There are certain moments during a meal when you taste something and immediately have to stop and…read moreask, "What did the chef do differently here?"
That happened to us at Al Dente's in St. Johns when we tasted the sauce accompanying their short ribs.
We have eaten at Al Dente's many times, so we weren't discovering the restaurant for the first time. It has already earned a place among our favorite local restaurants. But on this visit, we came in for a full Culinary Duo review, and the kitchen prepared a tasting that went well beyond what we expected.
And somehow, a restaurant we already knew managed to surprise us all over again.
We started with the calamari, which is noticeably different from the traditional calamari plate. Al Dente's uses the prime rings without the tentacles, then sautés them with sliced peppers. The result is tender, flavorful calamari with a cleaner and more consistent bite from beginning to end.
We were told that when the calamari is featured during happy hour, it can sell out. After tasting it, we understand why. The quality of the calamari and the simplicity of the preparation allow the seafood to remain the focus of the dish.
It impressed us enough to earn one of our Culinary Duo Best of the Best Dish Awards.
The gnocchi is another longtime favorite and Best of the Best winner. Al Dente's sautés it and finishes it with a white wine bath, creating the texture that has kept us coming back for it over the years. It is a great example of how a little extra technique can make a familiar Italian dish memorable.
Then came the dish that may have surprised us the most, the short ribs.
We will admit that short ribs are not normally something we get particularly excited about. Too often, the meat is served with too little sauce, leaving you wishing there was something more to bring the entire plate together.
Al Dente's completely changed that for us.
The beef was exceptionally tender and practically fell apart. But it was the sauce that immediately caught our attention. It had a wonderful subtle sweetness that was different enough that we had to ask what the kitchen was doing.
The answer was port.
Using port gives the mushroom sauce a slightly sweeter, richer character that works beautifully with the beef. Add decadent mashed potatoes loaded with butter, garlic, and herbs, and you have the kind of comfort food that makes you want to slow down and enjoy every bite. Sautéed zucchini and yellow squash added freshness and helped balance the richness of the plate.
The short ribs became our third Best of the Best selection from Al Dente's.
Next came the salmon with lobster ravioli, and this was another example of the kitchen going beyond what was necessary.
The salmon was a substantial, thick cut, beautifully cooked, moist, and wonderfully tender. It was paired with lobster ravioli and a wine sauce, which would have made a very good dish by itself.
But they didn't stop there.
They added actual chunks of lobster claw meat over the salmon and ravioli.
We love that.
If you are going to serve lobster ravioli, there is something special about seeing and tasting real pieces of lobster on the plate as well. It reinforces the featured ingredient and turns what could have been a familiar seafood pasta combination into something much more memorable.
The beef tenderloin medallions followed, accompanied by seasonal vegetables and a white truffle mushroom risotto that deserves almost as much attention as the beef.
The risotto combined mushrooms, cream, Parmesan, truffles, and white truffle oil, creating a rich, earthy flavor that complemented the tenderloin beautifully. Risotto can easily become an obligatory side dish, but this one was clearly treated as an important part of the plate. Creamy, savory, and full of truffle character, it was an excellent partner for the medallions.
One thing we particularly enjoy about Al Dente's is that the tenderloin is offered as a nightly special and the preparation can change. Guests may encounter different interpretations, including Gorgonzola, Marsala, or au poivre. For regular diners like us, that flexibility makes returning a little more interesting because there can always be something different coming out of the kitchen.
By this point, we thought the meal was finished.
Then the chef surprised us with a Dubai chocolate pistachio tart.
It arrived beautifully plated with chocolate drizzle and whipped cream. This is definitely a dessert for anyone who loves rich flavors. A few bites were enough for us because it was incredibly decadent, but the combination of pistachio and dark chocolate was fantastic.
It was a fitting ending to an impressive tasting.
What stayed with us most about this visit was not simply one great plate. It was the consistency across the entire meal.
The calamari showed how ingredient selection can change a familiar appetizer. The gnocchi demonstrated technique. The short ribs showed how one thoughtful change to a sauce can comp
