Maple

Fat Kat and I live about ten minutes from Brevard and have been thrilled to see a few more interesting dining choices open there over the last couple of years. While dining at an old favorite, Hob Nob (which we also love), we were eyeing a new neighbor, Maple (280 West Main St., Brevard, 828-883-4841). Maple was under construction and appeared to be of upscale caliber. It was our anniversary recently, and Maple was finally open, so we figured that was a good time to try it! Being a fan of natural materials, I loved their atmosphere. As the name suggests, there is good use of the maple tree throughout the restaurant. Since it was a nice evening, we opted to sit on the open porch and the wall behind us was "sided" with sheets of natural maple bark. A beautiful, earthy texture. The only suggestion I might make would be to add some ceiling fans on the porch. It was a bit humid that night with little to no breeze, so a fan would've moved the air just enough to cool things down. I didn't spend much time inside, but what I did see was elegant, yet casual, with more lovely natural elements. A large dining area with booths and stand alone tables, a smaller back room, and a gorgeous front room with a small bar and seating area around a stone fireplace. I imagine that will be a favorite spot for relaxing during the winter months! Outside, there is seating on the covered porch and some more tables with umbrellas out on the patio. So far, we were impressed and we hadn't even tried the food yet!

Since it was a special occasions, all diets were off, so I ordered a glass of wine and browsed the appetizers. The wines by the glass and beer choices were not extensive, but sufficient. Fat Kat's beer was $3.50 and glasses of wine range from $6 to $9. Being the cheapskate that I am, I opted for a $6 Rioja and was pleased with it. An odd choice for me caught my eye on the appetizers - French Fries with Blue Cheese Fondue for $6. It was the blue cheese that got me. It seemed like a great, unusual combination and I certainly didn't have to twist Fat Kat's arm as he is a French fry fanatic. My eyes popped wide when out came an enormous pile of very thin, shoestring style fries, sided with a small ramekin of "blue cheese fondue". The fries were perfect with a hint of spice and herb and dipped in the blue cheese, they were divine! I don't normally gush over French fries, but these were simple, yet outstanding. Normally, we would take some home, but we ate them ALL! There were other, equally interesting appetizers ranging in price from $6 to $11 that will have to wait for another time.

The entrees ranged from about $23 to $30 (for some steak items). I'd like to see the prices dropped just a couple of dollars, but for a special occasion, it didn't scare me off. Fat Kat chose the Big Bowl of Seafood and I chose the Honey-Soy Glazed Sea Bass entree. I haven't had sea bass in quite awhile and love it. Mine came with shitake mushroom rice which was fabulous, baby spinach, and a delicious carrot-ginger sauce. The sea bass was cooked perfectly and went well with the sauce and sides. Since I'm a "sweet" fanatic, I would've like to have tasted just a bit more of the honey, but that's just a personal preference. Fat Kat said his dish was fantastic - it came with little neck clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, and white fish served in a light tomato-fennel sauce with barley.

The service throughout the evening was fantastic. The hostess was busy seating other guests when we first arrived, but we were greeted immediately by some of the servers and were told the hostess would be with us quickly,which she was. I liked the fact that the servers were observant and took the time to acknowledge us even though it was not their primary job to do so. Brittany, the server for our table, was friendly and wonderful making sure we lacked for nothing and taking a little time to chat us up, yet not ignoring her other tables.

We opted to save half of our meals so that we could try dessert. Brittany described the desserts for the evening and I chose a maple creme brulee and Fat Kat chose the NY style cheesecake. Being from New England originally, I love pure maple syrup and the creme brulee had just enough to taste it without being too strong. Excellent. I got a bite of the cheesecake too, which was plain with raspberry sauce and also was excellent. Both desserts were $6.

Sort of like the Olympics, I hesitate to part with a perfect score, so wanted to give Maple 4.5 forks. But, honestly, I couldn't come up with a good reason to knock that .5 fork off, so Maple has the honor of receiving my first 5.0 fork rating! I would suggest that they get a website soon including photos and a sample menu. I would've posted a link to it here if they had one.

UPDATE (2/23/08): Just thought I should post this update.....since July (when we went to Maple) there have been a LOT of comments online about the poor service and more recently, the sliding quality of the food. We have not been back since last summer, so I can't comment first hand, but wanted to pass along that feedback. Would be interested to hear comments from anyone who has been recently. We're just afraid to drop that kind of money again and have the quality of food and service be lacking.

UPDATE (6/14/08): Bolstered by a recent lunch visit to Maple by Fat Kat who reported new management and better pricing, we went for dinner last night. Food and service were still excellent and we were thrilled to see lower dinner pricing. Whereas before, entrees ran upper $20s to low $30s, it is now about $16 - mid $20s. Also, salads and pasta dishes are offered at either full size or half-sized at a reduced price (~ $4 - $10). Our dinner included two alcoholic drinks, one appetizer, two $18 entrees (rib eye and veal cutlet dishes), an extra side of cheddar grits ($2) and a dessert. It was $65 before tip. We thought that was very reasonable. With the lower pricing, we now plan to go to Maple more frequently.