Sea Stone - Perfection

This was a special event. Because of the circumstances (evening before major surgery), I was particularly emotionally fragile, and had the dining experience gone wrong, I would have jumped all over it. Sea Stone, as it turned out, was my salve.

A restaurant of this quality can easily be found at any of the mega-resorts on the Strip. However, finding one of this quality at these prices won’t be. Period.

The building where Sea Stone is located has had previous iterations: the first was Tré when Boca Park was first being developed, and later as Hannah’s. According to those who visited it, Tré had high prices and mediocre quality, and Hannah’s was simply unmemorable. Both of those will spell doom to any restaurant in the quality and service driven Mecca that is Las Vegas.

The only bad thing about the evening was finding where to park. Because I hadn’t been to either one of the previous businesses, I wasn’t sure where to go, and nearly ended up parking near the loading dock. Fortunately, my dining companion knew where to park and that was that. And *that* was the unpleasant part of the evening. Everything else was pure perfection. And that’s not a word I use lightly.

Ambiance. Atmosphere. While I consider “ambiance” a relative non-word, it certainly works here. If you don’t quite “get” what ambiance is, then you need to go to Sea Stone and fully enjoy the dictionary definition. The sounds of the waterfall over the bar and the bubbling brook under your feet (okay, so you’re standing on Plexiglas) equals instant calm. My only stresses were if we’d get good service and if they’d let me pour my own wine. Just to get it out of the way, the answer is yes to both.

We were seated at a table that had billowing sheer curtains on either side. Although we were seated near the bar and there was a very chatty table next to us, our waiter pulled the curtains on either side and suddenly we had a very personal space in which to sit and enjoy each other’s company. How wonderful.

The service was impeccable. I had made reservations and when we arrived, we were seated immediately and were presented with the menu and wine list.

First, I’ll tackle the wine list. They have 24 wines by the glass and bottle, 9 by the half bottle, and about 75 by bottle only. They are broken down by varietal, with “Intriguing Whites by the Bottle” and “Tantalizing Reds by the Bottle” having their own separate categories. Those categories consist of unique varietals or blends that don’t fit anywhere else. They also have about 24 Sakes available by the carafe and/or bottle for those who want to enjoy the complete Asian experience. Along with regular non-alcoholic drinks, they also have 25 beers by the bottle and a variety of house specialty cocktails.

The wine list pricing is a little unusual. The wines that are available by glass and bottle cost *about* the retail of the bottle by the glass, and approximately double retail for the bottle. For a restaurant, this isn’t too bad. However, the wines by the bottle range about double to three times retail on the list. As usual, you have to go in well armed with knowledge. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Corkage is $25.00. For my bottle of 2004 Williams Selyem (which they do not have on the wine list), it was well worth it.

Already I was feeling quite at ease. Our waiter, Louis, was young, jovial, and efficient. Polite without being fawning, he was knowledgeable about the foods and the menu.

I was amazed by the prices. How large could the servings be? Miniscule, no doubt. We started with the Ahi Carpaccio with Paddle Fish Caviar, which was $17.00. Oh My God. The Ahi was very lightly seared and stuffed with a crab ceviche with jalapeno salsa, and garnished with baby greens and ponzu glaze. The Paddle Fish caviar was rich and flavorful, and barely distinguishable from its Sturgeon cousin. It tasted of the ocean, but wasn’t salty. Was the serving miniscule? Not in the least.

The next item was Tom Yum Gai , which was $6.00. It is a hot & sour soup, with lemongrass chicken, galangal , cilantro and lime juice. The chicken, galangal, and cilantro are placed in the middle of the bowl and the hot/sour with a touch of sweet broth is poured over the ingredients from a small iron kettle. We almost came to fisticuffs over the last bit of broth in the bowl.

Let me say a little something about the presentation of the dishes. I felt as if I were doing a piece for the Travel Channel or for Fine Living Network. Each and every item was beautifully and artistically plated, and the dirty dishes were swept away unobtrusively. Each item was an “ooo ahhh” treat for the eyes and each was a scene from one of the food magazines. The visuals alone were pure pleasure. Anyway, let me continue.

The next dish was Roasted Portobello Mushroom Carpaccio with baby garden greens and fresh citrus vinaigrette. This was another gorgeous dish that was a pure pleasure to gaze upon and to eat. Perfect roulades of marinated Portobellos were tender and flavorful. I never would have thought to use citrus vinaigrette on such a dish, but it was flawless. And even with the citrus, the earthiness of the mushrooms proved an ideal foil to the 2004 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir. By the way, this little dish was only $9.00.

Then the entrees arrived. I ordered the Thai Barbeque Game Hen, which are served with steamed black sticky rice flavored with coconut milk, drizzled with a savory caramel glaze and served with perfectly cooked baby bok choy. The skin was crispy and flavorful, and the hen was beautifully presented. Price: $24.00.

My dining companion ordered Baked Miso Yaki Butterfish, seasoned with Shiro Miso , sake, mirin and ginger, and served with braised coconut rice. This was an incredibly presented dish, with the fish cradled in an artistically created banana leaf boat. Not just cute and smile inducing, but delicious as well. The butterfish is a delicate fish with a buttery texture (hence the name) that can be easily overwhelmed by over-enthusiastic seasonings. Needless to say, this wasn’t the case here. The delicacy of the fish was showcased, not smothered, by the preparation, which made the $26.00 price tag negligible.

With both dishes, the rices were served in separate bowls.

Ready for decadence? Then there was dessert. Chocolate Zen, a flourless chocolate cake with poached pear and red wine gastrique . The pear was an Asian pear that had been poached in port wine, the gastrique was sprinkled with finely chopped pistachio, and there was a piece of pistachio brittle inserted into the diamond-shaped cake. Oh yeah, it was a steal at $9.00.

We finished up with cups of coffee and an evening of perfect dining was complete.

Sea Stone didn’t do a lot of things wrong, but let me tell you what they did perfectly:

1. I brought my own wine, a bottle of 2004 Williams Selyem Westside Neighbors Pinot Noir . Louis uncorked it and presented Stölzle crystal Pinot Noir/Burgundy stemware in which to serve it, which he did with style. Thank you for not bringing just a “red wine” glass.
2. The service. It was impeccable. From the time we walked in to be seated until we received our check and left, the service was perfect. My expectations were rather low, especially considering that they are relatively new. This is especially true after the Sweet Water experience last year, which my companion called the service experience there “an abortion.”
3. The food. Prepared with care and passion, beautifully presented, and impossibly priced, it was a revelation of pleasure. But more on that in a minute.
4. The atmosphere. Engaging, warm, and a treat the senses, Sea Stone is a place to go to unwind and relax.

If Sea Stone were on the Strip, it would be, no doubt, absolutely unaffordable. The prices – as you can see above – are as unbelievable as the food.

So how does this translate? Simple. Whenever I want a Strip experience, I need look no further than my own neighborhood. Sea Stone has proven its worth, and as a result, has me as a new and dedicated customer who plans to patronize it and show it with my dollars that I support everything that they are doing.

Sea Stone is located at 1050 S. Rampart Blvd, at the corner of Charleston. and Rampart Blvds. in Boca Park. It’s a big building that’s hard to miss. Their hours are Monday – Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. to 11p.m.

See you there.

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