Cuisine á la Durham

If there's one thing I love about Durham, it's the food. Sure, we don't live in downtown Manhattan (and I'm thankful for that), but Durham has a generous number of fine restaurants for a city its size. It's not just pricey places, either: Almost every establishment competing for the serious eater's dollars around here is actually good. Try to find anywhere else that can make that claim. For instance, take a saunter through downtown Savannah, GA-a much more tourist-friendly city-and find reams of high-cost, low quality establishments. It's not an overstatement to say that Durham's culinary offerings give Chapel Hill a run for its money. The city's established names read like a Who's Who of top-rated southern restaurants: Magnolia Grill, Nana's, Parizade-the hit list goes on. Even with the tough competition, Four Square Restaurant sits well abreast of its rivals. Located on Chapel Hill Road, the antebellum-style mansion radiates serenity, quality and class amid much more modest surroundings. The interior décor matches the restaurant's exterior reserve. There's a lot of clean, varnished wood and crisp, white linen in sight, along with tastefully arranged local art (a guide is available upon request). The minimal ornamentation, similar to that of the Magnolia Grill, gives the restaurant the proper focus-the food. Four Square's contemporary American fare strikes a delicate balance between the eclectic and conservative. The menu is unsurprising-no wacky burritos or questionable fruit purées on the list-but it is presentation and taste, not exotic dishes and ingredients, that make a good meal. The wine list reflects a commitment to quality over pretense; for every high-priced selection, there's a worthwhile $20 bottle to match. The diversity and consistency of offerings show the place to be as comfortable serving slabs of meat as they are a delicate pasta or fish fillet. Diehard meat and potato fans, as well as vegetarians, won't be left out: There's a grilled beef tenderloin accompanied by mashed potatoes and fried onions on the menu, right below an exquisite vegetable lasagna with oyster mushrooms, baby fennel and pea purée. For the more adventurous eater, Four Square offers a pan-seared duck breast with duck confit cannelloni, garnished with dried cranberries and a porcini scented duck reduction. Of the four seafood offerings, the bacon-wrapped sturgeon (caviar is made from its eggs) wins the prize for originality, while the pan-seared salmon with artichoke, caper, dried tomato and calamato olive ragout and wild rice takes a spectacular variation on the traditional. All of the food proved exceptional in both appearance and flavor. Four Square's emphasis on presentation gives its offerings the touch of elegance that justifies the high price tag. The service was extremely attentive and personal-all of our entrées were served simultaneously by separate waiters. The service was there when we needed it, invisible when we didn't. As for the food, it was garnished with equal flair and attention. It's almost hard to eat a meal that looks like artwork; with fried leeks riding atop my rubbed veal chop, with sprinklings of parsley flecking the plate's white space, the entrée made me feel like I was eating a Renoir. The 'sandwich' of portobello mushrooms and creamed leeks that accompanied the veal was divine, dripped with a port wine cream sauce that also gave a subtle edge to the meat. Dessert is one area where some Durham restaurants fall flat, but Four Square triumphed there as well. Along with a selection of homemade ice creams and sorbets, the dessert menu boasted delectable winners like white chocolate pistachio brittle cheesecake and a roasted banana cream tartlet with peanut nougat and spirals of dark and milk chocolate sauce. The special was a generous serving of apple cider ice cream wedged between two giant oatmeal cookies-my guest didn't leave an ounce on her plate. New restaurants like Four Square show that Durham's tradition of fine dining endures. Its top-notch service, unique location, refined presentation and consistent quality make it a superb choice for a quiet dinner with the parents or that crucial third date. The restaurant is fine enough to impress somebody, but abandons the ostentation and pretense that could scare people away. Mainstays like Nana's and the Magnolia Grill should watch their backs-Four Square is going to make it a tight race for dominance in the Durham restaurant scene.