A menu is a canvas for Executive Chef Alicia Simmons, who presents Through the Seasons, a thoughtfully crafted dining experience, every three to four months at Tavola. The seasonal one-day-only dinner is filled with the restaurant’s recent daily specials, prepared in collaboration with chef de cuisine Kendall Moore. Simmons typically handles the dessert course, while Moore flexes his skills on the mains, both supported by a talented line of cooks.
At their most recent dinner in September, the first plate—an “amuse” or quick appetizer—consisted of a homey and warm English muffin with anchovy butter, a salted tomato and shiso taco, crisp in taste and soft in texture, and a fragrant and bold cannoli of squash and mascarpone. It was all paired with a sparkling red Patrick Bottex Bugey-Cerdon La Cueille wine, and my palate was ready for the sumptuous flavors to follow.
The antipasti offered multiple options, including roasted oysters with tomato caper relish and crispy calamari with grilled peaches, blistered shishito, Meyer lemon, and caper aioli. The oyster was so buttery and smooth that I wanted to sip it right out of the shell, and the pairing of a Domaine Michel Brégeon Muscadet was a nice soft companion with a pleasant silky taste. By contrast, the calamari, tender on the inside, was delicate and bursting with flavor from the caper aioli. Grilled peach was an inspired element, adding some playful fruity notes, while the shishito peppers were savory and welcome, commanding my attention. This colorful dish was paired with a funky, bright, and slightly sour Sono Montenidoli Tradizionale.
For the entrata, I was treated to grilled halibut with heirloom caponata and basil and fennel salad, and a roasted duck breast with local cabbage and duck jus. The halibut was moist, tender, brusque, and delicious—flavorful but not in your face. Sweet in some places, the dish entertained my entire mouth, and paired nicely with a glass of Tenuta Terraviva MPH, a wine with mango and pineapple flavors and a clean finish. The roasted duck arrived with a strong, salty fragrance, a fatty cut with smooth texture and warmth, swimming in savory jus. The veggie pairings, dark and wispy, contrasted with the wilder duck, and came alive with a strong pour of Davide Carlone Boca.
Finally, the dolci, a blackberry mousse cake with chocolate cookie crumble was paired with an espresso Manhattan. The mousse, bright, fluffy, crunchy, and oh-so chocolatey, was a perfect match for the iced latte-like cocktail. I left with a fond memory of soft, whipped mousse and a bold coffee flavor—a whiff of an Italian café.
