The Feast of the Seven Kingdoms

is the name of a special dinner that Chef/Proprietor Sean Fowler of the excellent Raleigh restaurant Mandolin held earlier tonight.  The party occupied all of the larger side of the restaurant; the other portion was closed.  As the title of the special meal implies, Fowler and many of his staff are big fans of The Game of Thrones books and TV series from creator George R.R. Martin.  In a pre-meal presentation, Fowler said that as he was reading the books he paid particular attention to the meals, and he found the cuisines well thought out and interesting.  He was able to base all of the courses in the dinner on dishes from the books.

Click an image to see a larger version.

The first of the eight courses was just a small snack, and it contained crickets, not locusts, because Fowler's team could not readily obtain the latter.

(Sorry for the blurry photo.)  I've never eaten crickets before, so I didn't know what to expect.  What we got was a sweet, crunchy snack that I quite enjoyed.

The octopus and clam dish smelled and tasted of the sea and was delicious.  Fowler's crew prepared the octopus perfectly.

The presentation was also just right, with a good blend of rustic pot and rough-looking (but, again, delicious) chunks of octopus.

Before anyone complains, no, despite what the menu says, Fowler did not serve us actual horse hearts.  The tartar was of beef heart.

Some in our group found the chunks of meat a bit too large, but I thought they were just right.  All agreed it was quite tasty.

The best dish in the meal--a collection in which every course was extremely good--came next:  the lamb-stuffed grape leaves.

From the sauce to the leaf to the incredible mixture of lamb and spices and fruit inside, this dish was perfect.  I have never tasted a stuffed grape leaf as good.  Several of us implored Fowler to put this one on Mandolin's regular menu.

And on the meal went, each course lovely and so very good.  The bacon-wrapped trout:

The beef and barley stew:

The boar, with apples and mushrooms:

The final course, the dessert, was a lovely and tasty simple tart, decorated in flowers.

If Fowler does anything similar again--and now I hope he does--I will most definitely be there.  I encourage you to attend, too--after I buy my tickets, of course.

Mandolin

When Greg Cox, the News & Observer's restaurant critic, recently awarded four and a half stars (of five) to Mandolin, a relatively new Raleigh restaurant, I figured I'd have to hit the place soon.  When I then learned that the chef was Sean Fowler, who had helped restore the Fearrington House Restaurant to the heights it had once enjoyed, I made an immediate reservation. 

I'm glad I did. 

Mandolin's frequently changing menu emphasizes local ingredients and traditional Southern food, but with modern cuisine touches.  The bacon-and-mushroom-infused foam on the delicious chicken and waffles is a simple example of the interplay of these two approaches.  The bourbon-marinated hangar steak was tender and flavorful and worked well with the other ingredients stacked both under and above it.  Every dish our group sampled was delicious. 

If you want to see if the place is for you, the online menu is not a bad way to start.  Though last night's menu was not the same as the one online,  the overlap was high, so you can use what's online as a reasonable guide. I should also note that the portions are quite large, so bring a healthy appetite, keep your order short, or plan on asking for boxes to take food home.

Oh, yeah:  Do not miss the miniature corn muffins in the bread basket.  They are wonderful. 

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the kitchen staff included the redoubtable Jeremy Clayman, who is one of the best chefs in the triangle.  I only wish Mandolin would feature him more.

Mandolin definitely is one of the better restaurants in the Triangle, and I recommend it. 

That said, Mandolin is not in the very highest tier of local establishments, at least not yet.  At that level, the restaurants, such as Panciuto, deliver such wonderful preparations that even the foods you know you don't like (in my case, Brussels sprouts spring to mind) surprise you by how delicious they are.  That wasn't quite the case here, as the vegetarians in our group noted. 

Nonetheless, I will certainly go back to see how the restaurant progresses.  I encourage you to do the same.