Traveling back to Castroville to spend the day and dine at the Old Alsatian Steakhouse and Ristorante proved to be another delightful excursion. Bill and I had lunch on our last visit; now we were prepared for a fine dining experience at dinner and were not disappointed. Starting with Mike’s Alsatian Delight – black mussels in a creamy herb and Irish whiskey sauce – was a good idea. Like little babies, we stopped short of drinking the rich and indescribably sublime sauce after polishing off the fresh, tender mussels. Tito offered us a taste of the shrimp bisque, which was subtly different from the creamy mussel sauce with the addition of paprika, almost as delicious. Three cheers for the petite house salad with a homemade vinaigrette bolstered by mounds of finely minced onion. We were already satisfied when our entrees arrived. I had the Flounder Fiorno and Bill had the Pork medallions in a superb Marsala sauce with raisins. Both dishes were delicious but the flounder was out of this world. Lightly battered and draped in a melt in your mouth creamy chardonnay sauce with capers and almonds, I floated on waves of pleasure, overcome with the feeling that I was transported to the old world, somewhere in the French, German alps. The carrots and peas were outstanding, the spinach savory and the green beans distinctly delicious. Portions were bountiful, I ate too much, but cannot complain. We were too full for dessert; I’m sure they were wicked. We toddled around the block, still reeling from our feast but I would do it again, preferably with 4 people sharing. The restaurant offers wine tastings (with appetizers), both public and private. Check their website for announcements or contact them to plan a party. Sunday photos are added as a segue to our morning visit to the Medina River, another excellent reason to visit Castroville.
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