Gold Rush Gourmet

A Matter of Taste

Anniversaries are special. Don't you think? Hard to believe this was our 12th, but it was. Twelve years ago Charles's family and my Bay Area buddies gathered to watch us do the wedding thing.

The venue was our new home in Mokelumne Hill. We'd fallen in love with the Gothic Victorian a year before when we'd chanced to drive by on our first date in the foothills, but never dreamed we'd eventually live there.

We didn't know anyone in Mok. I was still learning to pronounce the name when singer and guitarist, Becky Jo Benson, led Charles, his two sons, and all the other male attendees down Center Street singing "I'm Getting Married in the Morning."

Locals must surely have wondered: what kind of nuts are moving in here!? Anyway we did move in and 12 years later wanted to celebrate the fact.

For nearly ten years Taste has been our "to go to" place for celebrations. Originally it was a hidden treasure, so little known that it seemed like a private club.

But that changed fast. Almost over night people were raving about this fabulous place where the food was every bit as good as San Francisco. A few even said Paris. Taste is actually in Plymouth.

Some people eat there regularly, others have visited on myriad "special" occasions, yet there still remains a kind of "through the looking glass" magic we all experience upon entering the restaurant.

Plymouth is a time-warp, the town that time forgot. Just the word "town" is an over statement. Plymouth is more like a street; and, with its simple frame exterior, Taste looks no different than its century old neighbors.

The startle factor kicks in when a light tug of the bistro's door handle transports you from the ordinary to the urbane. The interior is sleek and suave with wood-plank floors, ochre-hued walls, and dark wood furniture. The wait staff, slim

columns in black, dart lightly about, efficient and knowledgeable.

With all this going for it, you assume that Taste will be pricey. You assume correctly. For Charles and I, eating there involves a bit of financial planning. Dinner at Taste has mostly centered around celebrations of one kind or another.

An anniversary definitely fits that category, right? Right. So with happy, expectant hearts we set off for Plymouth on a recent Saturday evening.

Though we had reservations and took care to arrive on time, we still had to wait twenty minutes to be seated. We ordered a bottle of Hovey's barberra ($30) to sip while waiting and took it with us when our table was finally ready. It turned out to be the evening's highlight. The perfect red wine.

Once seated, Charles ordered mushroom cigars ($10.50) as an appetizer. The cigars are an old favorite of ours. Think: crimini, shitake, oyster mushrooms sprinkled with fresh herbs and goat cheese then wrapped in phylo dough. These were as delicious as we'd remembered, though not as plentiful.

I chose the gazpacho soup ($12). It was interesting, but not the zesty, garlicy Spanish style soup that I'd anticipated. Still, one of the reasons that I've always liked Taste is their innovation and daring. This gazpacho had a very sweet taste-more like a dessert than a starter.

Taste's gazpacho is made with compressed watermelon, Del Rio cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, Passmore Ranch pickled catfish, ume and garden shiso. The predominant flavor is watermelon. It's difficult to tell if I liked this variation or not, there was so very little of it. I'm not punning when I say just a taste.

For a main course, Charles's pick was the Grimaud Farms Duck Confit ($30) The ingredients listed on the menu sounded most intriguing: Duck fat pound cake, pain perdu, strawberry kejap, fat soi, local strawberry and

crème fraiche.

I definitely had to cop a bite. The exotic ingredients blended surprisingly well. I think the duck would have been quite good if it hadn't been dried out.

My smoked beef short ribs ($34) had also languished too long. You know, like when you make a big deal dish for company and then warm up the leftovers two nights later.

These ribs had been cooked with heirloom tomatoes, handmade sopes, Brentwood corn, coita cheese, chiles and lime. It sounded wonderful but tasted overdone.

Our shared dessert, crème brulee ($13), was the classic vanilla bean confection with whispers of lemon and raspberry. We were well pleased but wished there'd been a bit more of it.

Don't misunderstand. This was not a disaster dinner. I would grade it a solid B. There's certainly nothing wrong with that. I'm often grateful for B dinners. But, come on, that's not what you go to Taste for-not at those prices.

This a multi prize winning restaurant. The accolades go on and on. They've a whole constellation of star ratings. The owners, Mark and Tracey Berkner are generally present. She manages the restaurant while he cooks up a storm in the kitchen.

They weren't there that night. Maybe it was one of those "when the cat's away" things. Or maybe just an off night. The artistic plating could not conceal the smallness of the portions. Who knows, maybe that's a good thing. I certainly didn't blow my diet.

VITALS: Taste, 9402 Main St., Plymouth, phone, 245-3463. Open for dinner Thursday through Monday and lunch Saurday and SundayMonday, Reservations essential. Credit cards accepted.

CAPTIONS

Gazpacho soup on arrival at Taste.

Trina Jimenez is a charming and efficient addition to the Taste staff.

Smoked beef short ribs are a popular item at Taste in Plymouth.

The interior of Taste is Plymouth is elegant and inviting.