The Quarry, Brevard

EVEN NEWER UPDATE! (11/5/08): Well, I am very, very happy to report that we went back to the Quarry and it was, indeed, light years better than our first experience! I have updated the fork rating considerably. I would go back there again in a heartbeat now.

The prices seemed much lower than our last visit (many entrees in the teens), wines by the glass were less expensive, service was friendly and excellent, and everything we had to eat (a lot!) was good to great. We got the baked brie and the chicken egg roll appetizers and both were good. Entrees tried were: 1/2 rack of lamb, veal, seafood stew and shrimp and penne and all were excellent. We also got four desserts: NY Cheesecake, Turtle Cheesecake, Bread Pudding (I believe this one is the only one made in-house), and Chocolate Torte. All were very good although the torte was not what we expected (was not a slice of a traditional chocolate torte), but looked interesting and was reported to be good.

So, we were very pleasantly surprised. Obviously they have made some adjustments since they opened and all for the better. Only negatives were that we still find the music cheesy and the menus are in small black print on brown paper. I'm only in my mid-40s and could barely read it because it was also dark in there (which I like). If they would just use white paper, it would help a lot. But, these were minor, minor things to us. James was our server and a pleasure. He warned us that the chef was on his own in the kitchen that night so things might come out more slowly than normal, which I appreciated knowing. Despite being short-staffed, meals still came out in a reasonable time.

Their website name has been shortened from the original one: www.thequarryrestaurant.com

UPDATE (5/9/08): I have recently heard people who have had a better experience than we did, so am anxious to try it again. I notice their menu has changed a little too - perhaps based on feedback?

They also now have a website - www.thequarryrestaurantandpianobar.com (the world's longest name!)

Anyway, below is our original review (posted summer of 2007). Will post an update once we eat there again.

As mentioned in my review of "Maple", Fat Kat and I have been very happy to see some new, upscale faces on the Brevard dining scene. While Maple was a home run, The Quarry ended up being more of a single. Before going, we didn't know much about it other than the decor looked beautiful and it was rumored to be another high quality restaurant. But, Fat Kat and I are not afraid to go into uncharted waters so headed out to get the scoop firsthand.

Located on a side street in Brevard, the parking was surprisingly ample, with a public lot right across the street. We walked in and the decor was truly gorgeous. As I noted in my Maple review, I love natural elements and while Maple focused on wood, The Quarry focuses on stone and iron work. Interestingly, the name "Quarry" is actually the owners' name, not just a fascination with rocks. But, they took the idea and ran with it, using beautiful variations of slate and rough cut stone throughout. On the walls, were stunning sconces with iron and warm golden tones. The tables were covered in a rich chocolate brown fabric (an odd choice for cleaning purposes) and heavy iron-backed chairs with upholstered seats. The bar was equally impressive, placed at the rear of the space and had more of the stone elements, mixed with wood and beautiful metal artwork on the back wall. Around the restaurant were various pieces of large artwork, as I recall, by local artists. Unfortunately, that was mostly where the great stuff ended. They had a live piano player, which I like in theory, but the music being played was bad lounge fare at best. But, they are catering to a certain clientele and one of the people working in there was raving about the music, so there were definitely fans, I just wasn't one of them.

We looked over the drink menu and Fat Kat nixed his usual beer and opted for a whiskey sour, which was good sized and tasty, however it was $8 (didn't know that until we got the bill!). I was originally going to get a glass of wine, but the prices were from $7 - $11 and I thought that was a bit high, so went for a hard cider. I was excited because they had the Woodchuck Pear version, which I had wanted to try. I was a bit perturbed when the server came back and announced that they didn't have the pear cider and gave me, instead, an opened bottle of the Amber variety. If you don't have an item, don't bring me something else that I haven't asked for - and open no less. Just explain that you don't have it and ask me if there is something else I might like to try. Hating to waste food (or drink), I told him I'd take it and I actually liked it, so kept it. I think he may have taken a dollar off of the price, so that helped me to get over it.

