Green Pastures

Description:

• Peacocks strut their stuff among wooded grounds surrounding this 1894 mansion, which was converted into a restaurant in 1945. The Southern graciousness and impeccable service have been a constant over the years, but the new millennium brought a new chef, who gently nudged the menu away from its staid moorings toward a brasher, more inventive cuisine.

  With its peaceful grounds and calm, attractive dining spaces, this is a comfortable place to have an elegant and delicious meal. But it's definitely not one of the talked-about places. The menu changes seasonally, but you might find something like the following: pumpkin seed-seared salmon with poached prawns served with grilled cactus, garlic butter, hibiscus reduction, and cilantro oil; smoked prime rib-eye with crab, avocado, and cured tomatoes; and seared duck breast with Swiss chard, bacon, roasted garlic, and apple-rhubarb chutney. The presentation and combinations of tastes are excellent. You'll need to exercise the most restraint at dessert when offered such treats as Texas Pecan Ball (vanilla ice cream rolled in nuts and dripping fudge) and Bananas Foster.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010