My husband and I have been awaiting the opening of Preservation Kitchen eagerly, since we saw the signs in July and read about their philosphy regarding local foods and seasonal ingredients. We went to dinner on Friday night, just 4 days after their opening. We were not disappointed. The building itself, an old brick home, has been brought back to it's former beauty (back in the days of Gerard de Lyon and Gerard's) but with plenty of fresh new twists. It's warm and inviting and better yet, the chairs are very comfortable. The staff was gracious and welcoming and our waitress Marcella was very professional and friendly. We started our meal with a cocktail and the dungeness stuffed calamari. Delicious! We then shared a salad of heirloom tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and sweet onions. This dish highlighted the use of the very best fresh ingredients and letting them speak for themselves. The salad was very lightly dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper and a sprinkling of basil. The tomatoes were bursting with the amazing flavor that only a late summer tomato can have. Perfect with the fresh creamy mozzarella. For the main course I had the wild mushroom risotto and my husband the the raq (spelled oddly because the correct spelling is considered an inappropriate word by CitySearch) of wild boar. They were both excellent. We enjoyed a bottle of Des Voigne 2006 The Duke red wine, a delicious blend from a local winery which went very well with both our dinners. And at 45.00 for the bottle it was an excellent value as well. By taking some leftovers home (packed in biodegradable containers) we left enough room for some dessert. We were very happy we had. We shared the goat cheese fritters with honey lavender ice cream and pear concasse. Wow. I mean really, WOW. We were visited during the course of our meal by the sommelier and chef and they were both very friendly and welcoming. Needless to say, we'll visit this local gem regularly.
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