For years, theatergoers had few choices when it came to quality dining in the "footlight" district. Fortunately, the scene has improved in recent years thanks to a handful of new openings. These days, one of the best choices a diner – theatergoer or otherwise – can make is Encore.
What the heck is Encore, you ask? As part of a multimillion-dollar makeover of the 205-room Wyndham Playhouse Square, the hotel’s restaurant has been reintroduced as Encore. Since the hotel opened in 1995, the fusty old dining room was known as Winsor’s, named for the late Cleveland Press columnist Winsor French.
New carpeting, wood work, and artwork are some of the more superficial improvements. But the real changes have occurred behind the swinging kitchen doors. Since taking over as executive chef, Shawn Brozic has significantly improved all aspects of the food services operation. He has instilled a level of quality on par with the Ritz Carlton, his former employer for five years. The chef combines classic French technique with high-quality ingredients to create stunning American fare.
The new menu is a vast improvement over the highly fractured one it replaced. Gone are the ambiguous and confusing sections devoted to snacks, appetizers, sides, salads and entrees. In their place is a more classic listing of soups, starters, and mains. Entrees are no longer served a la carte, but presented as fully composed plates containing seasonal sides, sauces and starches.
Diners can start their meal with a bowl of butternut squash bisque ($6), topped with crunchy curried pumpkin seeds. Encore serves a fantastic rendition of chicken yakitori ($8). This dramatic and interactive appetizer consists of a half-dozen chicken skewers presented atop a tiny tabletop hibachi. A smoldering charcoal briquette keeps the juicy meat hot, while a coconut-curry dipping sauce cools it off. Foie gras fans will want to come and come often because the presentation change’s daily. Our seared flank of luxurious Hudson Valley foie ($16) is stacked with duck confit and tart cherries on top of buttery brioche toasts. A whisper of truffle oil is the perfect garnish.
Chef de cuisine Jim Barnhart’s menu contains the perfect mix of seafood and meat dishes, each of which sounding better than the last. A generous filet of sea bass ($29) boasts a perfect golden-brown crust above sweet, pearly white flesh. The fish is gilded with a fragrant saffron broth and paired with tea-smoked forbidden rice. Encore’s grilled bone-in pork chop ($25) is thick, succulent, and not even close to being overcooked. It is served with buttery spaghetti squash and sautéed Brussels sprouts leaves.
The adjoining lounge, now called Blue Bar, has also received a facelift. New wood floors, soft seating and artwork have given the cozy nook new life as an after-theater hangout for cast and crew, many of whom stay at the Wyndham during runs.
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