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CHRIS SHERMANElegance is as elegance does, and the food served in St. Petersburg's newest downtown bistro marks it as more than just another pretty place.
ST. PETERSBURG - Forgive the name. It does sound mighty close to a goofy movie title, though this one would be Keith and Bob's Excellent Adventure. If we're lucky, it may well be.
Keith Stone and Bobby Prichard haven't named many restaurants; this is the first one they've owned. Their experience lies in making a restaurant work, which is more important.
Stone was the polished gentleman in the front of the house at Julian's, St. Petersburg's entry in the big-spender steakhouse, while Prichard was in the kitchen turning the $30 steaks.
The "elegant" in the name should be superfluous, but it underscores the owners' ambition to create an intimate, high-end restaurant and take their longtime customers a step above fine beef. Despite the condo boom, you still have to be very ambitious to open a dinner restaurant in downtown St. Petersburg just outside the halo of BayWalk.
The first floor of the Bayfront Tower (formerly Heimann's) is a particularly tough location because it's in the shadow of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, which drains another big chunk of downtown's dining dollars.
Nonetheless, Stone & Prichard's Elegant Bistro shoots high and not on the cheap. They set out 2-pound osso buco, duck breast in Grand Marnier, lobster in champagne cream, as well as those monster bone-in steaks for big-bucks beefeaters.
Luxurious cuts may win show-off patrons; imagination and culinary effort throughout the menu impressed me more. Halibut gets a panko crust and Cajun mayo; lamb is draped in a rosemary veloute. Better, a fondness for root vegetables and trimmings such as white bean ragout or Brussels sprouts with couscous shows a rare appreciation for humbler ingredients. (With summer and the addition of lunch service, a greening of the plates should replace these wintry notes.)
Add creative stir-fries on the side, a variety of sauces and elaborately constructed desserts, and there's no shortage of ambitions.
On my first visit, a slow weeknight in the bistro's third week, the food met most of the aims. Nicely done duck breast got a familiar sweet sauce plus apple chutney and terrific ribbons of crisply fried sweet potato. Big sea scallops were seared to a perfect texture and tossed in a spicy butter. I didn't get the Thai accent, but I loved the stir-fry of pancetta and cabbage. (Note to carb-phobes: Eat more cabbage. Honest.)
Other courses were as clever. Although the basil-tomato salad needs fresh mozzarella, feta or livelier blue cheese, the kitchen makes a smart, top-dollar starter of house duck sausage with a wine-poached pear. The kitchen goes all-out on handcrafted desserts, from pastry to ice cream. I can vouch for the house version of a 'smore, which includes ice cream somehow infused with marshmallows, and a parfait of apples, raisins and crumb cake.
With appetizers that cost more than $10 and half the entrees above $25, the price of admission is steakhouse-high, but that may be offset by bargain wine prices. Most are less than $30 for good bottles, including an old vine chardonnay from Macon, the J. Lohr Paso Robles cabernet and a Penfolds shiraz, and a bottle of Nobilo sauvignon blanc from New Zealand goes for $18.
The truest element of luxury is service that is food-smart, prompt and attentive without being intrusive. Here, service is captained by Eddie Boone, a seasoned pro who made me and many local diners part of his cult following long ago. Seeing him anywhere is a comforting endorsement, trust me. You can certainly trust him.
So while I won't quibble with the "elegant," this place is personal enough; Stone & Prichard's will do.
- Chris Sherman dines anonymously and unannounced. The Times pays for all expenses. A restaurant's advertising has nothing to do with selection for a review or the assessment of its quality. He can be reached at 727 893-8585 or sherman@sptimes.com
Stone & Prichard's Elegant Bistro1 Beach Drive SE, St. Petersburg
(727) 551-2001
Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Reservations: Suggested
Details: Credit cards, full bar, wheelchair access
Prices: Dinner entrees, $15 to $40