The entrees looked good, but I thought they were pretty pricey (for what we ended up with). There were a couple of items less than $20, but most were between $23 and $30. We started with an appetizer of steamed clams. Coming from New England, I love a good steamer once in awhile. It was a decent portion and came in broth. I thought the broth was a bit salty, but wasn't bad. The clams, on the other hand, were overcooked and tough. Now, I will admit that it's been years since I've had steamers, but if they were that tough last time I had them, I seriously doubt I would've so eagerly ordered them again. They weren't rubber bands, but they were well on their way. We mentioned this to the server and he didn't seem overly concerned or knowledgeable about the dish. I did tell him that perhaps I had forgotten that they were like that, but I really think they were overcooked.

Fat Kat went for the Rigatoni entree, which came with the usual tomato pomadoro sauce and cheese on top. He expected a lot more cheese (more like melted slices) and thought the pasta needed to be cooked more. I tasted it and though it was not exceptional, I thought it was fine. I expected the grated cheese on top, so that didn't bother me. I will admit that the pasta was barely into the "al dente" category, but it was acceptable for my taste.

I ordered the duck which I frequently get out. I never make it at home, so that is one reason I tend to choose it when I see it on a menu. The duck came with a sour cherry sauce, a sweet potato home-fry/hash type side, and baby spinach. I was a little surprised that the server didn't ask me how I wanted the duck cooked. Most restaurants will ask. I was even more surprised when it came out rare. I love a good cut of beef rare, but prefer my duck at least medium-rare, if not medium. Duck needs to be cooked enough to break down the fiber and this was not even close to that wellness. I chewed on a few pieces and decided to concentrate on the end slices and took the rest home (to continue cooking). The sauce, however, was delicious. After wrestling with the duck, I shifted my focus to the sides. The sweet potato hash (I can't remember what it was really called) was ok. I thought it lacked flavor, but it was cooked well and benefited from the onions and peppers that were with it. I laughed when I saw the "baby spinach" side. It was literally 4 leaves of spinach! There was more spinach as a garnish on our clams! I thought perhaps I had misread the menu, but there it was "baby spinach" listed in the description of the dish. When the server asked how everything was, I was honest and explained my dissatisfaction with the duck and how it was cooked. I also mentioned I was surprised I wasn't asked how I wanted it cooked. He said that the cook had very specific ideas on how some things should be prepared, so that was why the server didn't ask me. They were losing fork points quickly. To be fair, it really wasn't the server's fault. He didn't cook the food, but I felt he should've made more of an effort to rectify the situation. Especially since it started early on with the wrong drink!

Oh, I nearly forgot one of the highlights of the evening. The bread was outstanding! I am a bread fanatic and so was excited to see not only some homemade (or home baked anyway) bread, but a big loaf of it. It was delicious!

A little scared, we decided to try some dessert. We had seen the sample tray go by and it looked pretty good, so figured we'd be safe. Fat Kat went for the mascarpone filled cake (which looked good to me too) and I got the oreo cheesecake. I was pleasantly surprised that the cheesecake was good. It wasn't amazing, but it appeared to be homemade and was very good. The mascarpone cake was excellent. One reason we gravitated toward it was because you won't find it in many restaurants, so it was unique and, we reasoned, homemade. I wish I had gotten one too!

The service throughout the evening was fine - nothing outstanding. I thought the server could've shown a little more concern about our dissatisfaction and he could've come around a little more often, but we had no major complaints.

So, our three forks were for beautiful decor, high quality ingredients, delicious bread, and some good desserts. They lost points (forks) for dish preparation (chewy clams and duck), high prices (for what we got), and lack of concern over our comments. We might try it again, but at those prices, I'm not sure we'd want to risk it unless we heard some favorable reviews from other diners. I will say that the next day, after we recooked the leftovers ourselves, they were delicious (much better than the day before) and cooked properly. But, at $25/entree, I shouldn't have to cook my own food!