Sensory 3 Restaurant & Lounge

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Sensory 3 Restaurant & Lounge is located inside of Presque Isle Downs & Casino. For those who were a fan of La Bonne Vie, Sensory 3 should still be high on your favorites list. Although the menu did receive a large overhaul, they still feature some of the best dishes from La Bonne Vie. The casino was crowded as usual, but Sensory 3 wasn’t at all. We made a reservation and when we showed up early, we were seated immediately. We had glanced at the menu online before we arrived so we had an idea of what we wanted to order. While our server got our drinks, we narrowed down our entrée choices as well as an appetizer. There are so many appetizers and tapas that sounded amazing, but we finally decided on the Seared Ahi Tuna. For entrees, Amanda ordered the Chilean Sea Bass and I wanted to try the Lobster Wellington.

The dining room is surrounded by televisions that display art pieces as well as classic movies and TV shows. This is a nice conversation piece while waiting for your food. Our Ahi Tuna came to the table and we couldn’t wait to eat. The tuna was served with a very light Cajun style sear on the outside. With dark edges, the inside was perfectly raw with a beautiful red color to it. It was served with a julienne of pickled vegetables as well as ginger, wasabi, and a side of ponzu which is a citrus based dressing similar to soy sauce. The texture of the tuna was buttery and delicious. The Cajun sear on it gave it a hint of spice that was elevated by the wasabi. Each piece was easily rolled around the veggies and ginger to make a riceless maki-style sushi. It was worth every penny.

We had a little time before our entrées were served, but the wait just escalated our hunger. Amanda’s Chilean Sea Bass was a beautiful plate of food. This large filet was served skin on and was seared to perfection giving the skin and the entire dish a crispy texture. The fish itself has a mild flavor with a firm, almost steak-like texture that still melted with each bite. It was served on a bed of Haricots Verts which are a longer and thinner French green bean. They were lightly cooked and lightly seasoned and added color as well as some more good textures to the plate. On the bottom of everything were lobster raviolis in a mushroom jus. The ravioli and mushroom sauce combination was rich and creamy and was a perfect side to the Sea Bass.

My Lobster Wellington was great as well. The full lobster tail is wrapped in a buttery, flaky puff pastry and served in a lobster cream sauce. The tail was just slightly overcooked, but the flavor of it was spot on. I would have loved for the cream sauce to be inside the pastry as well. I could have eaten it with a spoon it was so good. For sides on my plate, I had roasted seasoned broccolini and crab mashed potatoes. The broccolini was roasted with garlic and Cajun style spices with gave it layers of flavor and a slight bite of heat. The mashed potatoes were incredible. Between ordering dinner and it coming to the table, I had forgotten that the mashed potatoes were made with crab and was pleasantly surprised when I tasted them. The crab added a depth to the potatoes that I didn’t know they could reach. The meat was succulent and melted in to the potatoes. There also were some diced vegetables that added texture to each bite.

The meal was very filling, but we couldn’t pass up trying the crème brûlée for dessert. The burnt sugar crust on top was thick and wonderfully crunchy. It gave a protective shell to the luscious custard-like cream underneath it. This was a dessert that I would have gladly asked for seconds had they been available.

We used our Erie Fine Dining card for dinner and even after one dish was taken off of the bill, it was still a $100 meal. Don’t let the price scare you, the food and service is well worth it. If you haven’t had a chance to try it, get up there and see for yourself.

Until next time,

Andrew – Beard vs. Food