Naw…typical Malarky place
The vegetable section of the menu has a bunch of things I’d really like to try. This isn’t exactly what they had yesterday, but close:
Grilled Eggplant, Mojo De Ajo & Basil Salsa Verdi, Tahini … $ 9.98
Grilled King Trumpets & Tarragon Butter … $ 8.67
Sautéed Fennel, Orange Vinaigrette, Fine Herbs & Fennel Pollen … $ 8.96
Crispy Potato, Lemon Vinaigrette, Black Pepper, Fresh Horseradish & Parmesan… $ 9.19
Roasted Cauliflower, Garlic, Parsley Vinegar & Mama’s Lil Peppers … $ 7.98
Roasted Baby Carrots, Cashew Sesame Dukkah, Esplette Yogurt & Carrot Top Pesto… $ 8.75
Roasted Baby Turnips & Charred Creme Fraiche & Chimichurri … $ 7. 73
A friend highly recommended Searsucker, but there wasn’t anything on the menu I found so appealing.
Thanks for the heads up. I’ve had this place on my short list since it opened, now removed. I can deal with the clientele, but I really don’t like a highly noisy environment for a meal. Too bad, the food sounds interesting and isn’t very expensive.
I think it’s probably quiet for the first hour or two. We went into Juniper & Ivy around 4:45 and it was quiet. Looked in again after being blasted out of H&W and it was also blaring intolerably loud music.
If the think the music is too loud just go during the week.
The muic at J&I tends to be loud in the bar area but much less in the dining room. Just get seats at the kitchen counter (mention it in your reservation) where it is easy to have conversation
I dunno that it’s more dining-centric, but it is more sedate on week nights.
To me, the taste of the food never lives up to its menu descriptions. I’ve tried the tortellini with rabbit sausage and the whole dish had a weird “gummy glue” feel to it. Like Elmers got a hold of it before it left the heat lamps. And the roasted branzino just had no taste, a waste of what otherwise should’ve been a fabulous fish.
Trust is noisy, but their branzino is really, really good 
Many things at Trust are very good. Quickly becoming a favorite of mine.
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Mine too!
They recently added a milk chocolate custard with chocolate sorbet, garnished with chocolate crumbles and mint leaves. I pair it with the Trust Cocktail #3, and I swear for a minute or two (or even three) I feel like I know what a tweaker must feel like after a good shot of pure crystal meth.
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Yes, music and sound much less in dining areas. Easy to have a conversation with your dining partners without having to raise voices.
I had a wonderful dining experience at Herb & Wood this evening.
When I arrived at about 4:45, I had a bit of trouble finding the entrance. There’s an Herb and Eatery on Kettner that adjoins on the same corner, is under the same ownership, and looks like it should be the way in – but no. Happily, one of the owners came out and pointed me around the corner to the real entrance, which is on Ivy, about 100 ft. west of Kettner. There’s a doorway and attractive staircase connecting the restaurant and market, which, when it opens, will sell light things to eat there or take out. The market will close at 6, so even after it opens it’s not clear that that’ll be a way to enter the restaurant. (That was the original idea, I was told, but it might not work out.)
I was the first one at the bar at 4:45, which has a very nice rectangular layout in the center of the inside dining area. I was in the mood for something simple that would go well with anything. The answer (in my personal book) is a martini, but they don’t have my favorite gin (Tanqueray); I don’t care for Beefeater; and Bombay Sapphire should be drunk neat, not mixed into a classic martini, IMO. So the bartender pointed me to a newly-available gin from a tiny (200 sq. ft.) place in Amsterdam, called Rutte, and gave me a little sample. Really, next time I’ll drink it neat; it was one of the best gins I’ve ever had.
I nursed the martini until 5:30 (when the restaurant opens) and was then seated in the open-roof patio area. A beautiful design, and beautifully furnished and decorated, I thought. And with the cloudless bright blue sky of late afternoon today, it was really delightful. I talked again with the co-owner (the one who I’d met at the entrance to the market), and he said they might install some kind of removable or retractable covering for the few days that it rains, but maybe not. It’s so very nice just as it is. Just in case, though, you might want to check this place out before that happens (if it ever does).
I ordered the roasted branzino, grilled cauliflower, and a glass of Oberto Barbera d’Alaba. Perfect. The very acidic, flavorful cauliflower offset the sublime branzino (with some of the best prosciutto I’ve ever had, grilled, wrapped around), and the round, soft barbera d’Alba complimented both. The head and tail of the fish were on the plate, lined up with the vertically-staniding rolls of delightfully-seasoned, slightly spicy fish. For desert, I had their nectarine blackberry cobbler and a Don Fulano reposado, the latter served in a genuine, stemmed tequila glass. ( I’m glad to see that other glassmakers other than Riedel are making these now.) I chose this particular tequila (which isn’t on the menu yet) because the waiter told me the proprietor was at the next table. So how to refuse? It was great, and I gave my thanks to the taquilero as I was leaving. I really enjoyed it.
Service was professional; semi-formal black-apron, white-shirt servers and assistants.
Herb & Wood is a new benchmark restaurant for me, the best new restaurant I’ve been to in a long time; easily in competition with others offering Modern American cuisine. And it’s right around the corner (almost literally) from J&I. Happily for all, the new parking garage at Cedar and Kettner is open to the public after 6 pm now.
Oh, yes. It wasn’t really that noisy out in the courtyard. And there are no TVs.
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A couple of clarifications to my previous post. The ham around the branzino rolls was Serrano, not prosciutto; the rolls were roasted, not grilled, and the co-owner that I had the good fortune to run into was Christopher Puffer. (I didn’t know how many owners there were when I first posted, and he introduced himself simply as “one of the owners”. But I looked around and there are just the two of them.)
Brian Malarkey is a Chef/owner with Puffer at a bunch of their restaurants. So was Brian there?
I didn’t see him, although he may have been in the kitchen. (While at the bar I was interested to see if he was working in the kitchen. The far wall has glass separating the dining room from the kitchen.)
I’m not familiar with restaurant owners like others here, so Puffer is a new name to me. I’d have recognized Malarkey, though.
It’s my impression that Herb & Wood is Brian Malarkey’s new flagship. This is a truly premium restaurant that makes no apologies.
This is what I was referring to in my June post. Looks nice. Great concept. Just opened, according to Eater.
Had dinner there Tuesday night at 6:45. They were busy, but not crazy or noisy. Great meal from start to finish! The chicken liver toast with bitter greens was luscious. Velvety smooth liver pate on substantial grainy bread. The greens were a fine contrast to the rich liver and a relatively good value. We both loved our entrees: gnocchi with oxtail ragu was delicate with a nice citrus note to the light sauce–only criticism is that it was somewhat skimpy. The venison loin with roasted dates and creamy polenta was also yummy. Again the sauce was intriguing. Dessert blew us away. The pear souffle was a beautiful classic assembled table-side with caramel ice cream and lavender creme fraiche. If you love black pepper and thyme, don’t miss trying a scoop of their house-made ice cream. It was outstanding–the flavors crisp and fresh. We are looking for an excuse to go again soon.
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We just went there for a group dinner from the folks at the conference my husband was attending. The din of the room was so loud that real conversation is impossible. It was so unpleasant. Definitely not a place I would return to.