By Patricia Summerfield
December 24, 2008
Dining at the Wellington restaurant reminds me of being entertained in a hospitable, elegant home. The interior décor exudes warmth and richness. There are beautiful bookcases and woodwork which line the walls. The candles and small table lamps give off a cozy glow.
My husband and I went into the lounge area for a glass of wine before dinner. Since it was close to Christmas there were soothing classic Christmas songs playing and the room was handsomely and tastefully decorated for the season. Our waitress came and introduced herself and asked if we would like to be seated right away or if we would rather wait for a while and look over the menu at the bar. We were not in any hurry so we chose to relax for a while. After a reasonable amount of time she came and escorted us to our table in the dining room and told us the specials of the evening.
For starters we ordered the special of that evening, Smoked Sea Scallops Carpaccio for $12.00. The scallops had been smoked on the premises, were thinly sliced with olive oil and sections of fresh tangerines, lemons, whole red peppercorns, and sliced green onions scattered over the scallops. It was fabulous; very fresh and the smoked flavor with the citrus made for a great contrast. We then proceeded on to our salads. I ordered their Baby Spinach Salad for $6.99. On top of the fresh large pieces of spinach were slivered strawberries, feta cheese, orange, and a Balsamic vinaigrette - it was very refreshing. My husband ordered their Caesar Salad for $5.99. The Romaine lettuce was served in whole leaves with homemade Caesar dressing, red onions, Parmesan cheese, and fresh baked croutons. The homemade croutons and dressings are all freshly made on the premises and truly make for a savory salad. With our salads we were served a loaf of warm sliced French bread with whipped butter and a homemade seasoned olive oil. I love the chef's 
mix for the olive oil dip. I noted that he adds parmesan cheese to the mix, which makes it scrumptious. For my entrée I ordered the Chef's creation of Mahi Mahi for $22.00 which they have flown in freshly from Hawaii. The presentation was a work of art; the Mahi Mahi was served with rice parchment that reminded me of an open shell. It was accompanied with citrus lentil, sliced patty squash, and glazed pecans. It was exquisite. My husband ordered their Stuffed Tenderloin for $26.99, it is filled with roasted garlic, Brie, and cognac braised pearl onions. The steak was very tender and well seasoned and browned on the outside but was pink and juicy on the inside. The filling melted in your mouth, fantastic. He had a choice of whipped Yukon potatoes, baked potato, roasted new potatoes, potato Lyonnaise, or wild rice. He chose baked and it was done perfectly.
Through out our dinner the service was excellent. Our server was very professional, knowledgeable, and did not have any type of attitude. For desert we shared the Ultimate chocolate cake for $6.00. It was large enough for two and was decadent and wonderful. Our meal was prepared by Chef Tim Theeke. His creative culinary skills and visual presentations made for a very joyous evening.
