(August 2006)

By Warren Rojas

F 9.3   A 9.2   S 9.4

You never know exactly what recent James Beard Award winner Fabio Trabocchi is sending your way as you await each silver platter full of goodies at Maestro. But you can expect each morsel to contribute to an astounding experience you'll not soon forget.

The ritzy dining area remains packed with adveturous gourmands and devoted foodies willing to invest the time and money-the lavish multi-course programs take hours and typically start at around $85 per person-for an audience with Trabocchi and his dedicated staff. Watchful servers make sure glasses never empty, discarded plates rarely linger and no question goes unanswered, so nothing gets in the way of your enjoyment.

The always evolving menu knows no bounds. Trabocchi's cooking defies convention, striving to update Old World favorites with modern flourishes. Veal sweetbreads sizzle in a zesty salsa verde. A scoop of salmon tartare (tender beads of brilliant fish) gets a fennel water chaser. Baccalao-filled agnolotti are swamped with giant prawns one night-an amazing dish you wish would never end-only to emerge stuffed with prosciutto and bathed in mushrooms on another. Smoked sturgeon smothered with seared foie gras dissolves on the palette, while roast pigeon awash in sour Muscat grapes takes flight with each bite.

(February 2006)

By Warren Rojas

On any trip to Maestro, it's hard to tell who's having more fun: the awestruck patrons savoring bite after luxurious bite of the outlandish creations parading across their table or Chef Fabio Trabocchi as he whirrs about conducting yet another operatic feast.

Not to be confused with an ordinary meal, an evening at Maestro is more of a gastronomic Ironman-an exhausting but wholly satisfying endeavor comparable to attending an all-day art gala where you ultimately consume the very masterpieces on display. The open kitchen-private dining is available, but first time visitors should really opt for the culinary floor show-serves as the ultimate stage. Trabocchi and his crew don't just cook, they conjure wild and exciting new ways to please, preparing plates just as likely to bear test tubes as they are to feature exotic ingredients (sea urchin, white truffles). Meanwhile, omnipresent servers are always at the ready to clear your plate, deconstruct your next course or dish out another piece of crusty Italian bread.

Novices can give Trabocchi total control of the evening by selecting the tasting menu (La Creazione), while others may construct their own edible itinerary from the pseudo-standards on the La Tradizione and L'Evoluzione menus or the somewhat static vegetarian options (I Colori Dell'Orto). And while the menus change nightly, there are certain things you can count on.

Homemade pastas and fish dishes are typically superlative and often feature vegetables cast in multiple supporting roles (one sweet potato purée came dressed with razor thin slices of the same; porcini mushrooms crowned a monkfish basted in a porcini reduction). Steak will almost assuredly dissolve in your mouth-if it doesn't bleed right into the ethereal mashed potato purée and brown gravy that grace many beef entrees. Dessert almost always includes some sublime chocolate creation, but don't be too quick to brush aside the stunning assortment of ripened cheeses (three pieces, typically ranging in flavor from strong to mild, all accompanied by a triangle of fresh guayaba paste). On weekends, the regular five-to seven-plate extravaganzas-an antipasti/appetizer, a pasta or risotto selection, a fish course, a beef course, and a dessert or cheese plate-quickly spiral into a dozen-course event with the addition of the amusées, pre-dessert treats and complimentary petit fours from the kitchen.