Another Reason to Move to Waverly
By Elizabeth Dougherty
Every year St. Patrick's Day rolls around and being half Irish with a name like "Dougherty", one must certainly celebrate. I'm not one for corned beef and cabbage, since it's not an Irish dish anyway, and because St. Patrick was actually born under the Roman flag and later kidnapped by the Irish, I felt a more eclectic meal was in order.
The restaurant we picked is located in the charming town of Waverly. Many newcomers, like me, don't know much about this small enclave. It's located about 15 minutes from Auburn heading north on U.S. 280. In fact, until the year 2000, U.S. 280 ran straight through this little town. It's re-routing was the subject of much celebration that continues on a yearly basis. According to www.800alabama.com, the Old 280 Boogie, "features artist's booths, food vendors, family activities" and more. This year, it is slated for Saturday, April 21, 2007 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
A few weeks back, when I spoke with Gus the Wine Guy about the wine cellar story that later appeared in HomeSeeker, he told me to be sure and check out the Yellow Hammer restaurant sometime. Since the chef's name is Collin Donnelly (sounds pretty Irish to me) and the food is described as "fine dining with a Mediterranean flair" (could be a little Italian thrown in there) it seemed totally appropriate to go on March 17th. So we did. The drive into town is altogether pleasant. Old 280 is lined with beautiful 19th century era homes. It is obvious that there is incredible pride of ownership (and stewardship) in these properties. Want to buy one? Good luck. I checked www.realtor.com and couldn't find a single historic property for sale. However, there are some newer homes for sale. Development is tightly controlled in Waverly to keep its rustic charm, so lots are confined to a 3-acre minimum.
And rustic certainly describes the Yellow Hammer restaurant. Exposed brick, the wood rafters and soft lighting make for a very romantic experience. I can't give you a true review of the restaurant because that would entail at least two visits and trying many more items on the menu than I did. However, the first time you visit a place you do get a sense of the caliber of the chef, the management, and the cuisine.
For an appetizer, I ordered the "New Style" Yellow Fin Tuna and Lemon Snapper Ceviche. It was topped with fresh pea greens and two fried quail eggs. The dish was served with a quenelle of fresh avocado. The fish tasted amazingly fresh and the slightly spicy pea greens gave it a nice balance. It was very well presented. I do wish they had mentioned in the menu that there was cilantro in the dish. Although it complimented the freshness of the dish, I don't happen to be a big cilantro fan. It's just a personal thing and obviously no refl ection on the talented chef. My husband ordered the Spicy Cray- fish Stuffed Grape Leaves. It was served with a cucumber yogurt sauce and another citrus-y type sauce dotted the plate. I tried it, and the taste was satisfyingly spicy without being "over the top." The concept, I thought, was very creative because the chef kept his Mediterranean feel, while adding some very American (Cajun) flavors.
Ahhh. The entrees…
I was utterly, completely satisfied with both of the entrees that we were served. Now the appetizers were good, mind you. The entrees were at the next level. I would expect to find the dishes we were presented with at some of the best restaurants in major metropolitan cities. I've had the pleasure of reviewing food from Charlie Trotter's in Chicago to the Fifth Floor in San Francisco. Bottom line, this was better than both of them.
The Moroccan Spiced Roasted Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast, was the most tender and succulent duck I've ever put in my mouth. The spices almost tasted a little bit Cajun, but there seemed to be some cinnamon in there as well, which is unmistakably Moroccan. It was served with beautifully fresh vegetables that were perfectly cooked. The spiced carrot jus (a jus, not a thick sauce) topped off and complemented the other flavors in the dish making it a sublime experience.
The other entrée we tried was the Grilled Certified Black Angus Beef Tenderloin. Buttermilk mashed Yukon gold potatoes, pencil asparagus, crispy red onion rings and the Cinzano red wine reduction all were executed with care. The spring asparagus was especially tender rivaled only by the even more fork-tender beef.
After a meal like this, I'm almost afraid to order dessert. Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way, but I'm always tentative that I might ruin what was, up to this point, a perfect meal. No worries here. James, the owner, assured me that the desserts are prepared by one of the two chefs that work under Collin with his strict supervision, and they did a great job.
The Trio of Homemade Ice Creams changes on a regular basis. This night, we had milk chocolate hazelnut, strawberry balsamic and sesame praline brown-butter. The sesame one was the most interesting, I thought. It had a rich caramel-type background and a creamy frozen custard taste that I love in ice cream. My husband was so entranced by it that he asked Chef Collin how it was made. A caramel is made, sesame seeds are toasted, it's turned into a powder and then added to the ice cream base. Just this singular preparation shows that this kitchen is dedicated to taking flavors to the next level.
My dessert was the Molten Chocolate and Tangerine Truffle Cake. It was served with a bergamot infused chocolate sauce (bergamot is the flavoring in Earl Grey tea) and homemade pomegranate ice cream. They say diamonds are a girl's best friend, but my new best friend is this molten chocolate cake. I hope they never take it off the menu. So, if you are looking for a lifestyle that includes lazy front porches, oversized lots and a great local restaurant, Waverly might be the town you are looking for.
While you are there, check out the Yellow Hammer. Like Jimmy Buffet says, "There's a fine line between Saturday night and Sunday morning." This was darn near a religious experience.
Liz Dougherty has been a freelance food
writer and culinary consultant through
her company, Culinary Pursuits, Inc., for
the past six years. She trained under a
maniacal Swiss-German chef and later
received her Bachelor's degree, Magna
Cum Laude in Hospitality. Prior to that,
she was a licensed real estate broker and
mortgage broker with a total of over
ten years experience in real estate and
finance. She can be reached at
EADougherty1@aol.com
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