In addition to its AAA Four Diamond rating, the Left Bank was given the "Cream of the Crop," award in 2003 by the Washington Post, has attained two Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence, and recently won Culinary Hospitality Restaurant of the Year at the Santé Awards. It also was featured in the 2004 August edition of Food and Wine Magazine and recently made its debut at the James Beard House in New York City. |
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By Jack Kneece
The Left Bank Restaurant in the Sanderling Resort and Spa, Duck, N.C., on the Outer Banks, is an oasis of fine dining on the North Carolina coast.
Situated fittingly on the left side of the Outer Banks overlooking the Currituck Sound, the restaurant carries a heavy influence of French cuisine similar to the Left Bank in Paris.
Its specialty is French-influenced regional American cuisine. There are many familiar regional foods on the meny, but don’t be surprised to find that they reach a new dimension with delicate sauces, fresh truffles, aged balsamic emulsions and many other French touches.
In addition to its AAA Four Diamond rating, the Left Bank was given the "Cream of the Crop," award in 2003 by the Washington Post, has attained two Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence, and recently won Culinary Hospitality Restaurant of the Year at the Santé Awards. It also was featured in the 2004 August edition of Food and Wine Magazine and recently made its debut at the James Beard House in New York City.
The restaurant seats 50 in a curved dining area with soaring ceilings and a spectacular view of Currituck Sound. The dining area contains fine cherry wood millwork, 15-foot tall drapes, and a museum-quality collection of Dorothy Dougherty hand-crafted porcelain birds. Meals are accented with fine china and crystal stemware.
Chef George Robin has been at the Left Bank since it opened in 2002, beginning as sous chef. He grew up in the restaurant industry and worked as a cook through college at the University of Georgia. Upon graduation, he attended Johnson and Wales Culinary University, after which he began his career in San Francisco at the renownwed Aqua as a saucier. From there, he was sous chef for the Pacific Edge Restaurant at Highlands Inn in Carmel, Calif.
At the Highlands, he had the opportunity to work with well-known chefs and sommeliers from around the nation and overseas. As sous chef, he helped plan and organize the Masters of Food and Wine annual event. He said it was then that he began to fully appreciate the interplay between fine cuisine and wine pairing.
 In addition to a three-course menu, the Left Bank has what Robinson calls his “Adventure Tasting Menu”. This is a dining experience that consists of seven petite courses that represent a progression of flavors and textures to constantly amaze the palate.
The three course meal is $65 or the adventure menu, seven courses, is $90. Both menus can easily be custom-paired with wines, the three course at $90 and the adventure at $155. The three course allows patrons to choose one item from each course selection of appetizers, entrées and desserts. For those who desire, a cheese selection may be opted for dessert or as an additional course.
Menu items, which change with some frequency, could include the following:
First Course: Wellfleet oysters topped with a sherry mignonette; Carpaccio of Prime Beef Tenderloin served with white truffle oil, black truffles and Fontina; or Torchon of Foie Gras with candied kumquats and warm brioche.
Second Course: Striped Bass, crawfish and lobster en croute, haricot verts, leek fondue; Seared sea scallops, peekytoe crabcake, cous cous cake, lemon vanilla spinach, orange yuzu emulsion; or Prime Beef Tenderloin, truffle panada, potato pave, Swiss chard, sauce pergourdine.
Third Course: Banana mousse, pecan praline shortbread, banana fritters, spiced rum sabayon, passion fruit crème brulée or Vahlrona dark chocolate molten cake.
The restaurant is the jewel of the Sanderling Resort and Spa, near the village of Duck on the Northern Outer Banks at 1461 Duck Road. The resort occupies a 12-acre parcel of land that touches both the Atlantic Ocean and Currituck Sound.
The Left Bank asks that gentlemen don collared shirts and slacks and ladies can graciously sport resort dressy. Kick it down a notch with shorts and join them at the blond onyx bar for martinis and the sunset. In addition to a diverse wine list of more than 200 labels, a delightful selection of single malts, cognacs, ports and dessert wines are available.
There are not many experiences to match sitting at one of the floor-to-ceiling windows at the Left Bank, the draperies pulled open at dusk, watching ducks and geese glide across the sound, along with a few pelicans and sea gulls, while dining on exquisite cuisine.
Further information and reservations can be obtained by phoning 252-261-8419 at the Left Bank or 800-701-4111 at the Sanderling Resort and Spa. |
