LAKE PLACID — There's a new restaurant in downtown Lake Placid next to the Best Western in the space formerly occupied by Goldberry's. It's called Charlie's, the namesake of Charlie Levitz, a well-respected chef in this Adirondack resort town who has garnered a reputation in recent years with his bistro/catering operation, Chair 6, and his Black Bear restaurant.
If I was going to put my name on the side of my restaurant, I'd make sure the food inside was pretty darn good. And, for the most part, that's exactly what the food was at Charlie's.
The restaurant has undergone a spectacular transformation from when it was Goldberry's. What used to be a dump is now light and bright and inviting, without succumbing to the same old Adirondack look found most everywhere else in town. There's a very sleek-looking bar separate from the dining room that's ready to suck in the tourist from the city who doesn't care to look at a dead deer head while sipping on a chocolate martini.
A Sunday evening in Lake Placid in the summertime isn't much different than a Friday night when it comes to people in search of food. Charlie's had a nice crowd on the Alpine-style deck outside, and a decent crowd inside. A live band provided way cool jazz and standards throughout the evening, and the view of the mountains in the distance is, as they say, priceless.
The menu contains some familiar favorites like shrimp cocktail, spinach artichoke dip and fettuccini Alfredo along with more daring dishes like marinated grilled quail, roasted leeks and an heirloom tomato/mozzarella tower for appetizers. Entrées include trout, salmon, tuna, venison loin, duck breast and a good selection of steaks, several being certified organic.
I got a little nervous when our waitress showed up with a hand-held computer to take our order. I wasn't sure if she was delivering a package or checking my water meter back home. But she assured us it makes for expediency and efficiency, at least most of the time.
A couple of cocktails to get us started, please. The bar lived up to its looks, concocting a fabulous Mojito (light rum, club soda, lime juice, sugar, mint) and a very tasty Hemingway Daiquiri (light rum, maraschino liqueur, lime juice, grapefruit juice), attractively presented in appropriate glasses.
Appetizers also were well presented, tasty and one of the highlights of the meal.
Duck quesadillas ($7) were wonderful: fist-sized purses made of flour tortillas filled with duck, sweet corn, black beans and pepper jack cheese, then quickly deep-fried.
Roasted leeks ($8.50) sounded terrific, with proscuitto, fresh buffalo mozzarella and infused extra virgin olive oil. Unfortunately, the computer told us they were unavailable that evening.
Actually, the computer told our waitress, who told us.
So we quickly subbed in the jumbo lump crab cake ($8), served with whole grain mustard over a fresh Asian-style salad. The crabmeat was snowy white and very finely chopped, as though first put through a food processor, then rolled in Panko crumbs and lightly browned.
Arugula salad with warm Point Reyes blue cheese ($10) was a little disappointing. This special blue cheese from California was incorporated into a wedge of "cheesecake" that just didn't have enough blue cheese flavor. And it was served over mostly mixed greens with just a smattering of arugula.
The grilled quail ($9.50) was extraordinary. First marinated in fresh lemon, extra-virgin olive oil and rosemary, this plump little bird was perfectly grilled and served over a bed of mixed field greens. There was a sweetness to it, too, almost as if a plum sauce had been added toward the end.
Soup or salad comes with the meal. We learned that most of the soups are prefab, except possibly the French onion. It was quite enjoyable, with a sweet broth, lots of onions and a huge amount of golden brown provolone cheese hugging the side of the crock.
The house salad was beautiful, both in its ingredients (excellent fresh greens) and presentation, with a well-balanced balsamic vinaigrette. The Caesar utilized fresh romaine, but if there was any dressing on the salad, we couldn't taste it. Poor-quality Parmesan and store-bought croutons were a turn-off, too.
Organic free-range chicken ($24) was great. A half-chicken had herbs pushed under the skin and had been basted with butter and Danish smoked sea salt while roasting. It was moist and tender and full of flavor, finished with a Sauvignon Blanc reduction.
Veal scaloppini ($25) was not so great. While they no doubt started out with good quality veal, whoever did the sautéing ruined it. It was a pasty mess, the result of the sautéing oil not being hot enough to crisp and cook the floured meat properly.
The addition of peaches was a nice idea, but they got covered with the glop, too. Any shallots, garlic, lemon and Madeira wine used in the sautéing also were lost in the process.
The recovering vegetarian at our table got the "seasonal" ravioli ($18), which was cheese-filled, so she was still safe. We have no idea what made it seasonal, except maybe the seasonal vegetables (baby carrots, baby zucchini and young asparagus) that garnished the plate? The colorful, striped ravioli came from a quality commercial supplier. Shaved Parmesan on top was a nice touch.
Venison loin ($26) was cooked nicely but needed a little salt and pepper. We also could have used a bit more of the tangy tangerine and roasted jalapeno reduction underneath.
Desserts were on a par with the appetizers — all pretty much excellent.
The dessert sampler ($10) is a great way to get a taste of the chocolate mousse, Mayan chocolate torte, summer berry tart and crème brulee.
The cheese and fruit platter ($12) offers a nice assortment of imported and domestic cheeses along with fresh cabernet jelly, crackers and grilled bread points.
But the creamy-smooth frozen raspberry mousse ($7) with its orange tuile was totally amazing, followed closely by the peach "fried" pie ($8) with the peaches nestled in a warm pastry with a crusty exterior, served with vanilla bean ice cream and passion fruit sauce.
The total food tab came to $190. We invested another $48 in cocktails and some very nice wine by the glass, including a 2005 Ridge Three Valleys Zinfindel/Petite Syrah/Grenache for $10. Nearly every wine on the extensive list is available by the glass.
Service was friendly and passable with a few flaws — menu knowledge, replacement of silverware, bread service (none, then upon request corn bread and flattened rolls).
We're not sure who was cooking the night we were there, but we were told it wasn't Charlie. We hope he'll be at the helm for the upcoming wine dinners priced at $75 a guest. And with a little tweaking and a few days of training, the service side could easily be up to speed, too.
You can contact Walter E. Siebel via e-mail: wsiebel@wdt.net.
Charlie's Restaurant
2543 Main St.
Lake Placid, NY
1 (518) 523-9886
A new upscale restaurant in the former Goldberry's location.
Lunch and dinner served seven days a week throughout the summer.
COCKTAIL PICKS: Mojito, Hemingway Daiquiri
APPETIZER PICKS: Marinated grilled quail, duck quesadilla
ENTRÉE PICK: Organic free-range chicken
DESSERT PICKS: Frozen raspberry mousse with orange tuile, peach "fried" pie
Rating: 3 and one-half forks
