The chef tops the crusted steak with mushrooms deglazed with Madeira, and surrounds it with a chocolate Cabernet Sauvignon demi-glace sauce it's all capped with blue cheese butter and a sprinkling of microgreens. It's a somewhat quirky combination that has so many backup players you need a program to keep it straight. While the menu changes every couple of weeks, the seared filet mignon ($29), coated in finely ground coffee, has become his signature. How can you burst the bubble of a chef who writes at the bottom of his menu, "All items generously seasoned with passion and pride!" His exuberance can lead to unnecessary flourishes, but his vision is nicely encapsulated in each plate that emerges from the tiny kitchen, partly visible from the main 46-seat dining room. Olesky builds - and cooks - with unrestrained fervor. The project took him four months, and it reopened as Mosaic year ago.
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He also found and refinished the tables and glazed the floors. He and his father bought the building in downtown Forestville and did most of the remodeling, including putting in the intricate Venetian plaster walls that butt up against the more rustic brick. He wears his passion on his sleeve, which is evident in the surroundings and on his California menu.
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The design befits the rural nature of the area, but it also has big-city cachet.Ĭhef-owner Tai Olesky, who is just 30, worked his way up to executive chef at the Hilton in Santa Rosa during his seven-year tenure. Candles cast a glow on the painted brick walls, adding a cozy texture to the warren of rooms.īeyond the dining room lies a wine bar with deep leather couches, a private alcove for 16 and a manicured 40-seat patio with a fireplace set under a leafy canopy of trees. The plank tabletops are set with oversize ceramic plates in green, orange, red and yellow, which are bisected by black napkins and framed by hefty flatware and delicate crystal stemware. The concrete floors are glazed in a copper hue with strategically placed Oriental rugs that add a homey quality. Inside, the new owners have given the interior a warm, personal air.