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guttergourmet
Feb 21, 2009 04:31 AM
First time I've been. Sat at the bar. The Stone Smoked Porter was a great beer to complement the menu. Wanted to try everything but could only manage the salt and pepper ribs and the cheeseburger. Ribs were like chinese spare ribs only crispier and saltier. Very meaty and porky. Could've eaten the bones. the burger was a bit on the small side and i couldn't gauge whether it was cooked to temperature (medium rare of course) but it was very beefy and one of the most complex burgers I've had with good cheddar cheese. Different cuts of meat. Didn't like that it was served with cucumbers in lieu of pickles. However, it was very unique and worthy of further research. Fries were good with a little mayo dip. need to come back for the pork toast, egg salad and caviar (???), the boudin, the charcroute and the rabbit sausage.
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re: kathryn
Went here last night and ordered a raw bar dish, the charcroute plate, and a side, as well as dessert.
Kampachi with Chorizo, Grapefruit and Smoked Salt - delicious, loved the mix of the meaty with the sour with the smoky. I was afraid the chorizo sticks would be overpowering, but overall I thought this dish was great.
Charcroute Plate (smaller version): Mini Boudin Blanc was weird and mushy...not sure if it's always that way? It was also served cold. My first time trying boudin blanc, so I can't say. Mini Boudin Noir was tasty but a bit too bloody for me but my fiance liked it a whole lot. Crispy Pig's Feet were battered and deep fried squares of awesomely fatty goodness that fell apart in your mouth as you ate it! Yum! Terrine Tete de Cochon was delicious, fatty, not as smooth and spreadable as I'd like but it was seasoned well and tasty, especially spread on grilled slices of bread. Probably my favorite thing on the plate. Glazed Pork Shoulder was an odd circle of meat with a circle of at, and the fat fell off in one piece, this was served cold, reminded me of cold Asian chicken dishes, the main flavor I got from it was salt, overall it was alright. Pork Ribs were peppery and salty, quite well done, but a little on the dry side, and the edges got a bit tough, but the flavor was great. The pickled Cabbage was very nice and a good contrast to all the meat but there was too much on the plate. Fried Potato & Creme Fraiche were OK. I like shoestrong fries. These were more like spiced, baked potato wedges and less like french fries. Violet Mustard and Whole Grain Mustard were very nice accompaniments. I wanted to like this plate more than I did but overall they did a good job and I think it has a lot of potential to get better.
Roasted Squash with Cashew and Bacon was fantastic. Crave worthy. A nice fall dish. Well roasted, really brought out the sweetness. Nice bits of fried brussels sprouts on top, too, as well as carmelized shallots! A must-try.
Apple fritters - I thought these would be donuts, but they are literally circular apple slices, dipped in donut batter, and fried. Tasty but a little odd, in terms of consistency. If you are looking for a straight up fluffy or cakey donut, they ain't it, but they were tasty nonetheless.
Overall, nice, and a lot of food for the price (especially the smaller charcroute plate at $22) but some components could have been better. Worth going back to as the chef continues to tweak, I think.
Also, for those of you sensitive to noise, the entire bar area was crowded last night. They take walk-ins and you can also eat at the bar or in the front-room, which has some two-tops for walk-ins (similar to Babbo's set up).
One thing to note: we were seated in the front on the raised platform by the bar and there was a group of 5-6 women at the bar who were obscenely loud. Loud enough that all 8-10 tables eating in our front area stopped conversation at least once, due to the shrieking. Eventually, they quieted down a little after being asked to keep their voices down by the staff. Also, the space is has a lot of air-conditioning vents, which is poor when you happen to be sitting right underneath one. Luckily, a request to a server got them to stop the A/C.
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re: kathryn
wleatherette
Nov 20, 2008 06:24 AM
thanks for the detailed post. we had dinner there last night, and based on your comments we chose to eat in the dining room rather than in the front/bar room. i'm really glad we made that decision, as you weren't kidding about the noise/crowd in that area. even though we ate unfashionably early, business was booming.
as for the food, we mostly loved it. the charcroute plate was a big hit. we had the large size, and it's a pretty daunting amount of pork. i agree with you about the deliciousness of the tete de cochon (i could have eaten about a pound of that stuff) and the crispy pig's feet. both were very indulgent and extremely tasty. one member of our party was put off by the texture of the latter, but i really liked it. i also loved the boudin noir (deep, spicy, very savory, and yes - "bloody") and the pork ribs. ours weren't dry at all. they reminded me a bit of the country ribs we make in the summer, with a crisp outer layer and tender, fatty meat.
the main course, roast chicken for 2 (which can easily feed 4), wasn't as exotic as the charcroute plate, but it was a winner. the bird was quite juicy with a decently crispy skin, served carved over a bed of tuscan kale. the mac and cheese on the side was bland, but i liked the bits of pork rind sprinkled on top. they added a great textural counterpoint, and a welcome burst of flavor. we also had a side of the roasted squash, and i enthusiastically echo the praise for it. it's a fantastic dish.-
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re: kathryn
wleatherette
Nov 20, 2008 10:03 AM
it was lukewarm, and that seemed a bit off to me. it wasn't mushy at all, but i did think it was a bit too bland. that was a little disappointing, since the housemade boudin blanc i had a few times at resto was superb.
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