and, my favorite on this trip, a goat cheese crostini ($6.50), huge garlic croutons with an olive Tapenade and a melted coating of goat cheese. It had one of those textures and heady scents that drew you in, then refused to let you go. It was a real disappointment when the plate was empty.

The entrees are like a trip through a diner's amusement park.

There's the apple brandied shrimp ($18.95), large, firm shrimp grilled with a cider and ginger glaze that adds a light sweetness to the rich saltiness of the shellfish. Or try the pepper glazed pork ($19), pork tenderloin medallions sauteed with black peppercorns, then served with a brown sugar and soy glaze. Again, there was the sweetness in the mix, but it was so subtle it seemed merely an accent to the meat.

The duck enchiladas ($17.75) featured shredded duck and onions rolled into very stiff corn tortillas, stiff to the point of cracking whenever you attacked them with a knife or fork. However, once past that the duck itself was filling and rich.

The same can be said for the bacon-wrapped filet ($17.50), a 6-ounce prime cut stuffed with bleu cheese, then wrapped in bacon and served with an oregano vinaigrette. Oh, my. It was almost too rich and too much. I could only finish half.

The steak Diane ($21.50) is a step closer to red meat reality, a filet sauteed with mushrooms and served in a red wine sauce. There is also a 12-ounce rib eye ($19), served with marvelous whole roasted shallots. The same goes for the prime rib special ($19), very basic and very well-done in a "real food" kind of way (as are the au gratin potatoes served as a side).

There's also fettucini ($14.50), which I'm tempted to call "a basic entree," even though there's nothing really basic about it. The pasta is served in a caramelized onion sauce with fresh Roma tomatoes and an olive Tapenade, which gives it a piquant saltiness.

As I look over the menu, I realize there's nothing on it that I am not drawn to, from the grilled salmon ($17.95) served with marinated Roma tomatoes, couscous and a cilantro aioli to the side order of three jumbo grilled shrimp ($4.75 with any entree) with garlic butter sauce. That last one makes a nice side dish on just about anything, but also masquerades as a perfect dish for children who want to wander off the kids' menu.

Speaking of which, there is a nicely turned children's menu, with a small steak ($6.50) or the great American staple, PB&J ($3.50). That will bend a lot of gourmet's noses to one side, but remember that Caroline's Cuisine relies heavily on the tourist trade and, darn them, many tourists actually have the gall to travel with their children.

Keep an eye out as well for the wine cellar. A great deal of thought went into it.

I would tell you about the sour cream apple tart dessert ($4.25) -- its smooth and creamy texture, rich taste and amazing crust -- but then you might beat me to it.

So, to heck with it.