Topo's 403

Great price on silver oak. Fun martinis!   Just need that Hubbard and Cravens coffee!!

Dined here for the first time on Friday night.  Probably would have tried it eventually, but I won a $50 gift certificate from a local magazine and it was burning a hole in my purse.

With it being the end of the semester and not sure if parents of undergrads would make a rush on reservations, I made a reservation for my husband and I for 6pm via OpenTable.

We arrived about 5:45.  They have coat check, which is great at this time of year.  We were immediately seated despite being early.  There were only about 3 other tables occupied.

The inside of the restaurant is beautiful.  The renovations to the house offer a balance of maintaining its historical integrity (our waiter pointed out that the windows are original from the late 1800s) while providing modern comfort.  It's definitely cozy and romantic, so a lovely place to take a date or celebrate an anniversary.  You could go casual here (I was in jeans) or get dressed up and still fit in either way.

Our waiter greeted us promptly and brought the wine list and menus.  He also brought a small bowl of olives.  He told us that they had just changed to the winter menu that week.

We passed on the wine list and stuck with water.  My husband ordered the fritto misto and I ordered the roasted beet salad and arugula to start.  The fritto misto was amazing.  Batter was light, seafood was fresh, there are also artichokes, lemon slices, and olives in the mix.  Garlic aioli underneath was amazing.  We agreed that we could have eaten several plates of that.  My salad was beautifully presented, but nothing special.  Everything was fresh, though.

The waiter asked us if we were ready to order our entrees.  My husband ordered the locally farmed half chicken and I had the red snapper.  The chicken was a huge portion, perfectly seasoned and cooked, so good that my husband even ate some of the crispy skin, which he never does.  My fish was very good, but for $25, I thought there'd be more of it.  It was a very small filet with just a few, halved fingerling potatoes and some roasted fennel.  The broth it was over was balanced, if a little too salty.

We decided to have dessert.  The waiter recommended the loukamades, which are made to order Greek yeast donuts.  They were served with a salted caramel dipping sauce and a thyme-Greek yogurt dipping sauce.  Three donuts were plated with honey underneath.  Seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten.  My husband and I finished the caramel sauce with a spoon.  The second dessert was two pieces of baklava topped with cannelles of rosewater whipped cream.  It was the best baklava I've ever had.  The phyllo wasn't dried out, the nuts weren't too sweet, and each bite melted in your mouth.  I had the Greek coffee, which is poured tableside, and is a nice compliment to the sweet ending.

Total, pre-tip and tax, came to $84.50.  Cheaper than Tallent, but the quality of food and presentation is a step below, so the price corresponds to the quality.  I think Topos is a good introduction to fine dining for the foodie neophyte because Mediterranean-inspired cuisine is familiar.  Still, well worth the money for a lovely evening out.  The only thing I think they need to work on is pacing, which Tallent has down.  We went through our three courses in about 50 minutes and I think that needs to be slowed down considerably to really get the full enjoyment from the experience there.  We agreed that we'd return some night, if for nothing other than appetizers and dessert.  I'm sure they'll continue to improve.

It was okay, not bad, but not great. My Paella was so small that I could finish it in 3 bites. Mind you, I do not have a big mouth. So, for 3 bites, $25 is a bit steep. Otherwise, I would go back.