This week’s restaurant is the Seven Sisters at the Black Oak
Casino in Tuolumne.
Of course you can correctly assume I was headed to Black Oak
to take advantage of all the fun they offer…like bowling and skee-ball
and…wait! You thought I was going to gamble?
Well ok I confess I left some of my hard earned money in
more than one of those darn penny eating machines. It didn’t take me long to
figure out that I was not smarter than the sensory overloading money depriving
electronic thingy-magigs. Thank goodness
our reservation at the Seven Sisters was not long off or I would not have the
money for what I was told would be a memorable meal.
Anticipating the meal we arrived a smidge early and sat
comfortably in the small yet airy lounge area awaiting the beckoning of the
hostess. Soon we were seated at a lovely table in a large dining area yet
decorated and furnished to create an intimate atmosphere...perfect for hubby’s
surprise birthday dinner.
The wine list was extensive, yet I suppressed the urge to
sweetly say to the waitress “I’ll have one of everything.” I know… you must be
impressed by my inner strength. I did however succumb to ordering an absolutely
beautiful Moscato with a bit of a sparkle and a rich earthy oaky smoky merlot
for Hubby.
After perusing the menu the task at hand became very
difficult…what to choose, what to choose. Crab cakes are a must, and the three
cheese Blue Moon fondue sounded way too scrumptious to pass up. So appetizers
ordered the main meal became an issue. There literally was not one single item
on the menu that I would not have loved to dine on with gusto, but alas, I had
to choose one. Filet and lobster it is!
Realizing we may have ordered a tad too much we asked if we
could split the main course. The waitress assured us this was perfectly fine.
We certainly did not expect what came next.
Our plates were served FULLY loaded with golden buttery
potatoes, lightly steamed fresh veggies, a half of a filet and a half lobster
tail with a small ramequin of melted butter. If this was a split plate I was in
heaven! I had never seen a restaurant go to such lengths when a meal was split.
Now to the taste….mouth watering. Each delectable bite was
sinful and heavenly at the same time.
I hope to go back soon…really soon. I have been told that
their Sunday buffet is phenomenal. I will have to try that.
The cost was directly related to the whole experience and
well worth every penny. I was actually expecting a larger bill so was
pleasantly surprised. But do not come expecting to dine on the run. Everything
in this restaurant is geared towards slow enjoyment.
So with this said I would give this restaurant 5 gold stars
out of 5. I will go again.
by,
Charity Maness
(My little disclaimer: 'To dine or not to dine' is meant to be a
helpful - and humorous - informational piece only. I receive no monetary
compensation for this column nor do I endorse any one eatery. This
is simply my opinion. My tastes will be different from others and I
readily admit that I have no culinary background, but I am fairly
confident I know when food is cooked correctly or not, whether a drink
is poured well or not and especially whether wait staff is
first-rate or in need of a career change.)
