Sinclair's

The day after I got back from the glamorous West Baden Springs Hotel someone asked me- "Oh, did you go for golf or gambling". I thought for a few seconds and instinctively said- I went for the food.

I had been to the French Lick Hotel about 3 BG (before gaming). Ironic how gambling takes THE poorest county in Indiana and transforms a dying, if not dead, pair of towns into a sought after destination. The guests I spoke with were from Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Ohio. There are 600 plus rooms at French Lick and 243 at West Baden Springs and both hotels were sold out last Saturday night. A car show, the Brickyard 400, and the resort itself were able to sell out french lick at $209 and $249 a night. that's setting the world on fire in today's hotel market.

When we self-parked and walked through the modern motor entrance we could see the rotunda through a short hallway. We walked VERY slowly letting each baby step allow the whole room to seep into our vision until we were standing at the threshold of one of the most beautiful, ornate, modern, yet historic "eighth wonder of the world". a harpist struck her first chord as if there was a hidden conductor waiting for us to get to the threshold to welcome us to a place that i would eventually fall in love with.

After a tour of the wonderful and native flower gardens, the great photographs of the rebuilding (the property sat vacant and in ruins for nearly 60 years), and the rotunda (the hub of all social activity) we were ready to really relax. For me that means swimming, and this hotel has one of the nicest natatoriums one can build. copious amounts of natural light, beautiful decorations, and a very large, if shallow, pool. an outdoor pool and a very large hot tub were also in the vacinity.

With play time was complete, the exploring done, it was time to see if the marquee restaurant could live up to a $60 filet in the middle of rural Indiana. The menu was very pretentious and i could see myself complaining all dinner about how this local Indiana chef tried hard and missed the mark on most dishes. When we entered Sinclair's there was a large party being seated and two couples in a line to see the maitre 'd. i had been warned about making reservations at check-in, but did not know how much exploring i had to do. I was wondering if we could get in, but G took care of us as he welcomed us, and followed up above and beyond. Of Indian descent and having worked in New York and other locales in the world his pedigree had been set for one of the main ingredients to allow a gourmet restaurant to succeed- a strong front of house man. G showed us to a lovely table in the front corner, right next to a window where we watched the sun set about as late as it does anywhere in the eastern time zone.

We started with a glass of Trevor Jones "virgin" chardonnay from Australia which i compare to a cakebread or a far niente ($12). also ordered was a glass of Haras cabernet sauvignon from Chile which had wonderful balance ($10). the wine took about 8 minutes to get to us, which proved to be the only slight miscue in an otherwise perfect example of service. The wine list in general was excellent for its size.

For our first courses we chose the beef tenderloin carpaccio ($10) which came with cracked peppercorns, fleur de sel, shaved shallots, and cold pressed olive oil. lacking was the usual shaved parmesan, but not missed. the high grade beef served room temperature was very refreshing on the balmy summer eve and proved to be a flawless choice. I had the foie gras special ($14) included micro greens (popularized by my acquanintance Grant Achatz), and apricots that made a harmonious symphony with the succulent foie gras. the two pieces of goose liver were plump and generous for the price.

As we were delivered our first courses we gave the requests for our main courses. we had already been informed on the ins and outs of the menu and after a long thought process we came up with the lobster ravioli ($36) and a 6 ounce filet mignon with bernaise for ($36). It was tough to not try the bourbon glazed Indiana pork chop with cream corn raggout or the carmelized U-10 diver scallops with black truffle mashed potatoes, but we made solid choices that were highly anticipated by me after enjoying the first courses so thoroughly. the filet was ordered medium rare, cooked perfectly and was as tender as one could hope for. the bernaise was also perfection, accompanying the wonderful flavor of American corn fed beef with rapport. A side of whipped yukon gold mashed potatoes was enjoyed by both diners. The lobster ravioli was 3 shells filled with ricotta and boursin saffron. it was all swimming in a broth that had some other seafood stock along with lobster and only added flavor to the dish. the only miscue from the kitchen came with the chewiness of the pasta shells. perhaps undercooked, perhaps the consistency of the dough was slightly compromised, but the shells were rendered ineffective in the repertoire of the dish. In theory, the lobster ravioli should have thrilled more effectively, but instead we enjoyed the wonderfully divine small lobster tail meat with a little claw meat in the fabulous broth, and as the meat was the star of the dish and the noodles the support, there was no need to let it spoil our experience.

As our main courses were being enjoyed, we ordered a zentini ($9). A creation I had seen on the bar menu at the natatorium, created by the mixologists on site. a berry concoction that was the color of green tea, the libation was a legitimate drink that I had not tasted before. Although I probably wouldn't order it again, I enjoyed sharing it. I chose a nice Portugese port ($8) to accompany the chocolate mousse in which a velvety dark chocolate outer shell that concealed the lighter mousse inside. a strawberry sliced added a hint of flavor and freshness to the final dish of the evening.

After we revelled in our new find and put the bill on our room charges, we found G and thanked him for a wonderful evening. As we chatted about food and dining, he asked if I had seen the chef's table. I had not and he was giddy in showing me the room. Now the decor of the main dining area is real nice, 25' ceilings, gilded crown mould, and general opulence, but maybe missing a little art work (paintings would add some personality). But the decor in the chef's table room is special. there are two flat screen tv's behind the two heads of the distressed wood table that was a holdover from the days of the Jesuits in West Baden. the 10 place settings were from Versace that G happily noted he paid $1500 each for. He guaranteed all food tastes better on plates of such stature as I just smiled. The wall of glass that divided the kitchen and the room was opaque and I wondered exactly how that fit in, just then G flipped a switch and the glass went completely transparent and we were in the middle of the assembly line. Chef was 3 feet from us, facing away instructing his team to feed the 40 or so tables still finishing up their dinners. then we opened the partition and let the sounds and smells in as well as the energy. the clean and well-lighted kitchen looked very functional and as my dad always says- the proof is in the pudding. and the proverbial pudding was excellent.

Overall I had one of the best meals I had in sometime as I debunked my misguided notion that this restaurant was only mediocre. I must attribute this to the fact that I read any article on food in the multiple newspapers, internet sites, and if I might miss it there, one of my friends in the business usually brings them up in a competitive, admirable tone. But I had no idea what was available when I set out across Highway 150 and am still in awe of Sinclair's and of West Baden Springs Hotel as an entity. *** 1/2 ecellent fare, service, and decor needs something, like real flowers on the host stand instead of fake AE