During our weekend trip to Nemacolin, my husband and I took a leap of faith. Lautrec, one of the onsite restaurants, offers a truly unique dining experience: executive chef Kristin Butterworth’s Leap of Faith menu. It begins with a wax-sealed envelope and quill pen and ink set on the table. It is mysterious and exciting all at once for diners. We ceremoniously opened the letter, which featured a welcome from Butterworth and a page with icons depicting different possible menu items. Patrons can circle or highlight the ingredients they like and cross out any items they are not interested in consuming. I decided to be adventurous and we circled game, but I think next time I’d opt for something else instead.

We chose to add wine pairings with each course, with a new wine presented by the expert sommelier before each course. We started with a Riesling from Austria’s Wachau Valley, which took us back to our river cruise on the Danube during which we sailed through and sipped varietals from the Wachau Valley.

After our exceptional server took our circled selections back to the kitchen, our experience began. With the selections, Butterworth and her team create a seven-course menu for diners. The enthusiasm for the experience isn’t just felt among the diners — the staff, especially our server, is extremely knowledgeable, excited, informative and upbeat.

This meal was unlike any we’d previously enjoyed, and we opened our minds and taste buds to whatever came our way. Even the bread course was beautifully presented, and the warm croissant was delicious. Our first course was a beet panna cotta with crispy beet greens. The panna cotta was fashioned into a replica of the vegetable, and the resemblance was uncanny. In the beginning, I was too wrapped up in the experience to remember to take pictures of each course, and I regret I don’t have a snap of this food masterpiece.

Next up, sweet potato dumplings (similar to a gnocchi), served almost as a twice-baked potato in the skin. We were both slightly confused when the next course arrived in an ashtray with what appeared to be ash in the bottom. This course was a venison tartare cigar. I must admit, this one was a little too adventurous for me, but I did try a bite!

My favorite course came next — a delicious scallop-filled dumpling that melted on the tongue. A perfectly cooked, medium-rare Wagyu beef dish was next, so tender it also melted in the mouth. Cheese, honey and Marcona almonds (which reminded me of one of my favorite destinations, Spain) featured in our next course. Almost like a cheese mousse, the nutty saltiness was a nice complement, and this naturally led us into the final course: a gorgeous candy cart wheeled table-side. I have a huge sweet tooth, and I love candy, so I was probably extra excited for this presentation. My husband was full and isn’t as into desserts as I am, so I made sure to select his portion as well, sampling a bit of everything that interested me.

It was the last night of our stay, and there was no better way to finish a wonderful weekend!

— Kim Krol Inlander, editor in chief