DINING REVIEW: Amuzé at the FAC

The Fine Arts Center has played host to different restaurants as if they were traveling expeditions — here for several months, opening with a big splash, then settling into a slow trickle of visitors. Some have been masterpieces — Garden of the Gods Catering’s chef Ben Hoffer’s work in 2008 and 2009 before returning to the Craftwood Inn, for example. Some have been the culinary equivalent of velvet Elvis displays at a carnival. But the latest is perhaps the most intriguing.

Bill Sherman, the chef and owner of the very small, very expensive and very good bistro Amuzé, in Palmer Lake, shut down his little bistro, took over the museum’s restaurant in June and brought a delicious retrospective of delights from his menu.

Best of all, he has lowered the prices. Don’t get me wrong, Amuzé at the FAC is quite spendy, considering it is open only for lunch, but as with the original restaurant, you will get what you pay for.

We started with an Amuzé classic: Crab Cake Melt-aways ($9), which are essentially a blend of traditional crab cakes with brie, loaded on a thin, crisp English muffin and broiled, then served over a Pollack-esque splatter of balsamic syrup. They are fantastic.

Next came other enticements: A spring mushroom cardamom crepe ($9) stuffed with luscious cremini mushrooms and perched in a rich herbed beurre blanc and a just-as-rich chilled asparagus soup ($8), which arrived as a bowl with only a few paper-thin onion rings, into which the server poured the cool, creamy broth from an insulated carafe.

Though that day the kitchen was serving a party of 20, including the artist Christo, our table never felt neglected. Sherman was a fighter plane engineer before quitting to cook, and his attention to detail shines through. Everything is expertly prepared and expertly designed with complimentary colors, flavors and textures.

Chihuly, eat your heart out.

Next came a “salad” of thinly sliced, batter-fried eggplant stacked with layers of strong, wonderful Colorado goat cheese and roasted red pepper ($10), topped with a dainty chapeau of fresh spring greens, all sitting in a vibrant red and yellow spill of red pepper and turmeric oils.

With all this coming before the main course, you get the idea that Amuzé at the FAC is not a good place to go for a quick weekday lunch, but for a special occasion, or to impress a client; I can think of few better downtown lunches.

The main coarse offered more proof of Sherman’s skill and style. A humble-sounding cassoulet ($15) — a French peasant dish of white beans, tomatoes and whatever else is in the cupboard, arrived with chunks of grilled wild boar and bison asiago sausages, a simple, lovely, flavorful and not-even-slightly-hammy smoked ham hock, and crinkly braised kale.

The four-cheese macaroni ($14) came spiked with lobster — and not just fleeting bits in a sea of gooey cheese, but big, tender, moist chunks and a generous skewer of more lobster laid across the top. I’ve always thought lobster mac and cheese was a waste of lobster, but here it fares surprisingly well, paired against subtle cheeses.

The mains and appetizers tend to be heavy and rich, especially for summer, but there’s no denying their artistry.

One of Sherman’s great side dishes from Amuzé — saffron minted pea risotto — makes an appearance at the FAC under a perfectly cooked medley of fat sea scallops, shrimp and seared cod ($19). Every aspect of the plate is hard to do well and generally ordering anything like this off a menu will result in a dish full of rubber and mush, but here, everything is perfect.

(Lovers of the original Amuzé will be happy to know that Sherman plans to start serving dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays, starting in mid-August, and will dabble with a brunch buffet at the same time.)

Dessert at the new Amuzé shines, too, and if you are shelling out this kind of money for lunch, you might as well have dessert. Since the Fine Arts Center started regular dining, my reviews have bemoaned the fact that no chef has taken his cues from the brilliant and gorgeous architecture of the museum. The design by Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem combines ancient Pueblo designs with the modern sophistication of Art Deco. I always wished some chef would do the same.

Now, Sherman has. His luscious New Mexico chili crème brulée ($4), which is sweet and earthy, not fiery, is the perfect combination of southwestern tradition and French inspiration. It is a dish he brought with him from Palmer Lake, but let’s hope it is the start of a growing permanent collection of masterpieces.

AMUZÉ AT THE FAC
4 STARS out of 5
(A masterpiece)
Address: 30 W. Dale St.
Contact: 477-4377; csfineartscenter.org/cafe36.asp
Hours: Lunch only,
11 a.m.– 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays
Entrees: $15-19
Vegetarian: Plenty
Alcohol: Full bar
Credit Cards: Yes