Acacia Reviews

Frederick Magazine - June, 1 2003

California Dreaming

Fine Dining and Refreshing Décor - Acacia's a fresh breath of culinary air

To say Phil Bowers and his Fountain Rock Management Group have a knack with food is like saying Rumelstiltskin had a way with straw.

When you think Fountain Rock, think Isabella's, Brewer's Alley, and Gaithersburg's Summit Station - all wildly popular landmarks blessed with patrons who have no reservations (sorry) about queuing up for a flavorful meal.

Now add to Bowers' string of pearls Acacia - sophisticated, intimate, and generating a steady buzz over its sensational "new American cuisine." Located directly across from Brewer's Alley (and occupying the renovated quarters once home to The Province), Acacia is Fountain Rock's most ambitious and upscale undertaking to date.

If launching a new restaurant during an economic downturn is fraught with peril, Bowers isn't letting on. But then, he knows the success of Acacia is written not in the stars, but by the stars: Operations Manager Nezih Pistar and Chef Frank Tyeryar, both enormously talented men now going full-tilt to make Acacia a household name. Pistar may be unknown to some, but shouldn't be. His gastronomic pedigree soes back to the powerhouse Restaurant Nora in Washington, D.C. as well as to several other très chic establishments in Bethesda and Dupont Circle.

While some celebrated Frederick eateries coast on reputation, Acacia's Tyeryar keeps pushing the envelope, producing culinary artistry that verges on the flamboyant. Every dish coming from his kitchen is inspired and bursts with taste.

A Flower lover, pistar picked the name "Acacia" to represent not mearly his botanical passions and fondness for the so-names California wine, but also to capture the restaurant's California feel. The emphasis on "SoCal" fusion, meaning food that's adventurous, yet finessed.

"To me," says Tyeryar, "'California cooking' is all about new trends and fresh quality ingredients. What we want to do here at Acacia is to introduce new food experiences to Fredericktonians = Experiences that have proved very popular in California and the nation's larger cities."

To those with more traditional tastes, he reassures, "One thing I am not a big fan of is 'designer food' that looks great, but the taste just isn't there. We're looking to do fine dining with influences of anything that's in and new."

Chef specials include succulent swordfish, stuffed pork chop, quail, and a 12-oz. prime sirlion that wins raves from diners. "The most exciting thing about the menu," Tyeryar says, "is that we can change it at whim. And if I can't get something locally, I can get it elsewhere."

We visited Acacia on a recent Friday evening, scarcely two months after its opening, and enjoyed everything we ordered, including a luscious foie gras terrine.

"Goose foie gras can be a tough sell in Frederick," says Tyeryar, "as it's new to most people. But our customers are starting to love it. The liver is so buttery, mildly nutty, and very, very rich. Few customers have tasted anything like this before."

He offsets that nuttiness with sprinkles of almond oil and the sweettart tones of 25-year-old balsamic vinegar. As becomes readily evident, Acacia does not skimp on ingredients. The value per dollar is amazing.

Reflecting current trends, Tyertar isn't cream-happy in his cooking. "We're trying to avoid that heaviness and calories, and cream sauces really aren't that interesting to me anymore. These days, I focus on glazes, reductions, and infused oils. With them, I can make a full-flavored sauce that can take on such full-flavored ingredients as tarragon or cumin, which can be gutsy herbs. We're trying to pack as much flavor as possible. We don't want to cover up the meal or seafood end of things, just enhance them. I'd much rather drizzle a lemon Masta oil from Italy, which has intense flavor yet nominal saturated fat."

Among Acacia's appetizers, we sampled a goat cheese terrine with "lavendat smoked duck," truffle oil, and rose petal jelly; tempura prawns with wasabi aioli, ginger-peach chutney, and a wickedly delicious "umeboshi paint"; and an avocao blini with grilled shrimp and white port butter.

Each selection was a sensory delight of taste, aromas, and textures. Appetizers are priced between $7-$9. Paired with a nice wine from Acacia's extensive cellar, they can make a delicious meal.

While giving your menu the once over, you'll notice that Acacia's fine food is priced remarkable low. Explains Pistar, "Phil Bowers and I are not greedy people. We want to give customers the experience of good food... Credit goes to not only Chef Frank, who created great food, but also to our local patrons... It's important to us that we share our business with the community and help the local economy prosper."

We enjoyed many dishes: sea scallops, braised rabbit, quail, and a tasty sea bass prepared with clam vinaigrette and butter. Our excellent server, Christopher, noted, "Customers really enjoy the tuna and sea bass, though out specials are also very popular, among them the swordfish and Thai-style mussles."

Acacia's desserts are to die for. When a restaurant employs a formally trained Austrian pastry chef, Christina Wantz, you indulge - diet or no - knowing that that's why god gave us treadmills, presonal trainers, and Sunday confessional. Pistar credits Wantz with much of the success at his family of Restaurants. While many gravitated toward the chocolates, notably the flourless double chochlate torte, others ordered Acacia's fresh fruit tart with pistachio Anglaise and raspberry coulis.

If Bowers' plate isn't full enough right now, the industry buzz is that his Rumpelstiltskin act is far from over. Pistar, Bowers' partner, hints that Fountain Rock is exploring two future restaurants in Frederick, perhaps involving Mediterranian cuisine. Says Bowers, "We're actively looking. It might be an upscale seafood or chop house." Pausing he adds, "I want to start making ice cream."

As for Pistar, a new Fredericktonian, he says it all sounds good to him. "Frederick is a jewel. I'm very impressed with the people here. It's better to be in a city like Frederick now than in the big cities."