Thames and more Bellevue .
Triangle shards of magenta fried beets stand up like an expressionist sculpture , glued down by a chive and garlic cream dip ($ 12 ). It ’ s a modern take on onion dip , disguised in an avant-garde costume . Even the warm cranberry brown bread ($ 10 ) comes paired with a mossy green seaweed butter that tastes subtle but basks in its own dramatic declaration . No one knows the power of aesthetics like the uberwealthy , and it postures confidently in every corner of the Ralph Lauren-like room . Even the plates bear a Vanderbilt insignia — a regal “ V ” inside a pierced heart that ’ s embroidered on the cuff of each server ’ s sleeve . Servers , incidentally , remain largely composed despite increasing popularity and what ’ s becoming a permanent staff shortage , even in this wellconstructed fairy tale . They may recede into the kitchen for stretches of time , but when they reappear with a goblet full of pink peppercorn-tinged gin and acquiescent approval , all is forgiven .
But as drinks evolve into dinner , some of the drama dissipates in favor of the familiar . Entrees center around New England ideals but with a dash of exotic spice : chicken marinated in yogurt is seared with cilantro and mint ($ 32 ); cauliflower is roasted with garam masala ($ 20 ). Other centerpieces are more
traditional in scope : halibut steamed en papillote ($ 45 ), filet mignon served with duck fat potatoes ($ 52 ) and a lemon tagliatelle tossed with fistfuls of lobster ($ 42 ). The braised lamb shank ($ 43 ), however , straddles both lines — unctuous meat in a sauce glistening with red wine-soaked root vegetables like a jewelry box . It ’ s hearty fare for a place that oozes sensuality and diners who have cleaned their plates seem content to sit in the adjacent library with a port in preparation for an early snooze .
For those who refuse to forfeit their turn at turn-of-the-century living , dessert affords another hour of fantastical fixation . There are housemade sorbets and ice cream , as well as a fruit-forward cheese plate . But whimsy is what ’ s needed when you ’ re four drinks deep , and the dining room does not disappoint . Warm coffee cake ($ 12 ) is wedged with caramel apples and a coffee milk ice cream so full of roasted beans that it may keep you up for days . ( It ’ s the first signal that over twenty-one may refer to more than just alcohol .) The Pavlova ($ 14 ), however , is the clear star of this stage production . If one could recreate the Vanderbilt Ball of 1883 , surely it ’ d be constructed out of meringue , and this one arrives like a piped hoop skirt perfumed with cardamom . An eager server will crack it open at your request , revealing a grapefruit mousse beneath and several slices of fuchsia fruit . There are plenty of beverages to pair with dessert — from sherry to scotch to Sauternes-style semillon . But dessert is so ornamental , so decorative in its own right , that even a $ 45 glass of wine seems to pale in comparison . It ’ s only fitting that the dining room exists within the walls of an Auberge hotel . Heading anywhere but upstairs would seem like a disappointment . However long the evening lasts , though , is enough to call sublime . In a town that is often defined by water views , the Vanderbilt asserts that man can compete , even with nature . �
96 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2022