The Fat Canary Sings in Williamsburg

(June 21st, 2012) Southern Virginia, land of magnolias, colonial architecture, and constant reminders of the war of Northern aggression...ah, how the sweet memories of childhood are coming back to me.  I'm in Williamsburg today for a conference...that in and of itself is a bit of a fiasco, but that's another story not for this blog.

Colonial Williamsburg is a charming though odd juxtaposition of historical relics and modern finesse.  Interspersed throughout the town are pastures, ponds, and barnyard animals.  In the middle of the historic district, though, is the college of William and Mary as well as an ouppie (as opposed to yuppie) shopping area, complete with a Talbot's, Williams Sonoma, and the types of stores that sell the gaudy clothes that I can only imagine my grandmother's friends donning...one positive to this commercialization is the presence of a few unexpectedly divine (yes, divine) restaurants.

But first, let me take you on a three minute walk around part of Colonial Williamsburg.  Starting with the end of Scotland St (could I start anywhere else, really?), we come to this picturesque meadow, pond, and a few barnyard animals running around out of sight of the camera:

East end of Scotland St. in Colonial Williamsburg

On the other side of those trees, we find the aforementioned shopping district.  The Fat Canary, which I'll get to shortly, is just off to the left.  Williamsburg must have imported a few Englishmen, because there was an astoundingly large number of English gardens per capita...

Colonial Williamsburg's shopping district

Then turning around 180 degrees and walking two blocks (past more meadows filled with barnyard animals) brings us back to the colonial architecture.  Cannons are off camera to the right.

Colonial architecture, how I miss thee.

My sole culinary foray into Williamsburg found me dining at The Fat Canary.  After having my high expectations for places that are supposed to be good shattered by my lackluster visit to the Boulevard two weeks ago, I had reasonably low expectations for this dining experience.  Having learned another important lesson in San Francisco: always ask for the chef's table if dining alone, I was slightly let down that they had no idea what I meant by a chef's table.  After explaining, they did their best to try and accommodate me, but still...no view of the food being prepared let alone chances to talk with the chefs.

For starters, I had rabbit fricassee, with wild mushrooms, leeks, sage, and a buttermilk biscuit.  Oh, what a delightful surprise!  With flavors reminiscent of my Southern childhood, but in combinations hitherto unexperienced - the way the biscuit melded with the savory sauce, which could best be described as a buttery gravey with hints of savory.  The rabbit, succulent and falling off the bone into my belly. Mmmmm, so good to start.  I fear that this set an unattainably high bar for the next course though...

Rabbit fricassee over wild mushrooms, leeks, and a savory sauce with a buttermilk biscuit.

The fish of the day, a flash fried grouper, was a dish about contrasts...the tender Carolina shrimp playing off the semisweet tomato basil garnish, the asparagus giving the crunch and flavor to compliment the succulent jumbo lump crab, and the grouper itself providing the mellow flavor to balance out the strength of the lemon and pesto sauces.  Alas, though, it couldn't meet the bar set by the rabbit fricassee as the sauces too quickly dissipated into the tomato garnish...everything in this dish was fantastic, save for the grouper-sauce pairing.  With the sauces not holding together on their own, the grouper was left standing at the prom without a dance partner.  Poor lonely grouper, you had such potential...

Fish of the day: Grouper.  Maybe I should have set about eating that yellow sauce before it went poof instead of photographing it...

And this brings us to the dessert, the defining moment of the meal.  The dessert, Amish cake with goat cheese ice cream topped with a huckleberry sauce, was simply exquisite...the cogs in my head are still spinning relentlessly as I try to figure out how to make the goat cheese ice cream.  I think that I've finally found the incentive that I need to empty my tub of green tea ice cream so that I can start the goat cheese experiments!  Nothing in the dish was particularly sweet, save for the ring of honey drizzled around the edge, but that's what made it just right. Ahhh, I shall sleep happily tonight with visions of goat cheese ice cream covered in huckleberry sauce dancing in my head.  After the rabbit fricassee, I didn't think that anything could top that, but this dessert proved me pleasantly wrong.

Amish cake with goat cheese ice cream and a huckleberry sauce.  Divine.

I feel that I have only just begun to crack the delicacies that exist within the Fat Canary.  Too bad I've no clue when I'll be back by this area to try a round two...