Cypress On The Hill

Tax refund money is great, and I decided to use some of mine to take my sister out to a nice dinner.  It took me a while to figure out where we were going.  I ended up deciding where by coming to the realization that there was one restaurant that people often talk about when listing the best restaurants in the Chapel Hill-Durham area that I have never been to, and that is Cypress on the Hill.  Jordan and I hit up Cypress on Tuesday for dinner and we were not disappointed. 

For my appetizer I had the pan seared Sonoma Foie Gras.  It was served with bruleed Ruby Red Grapefruit, a micro greens and pickled shallot salad and poultry port jus.  As foie gras always is, it was unbelievable.  Foie gras is one of my favorite foods, and this was one of the best foie gras dishes I have ever had.  The bruleed grapefruit and the pickled micro green and shallot salad played perfectly with the richness and bold flavor of the foie gras.  My sister had the Cypress “Eggs Benedict”.  Cross’ Farm sunny side egg, Stephen’s brioche toast, house-made pancetta, spinach and a béarnaise aioli.  I’m a huge fan of eggs benedict and this was a great interpretation of the dish.  Jordan is not the biggest eggs benedict fan, but she loves  bacon and all things similar, and the house-made pancetta caught her eye, despite eggs  benedict not being her fav, this won her over. 

For our entrées we had a seared tuna with Asian slaw and the grilled lamb loin.  Jordan chose the tuna, and it was perfectly seared with Szechuan pepper, while the Asian slaw was something neither of us had tasted before.  It was crisp and fresh with the familiar Asian flavors, but it was also rich and creamy like a southern cole slaw.  This fusion style slaw was the best of both worlds, and a nice accompaniment to the Tuna.  My lamb loin was cooked to a perfect medium rare, with a basmati rice pilaf, pine nuts, overnight tomatoes and an olive and red pepper tapenade, all served over a lamb jus.  This dish was so simple, but so well done.  I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a perfectly cooked piece of meat with well chosen accoutrements.  However, if you are looking for something to blow your mind, then maybe it is not for you.

The cocktail selection was not necessarily to my liking, but they make a great Hendricks martini and have an overwhelming wine selection.  The Cab Sav that I had with my lamb was superb.  I don’t exactly remember what we had for dessert.  It was something similar to fudge, with caramel toffee and a white chocolate crème anglaise.  My inability to remember what it was called does not take away how much we liked it.  I definitely enjoyed Cypress on the Hill, and sitting next to the kitchen allowed us to be jealous of the dishes that we didn’t choose, like the whole Red Snapper.  Despite this I do understand how when a good portion of the population goes out to an expensive dinner, they are expecting something out of this world, and at Cypress every dish may not provide this, but if you just want a great meal and aren’t looking for someone to reinvent the wheel, add this place to your list.