Chef Preston Paine

The Blue Room at Emilia’s, the latest addition to Fort Worth fine dining, opened in late February at The Crescent Hotel, Fort Worth.

If you’ve already visited Emilia’s — Chef Preston Paine’s take on Mediterranean cuisine at The Crescent — and wondered what was coming up inside the opaque doors of The Blue Room, here’s what to expect:

• Highly attentive, knowledgeable service in a small, elegant dining room that has its own bar apart from The Crescent’s Circle Bar that serves patrons of Emilia’s. Try a premium martini shaken tableside, the reserve wines and vintage champagnes.
• Succinct, curated dinner menu that follows Paine’s values in light, fresh, familiar dishes charged with spices and unusual combinations of flavor and presentation.
• The Blue Room menu opens with hors d’oeuvres. During our visit, we tried the kohlrabi ravioli, with miso, truffle and fried garlic; and the “Everything Bagel,” a puree of everything spice, avocado mousse and smoked salmon served in a little bagel cone. We moved on to the shellfish tower and, for our main courses, ordered perfectly prepared venison and wagyu filets. Finally, for dessert, we shared the lemon meringue tart from a menu that included a flourless chocolate cake, cappuccino mousse cake, fruit tart, gelato and sorbets.