Change Is (Kind of) In the Air

When did you move to 417-land? I bet no matter how long you've been here, you're aware of who the big dogs are in the A-list restaurant world. They all get a lot of attention. When I moved to Springfield about 13 months ago, Clary's American Grill was one of the first restaurants I heard rumblings of when people would talk about the best places to eat in town. Great food. Great service. Great reputation.

I never had the opportunity to eat at Clary's until after James Clary sold the local institution that he had started to Dave and Lynée Fender. I was curious to see how the place lived up to the reputation I'd heard so much about.

I went to Clary's in November for an early dinner with a friend. After seating us and getting our drinks, our very attentive server (this guy knows his stuff) asked the expected pre-order question at Clary's: "Would you like to try the soufflé?" You have to order the soufflé right away, so there is enough time to make it. After hearing about the Clary's soufflé for so long but never having tried it, we couldn't resist. The flavor of the day was amaretto. We ordered one for dessert.

My friend and I started with the tuna nachos appetizer ($9). I'd heard people talk about these crunchy little apps, and I was both excited that they were still on the menu and anxious to try them. These aren't your typical gloppy, sloppy, beany nachos. They are carefully constructed and attractive. Each crispy won ton chip has a single drop of wasabi aioli, a small piece of rare peppercorn-crusted seared tuna, a generous heap of pickled ginger slices and a little sliver of green onion. The amount of ginger was a bit much for me, and I removed some of it. But the taste of this dish was delicious, with just the right balance of crispiness and tenderness, bold flavors and subtle spiciness.

For my entrée, I wanted to try a recent addition to the menu, and our waiter pointed out the osso buco as a new item ($26). The dish's main feature was an enormous braised veal shank. Really enormous. And thick. And incredibly tender. It was perfectly cooked and practically melted in my mouth. The phrase osso buco roughly translated from Italian means "hollowed bone," and it refers to the shank bone, surrounded by meat and filled with marrow that gets braised along with it. The veal was served on top of four neatly displayed rows of tasty sides. There was a truffle polenta, creamed spinach, creamed corn and a variety of mushrooms. Below all of this was a touch of bright green spinach-herb puree. The dish was topped with a rich red wine sauce. Every flavor on the plate was bold, and each element had a distinctly different taste. From the more mild and subtle flavor of the spinach and corn to the sharpness of the truffle polenta, the red wine sauce tied it all together beautifully. Honestly, I don't think I've ever tasted such a variety of flavors all on one plate that go so well together.

Sometimes when I'm eating a really tasty dish at a restaurant, I like to imagine how I'd recreate it on my own at home. I'm not a great cook, so I usually know that I won't succeed, but I like to plan it out anyway. With the osso buco, however, I can't even imagine trying to make that happen in my own kitchen. I'm glad I tasted it at Clary's.

My friend ordered the sea bass entrée ($28). The fish was rare, and the top was seared to a slightly salty, satisfying crispiness. It was served with one large tortelloni filled with crab and peas and topped with a mild white cream sauce. Beneath the sea bass was more of the same white cream sauce, peas, asparagus, green onions and spinach. Compared to my osso buco, my friend's sea bass dish had milder and more subtle flavors, with an almost comfort-food feel (albeit extra-gourmet comfort food), and she loved it.

The single most glorious food-consumption moment that I've experienced in Springfield was my very first steaming hot bite of the amaretto soufflé we'd ordered for dessert. It was divine. Soft and moist on the inside with a slightly crisp top and a warm vanilla-cream sauce that our server poured into the just-from-the-oven dessert, this almond-flavored treat has been inciting mouth-watering soufflé cravings for me since the day I tried it. This is one restaurant with a reputation that is more than just talk. There's substance there, and trying the soufflé, even if you don't try anything else, will prove that to you.

CLARY'S AMERICAN GRILL
Open from 5 p.m. to close every day. 3014 E. Sunshine St., Springfield,  417-886-1940, clarysrestaruant.com. Handicap accesible, Non Smoking Environment.