Heron's

Last month my mom came into town to celebrate some good news.  We deliberated on some Raleigh area restaurants since she was staying in Raleigh and wanted me to chauffeur her around, and Heron’s at the Umstead was high on the list.  The Umstead Hotel is located on the edge of the SAS campus in Raleigh.  It is an unbelievably gorgeous hotel, with an awesome spa, and a great restaurant.  Heron’s chef is one of seven chefs in the triangle who have been nominated for a James Beard Award this year.  They have garnered acclaim from countless magazines, newspapers and critics, and their commitment to fresh and local produce and proteins, as well as a elegant and extravagant presentation are sure to make it a dining destination if it has not become one already.  

For my appetizer I had the duo of foie gras.  There was the traditional seared foie gras, served with a shallot jam and gingerbread emulsion.  This was as most seared foie gras is, decadent and delicious.  But it was the terrine that wowed me.  So silky, so smooth, so rich, so savory, so out of this world.  It was paired with poached cranberries and may have been the best thing I have tasted in 2011.    

In between our appetizer and entrée we were served a selection of fresh breads.  My favorite was a cheese scone, but all of the breads were expertly made.  For my entrée I had seared venison tenderloin.  It was matched with spinach custard, butternut squash puree, crispy maitake mushrooms and picked kumquats.   The venison was cooked to perfection, and the squash puree and spinach custard were both unusual and unusually tasty.   

We also had this great dessert, but I cannot really remember that, I can only remember continually getting up to go to the bathroom so I could flirt with the hostess.  Yum.