Had a very pleasant RW experience here last night:
Roasted beets were pleasingly firm and acidic, balanced perfectly by a sweet walnut dressing and finely chopped pistachios. A memorable dish. Attempting to reconcile "crispy" and "skinned" as the dual modifiers used to describe the bass menu item provided a brainteaser for me until the waiter revealed that the "crispy" described only the one side of skin left on the fish. The dish itself was generously portioned, but basic. The "skinned portions" were rich, but the dish seemed to rely more on the contrast of textures than intricacy of flavor. The accompanying braised carrots were a welcome note, but the cous cous added little. Any shortcomings were forgiven upon the first bite of the dessert parfait. Layering a very light cheesecake with crunchy peanut butter and bright grape and huckleberry jam, the finish was simoultaneously accessible and refined. It left me enlivened rather than weighed down, as so often happens by bite 3 of a more traditional cheesecake.
The most charitable description of the Oval Room's cocktail list would be "carefully-edited." The pomegranate champagne cocktail dissappointed, as the pomegranate liquer lacked any of its namesake's bite, resulting in a cloying drink that suffered by comparison to the Gibson's perfectly balanced exemplar of the classic concoction (still lingering in my mind from two nights before). However, our waiter did recommend a suitable by-the-glass sauvignon blanc to accompany the bass.
Service exploded out of the gate and then limped to the finish. We were greeted and seated with warmth and grace despite some obvious signs that we were RW-only patrons -- our young age and an unfortunately casual wardrobe choice by one of my friends. Service in the early courses was unobtrusive but always available. I still don't know how a server slipped my first drink onto the table without my even noticing. However, pacing slowed dramatically after the second course, and lengthy gaps preceded dessert and the retrieval of our check -- all the more mysterious since the dining room's percentage of empty tables had nearly doubled from around 40% at meal's start. However, overall, service far exceeded any reasonable RW experiences. Indeed, Oval Room made a great impression on my party, as it truly seemed to embrace the best of RW with enthusiasm and aplomb.