Ahwahnee - 2006.05.20 -- ****

After a hearty day of exercise in the beautiful Yosemite valley, we were ready for a hearty meal of haute cuisine at the prestigous Ahwahnee hotel. Despite the enormity of its dining room, this is practically the only place to have a decent meal in the valley, so we had to contend with a 8:30 reservation. To pass time, we took some snacks and drinks at the hotel bar, which was sort of a money not so well wasted. My friend was satisfied with his first latte of the day, but we were less satisfied with the bland hummus plate and the overly salty beef vegie soup of the day. This $20 didn't buy us any savings on the real meal.

At our seating the magnificant Ahwahnee dining hall was still jam packed and buzzing. Our waitress was none too present, swamped apparently. But she turned out very friendly and gave a lot of attentions to details. Trying to save some dough, we decided on 2 appetizers and one entree, but the original decision to skip dessert was waved off when Amnon saw the dessert plates of other tables.

Execution at the Ahwahnee unfortunately did not live up to the expectation setup by their menu. A scallops plate with fennel, tomato and a riesling pan sauce was better done than the dungeness crab cake coupled with its overly-spicy "red pepper gazpacho". The white corn relish definitely could've also used a chill. Our main course of Mako shark steak came thoughtfully divided in two even platings thanks to our waitress. For sure a very interesting dish, the shark having a texture somewhere between landlubbing meat and fish, with a firmness of bite and sweetness of taste. The accoutrement for it however was another pathetic attempt at asian fusion, mixing "wok seared" (my ass) peppers and mushroom with an odd "lemongrass and chili oil" sauce that did not work for the shark.

The dessert also fell short in taste despite the fancy looks. Opera cake with berries and a chocolate espresso sauce made a blasee sweets course, even considering the free raspberry sorbet we received.

All in all, exclusivity, great menu ideas, and impeccable service were not savior enough for less than gourmet food quality. If you're in Yosemite and would settle for nothing less than the best you can get, shell out and eat at the Ahwahnee. Otherwise, save the big bucks and just fill up at curry village dining room (never ate there). Or better yet, bring your own steers and light up the camp fire.

- California Dungeness Crabcake, Sweet White Corn RElish, Roasted Red Pepper Gazpacho, Citrus-Cilantro Aioli
- Fennel Pollen Crusted Diver Scallops, 16.75 Heirloom Tomato & Thai Basil, Riesling Pan Sauce
- Mako Shark, Sticky Rice Cake, Wok Seared Sweet Peppers, Baby Choy, Shittake Mushrooms, Lemongrass-Chili Emulsion

$88 for two.