XL Main Course

The Range at Barton House

Problems with main courses trip up Salado restaurant

SALADO — Poor planning can hurt a restaurant as much as bad cooking. It can reveal flaws that tarnish an establishment's previously unblemished reputation.

That's what happened one recent Friday night at the Range at Barton House, the upscale restaurant located in a lovely historic structure in the center of Salado. Two miscues on the main course cost the restaurant a review star.

Amber Novak
FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN

(enlarge photo)

The Range at Barton House's quail is stuffed with crawfish and served over creamy polenta.

Amber Novak
FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN

(enlarge photo)

The surf and turf is a bacon-wrapped filet mignon with three butterflied shrimp, béarnaise sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables.

THE RANGE
101 N. Main St., Salado; (254) 947-3828
Hours: noon to 3 Saturdays-Sundays, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays
Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners
Wheelchair access: Yes
Wine: 40 by the glass ($7-$23), 40 by the bottle ($22-$200)

In the first example of poor planning, the restaurant was out of its signature dish — salmon with warm potato salad — at 6:30 p.m., forcing my companion to choose an alternative that came up short — way short — for a fine-dining restaurant of the Range's caliber.

The substitution, crispy crab cakes over rice, yielded perfectly fine cakes. The problem: They were $28.95, more than twice the price of heftier crab cakes in several four- and five-star restaurants in the Austin area. Plus, they were served with a tiny drizzle of honey Dijon sauce over basmati rice (with asparagus and carrots on the side). Talk about boring.

The second misstep occurred when the restaurant ran out of the corn pudding that is normally served with the pork loin ($19.50) listed on the menu. The kitchen substituted rice tossed with black-eyed peas — can we say boring again? — without informing my other companion until the waiter brought it to the table.

Standing there with the substitution in hand is too late to inquire if it's OK. To send it back when the other two entrees are being delivered would ruin the rhythm of the meal and make one person wait while the other two ate. Not a classy move.

That's too bad, because the Range should be a three-star, if not a four-star place. Chef-owner Dave Hermann is talented, and the ambience of the old home, with its plank floors, tall windows and fireplaces, is something you don't often find in Texas.

The appetizer, a 6-inch pizza ($10.95) topped with chicken, tomatoes, basil, caramelized onions and cheese, was tasty but not impressive.

The soup of the day, on the other hand, was a delicious lobster bisque ($4.95) with a spicy, strong-flavored soup that was enticingly creamy without being heavy and thick.

The warm salad ($4.95 for the small size) featured greens tossed with goat cheese and a pancetta vinaigrette, while the steakhouse salad ($3.95 for the small size) combined greens, nuts, blue cheese, corn and tomatoes in a red wine vinaigrette.

The third entree, the surf and turf ($28.95), delivered a small, tasty bacon-wrapped filet served over large pile of garlic mashed potatoes topped with three butterflied shrimp and the same side of veggies (asparagus and carrots) that came with the other entrees.

Two of the desserts (the warm chocolate pudding cake and the housemade sorbets) were outstanding, but the third — a lemon-lime tart ($6) — was mundane. Although the crust was flaky and crisp, the lemon-lime filling lacked any significant citrus flavor.

That contrasted with the sorbets ($5), mango, peach and blackberry, which were perfect, with vibrant fruit flavors and no crystallization in the icy dessert.

The Valhrona chocolate cake ($6.50) barely held together until the first spoon penetration that left the molten center running across the plate. It was served with roasted banana ice cream in a crisp tuile.

Our server, who was exceptionally knowledgeable about the food, was let down by the kitchen. The two big problems of the evening were not his fault. However, by mid-evening, the attentiveness of the staff also waned sharply. It took nearly 15 minutes for someone to pick up payment and return the bill.

That kind of mixed delivery in cuisine and service is unacceptable in a restaurant of the Range's caliber. Hermann needs to ride herd on staff and management to pull the Range back where it belongs.

drice@statesman.com; 445-3859