I walk into a quiet restaurant enveloped in trees and snow. It is at the foot of a hill and is only a few miles away from Highlight Reservoir. The first thing that I notice about Casa Sheckleton is that it feels like home: it is soothing and spacious, but it also has a sprinkling of silliness. I order at the marbled counter that is a few feet away from the door. The staff is very friendly, and feels like family. One of them offers me a cup of hot cocoa, which is not usually on the menu, and I gladly accept. The restaurant emits a sense of calm, with its blue and green color scheme, which goes nicely with its sea-themed decorations.
After I order, I enjoy the entertainment, which tonight is bubbles. After nearly hyperventilating from blowing bubbles, I sit down at a smooth espresso-colored table, which is not entirely clean: there are a few pieces of string scattered across its surface. A few minutes afterwards, my food arrives. It took a little too long, but the bubble activity kept me occupied while I waited. I’ve ordered cream of mushroom soup in a bread bowl. When it arrives, it smells heavenly.
Mushrooms are a strange food. Their smell is overwhelming, especially when cooked, but I can’t really describe it. Their aroma is sort of musty, but also a bit sweet. But their scent can be deceiving, because mushrooms are ugly. The mushrooms before me are gray squares sitting in a sea of beige soup, which is less soup-like and more of a stew consistency. There is a spoon of caution-tape-yellow corn sitting on the top of my “soup.” The bread bowl is light amber, and is shaped like a pumpkin with the top cut off. I decide that this is the part I will eat last.
All in all, the meal is not presented attractively, but it would be hard to assemble such an ugly soup into anything even remotely attractive. I spoon a portion of the soup into my mouth. Immediately, I realize that the soup is a bit too hot. Not too hot that it burns, just uncomfortably hot. The corn is a bit too overwhelming, but the rice is perfectly cooked. There is exactly the right rice to soup ratio.
Some foods get better with each bite, and this is one of them. The soup is a bit bitter, but that is actually perfect, because the bread provides a sweet taste that contrasts with the soup. The bread is soft and chewy, and tastes even better because it has soaked up some of the soup.
I finish up my meal, and take a moment to contemplate this restaurant. There are a few things that can be hard to find in restaurants, like friendly staff and hands-on entertainment,(which this place has covered), both very unique in restaurants. However delightful this place may be, there are also some improvements that should be made. Specific to the dish I just ate, I recommend no corn, because, although it offers an interesting change from the mushroom, it is also a bit overwhelming. Another thing is that the staff are not dressed professionally. It makes it look like the restaurant is the staff’s home, because they are so comfortable.
Even though there are a few improvements to make, I would still recommend this restaurant. All in all, I would rate this restaurant a four, because I believe that the most important things in a restaurant are the food and how you are treated, and this restaurant got these things exactly right.
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