DARING COASTAL CUISINE - Collage on Hypolita
AMERICANROADS.NET - October 2007 -
Cindy Stangby and Mike Hyatt, proprietors of recently opened COLLAGE in the epi-center of St. Augustine’s historic downtown, are celebrating a belated 20th anniversary of their famous crimson bougainvillea tree with a surprise culinary treat that they have named ‘The Bougainvillea’. It’s a stunning new dessert that’s now permanently featured on their inventive restaurant menu .
The newest contemporary landmark of fine dining on famed Hypolita Street is a very welcoming 49-seat bistro starring Chef Melody Stewart’s ‘daring coastal cuisine’. Guests are quickly discovering this jewel in the hustle/bustle of America’s oldest city. Opened February 2007, Collage serves dinner nightly. Stewart brings each dish to life with imaginative verve, combining seasonal ingredients, a profusion of local seafood and a bold finesse for exciting their international guests.
Relax in the cool luxury of terra cotta and Mediterranean chic while listening to quiet Latin rhythms and stylish jazz legends. The towering crimson bougainvillea tree brought to St. Augustine from Corsica just before 1987 is a landmark itself, often a backdrop for visitor’s photos on Hypolita Street. Those who know their way around the culinary side of St. Augustine are raving about the impeccable and knowledgeable service. Those who are just finding Collage are spreading the word quicker than the colorful trains & trolleys passing the restaurant throughout each day.
In fact, there is a fun ‘foodie’ under cover group known simply as ‘The Palencia Unknown Diners’ who recently gathered at a pre-arranged rendezvous point for their dinner at Collage. As they investigated the menus, their story began to unfold.
“Warm Tuscan-style bread, accompanied by whole fresh roasted garlic cloves and herbed butter was conveyed to the table. The wine and bread made for an excellent start to this clandestine undertaking. "
One of the covert diners ordered the spinach salad, constructed of fresh baby leaves with crisp water chestnuts and a nicely aged blue cheese, then coated with distinct raspberry flavored vinaigrette. The salad rated a thumb up! Other appetizers sampled include potato crusted shrimp served with remoulade sauce, prosciutto wrapped jumbo shrimp grilled and accompanied by garlic mustard sauce, escargot with mushroom and cognac cream sauce and fried scallops served over pepper-onion-cilantro salad. Collage’s international food theme became quite apparent as the group savored the nice variety and taste of these unique appetizers.
Before the entrees were served, a petite cup of delicately flavored pear-Midori sorbet was presented to cleanse the palate (a nice touch). Main courses included food from all points of the globe such as rack of lamb with Dijon-pistachio crust, lobster ravioli in pesto-cream sauce and veal Orleans prepared with sherry and demi-glace. Potato crusted flounder in a Buerre Blanc sauce with couscous, plus seared Ahi tuna stacked over wasabi slaw and crispy gyoso chips rounded out the international flavors brought to the table. To complete their surveillance of Collage, the group finished the evening with a heavenly warm butter rum cake, Grand Marnier-flavored crème brulee and white chocolate macadamia nut cheesecake.
And the Bougainvillea story:
Brought to St. Augustine from Corsica in 1985 by Frenchman Marceau Poncet, where the climate is similar to that of America’s Oldest City, Collage restaurant’s bougainvillea tree is unlike any variety found elsewhere in the U.S. Most of the original tree was killed by a severe winter snowstorm in 1987; but one small shoot survived to result in the 20’ tall tree that now graces the front entrance of Collage on Hypolita. Unusual in its large clusters of vibrant lilac and hot pink clusters of flowers, the beauty of the bougainvillea tree is one of the most famous landmarks on narrow Hypolita Street in St. Augustine.
THE BOUGAINVILLEA
4 Cups whole strawberries, hulled and quartered lengthwise
7 T. sugar
¼ t. pepper
2-inch long piece of vanilla bean split lengthwise
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. unsalted butter
1 ¼ Cup good quality Cabernet (if you won’t drink it, don’t cook with it)
Vanilla ice cream - Mint leaves for garnish -
Phyllo Cups that have 3 ‘petals’ resembling the flower of the bougainvillea.
Chocolate leaves for garnish (optional)
SAUTEED STRAWBERRIES IN RED WINE PEPPER SAUCE
Combine 1 Cup wine, sugar and pepper in medium saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and add bean. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Whisk remaining ¼ C. wine with cornstarch in small bowl to blend. Add mixture to sauce and whisk constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Remove vanilla bean pieces from sauce. Set sauce aside.
Melt butter in large fry pan over high heat. Do not let burn. Add berries and sauté 1 minute. Add sauce and pinch of pepper, bringing to a boil. Divide berries among 6 phyllo cups (OR six martini glasses) and top with scoop of ice cream and mint garnish. Optional: Add chocolate leaves for garnish.
Collage
…Artful Global Dining
60 Hypolita Street
St. Augustine, Florida 32084
904-829-0055 www.CollageStAug.com
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