that trout dish looks great, i’ll have to try that next time
The yuzu tart was surprisingly enjoyable. The avocado dish I had was also pretty good. Everything else? Meh. The worst might’ve been the bubble gum ice cream.
Finally had the 30-day dry aged ribeye. (Sorry about the picture quality: I don’t bring a real camera with me.)
48 ounces, but it’s not as much food as it looks - bone is fairly big, and then there’s the fat cap… my friend and I took this down without a problem, along with the little gem salad and the side of potatoes it came with, but we’d just come from the gym. (He said he’d have been able to eat the whole thing, but… he eats a lot.) For most couples this would be more than enough food. Frankly at $3/ounce it is not really worth the expense. It’s not bad but I will gladly pay the higher mark-up at Republique, which does it better, or just go to your favorite steakhouse (my experience with dedicated steakhouses is limited, so far). The grilled onion side was great, though.
Also had the new dessert item: the pear upside-down cake. It was not really to my taste but perhaps I don’t understand what the idea behind it was - I didn’t think the koji cream really went well with the rest of the dessert, and it was otherwise too sweet for my taste. The comped ice cream cookie sandwich (not on the menu) was fantastic, however. The cookie - something cinnamon flavored, darker than a snickerdoodle, and the lemon/??? ice cream, went beautifully together.
Overall this just reinforces my opinion about sticking to the seafood. Ordinarily I would not have ordered the steak, but my friend wanted to try it. I don’t regret having it but I won’t be ordering it again.
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Had it once - thought it was tasty but the size to price ratio was totally fucked.
a $150 piece of meat, daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn.
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New on the menu are frogs legs… You know when they say something tastes like chicken it’s usually a joke or exaggeration? These frogs legs, however, taste almost exactly like chicken, not even just poultry - but chicken specifically. Crispy, tender, juicy, with excellent seasoning, alone these would make a great dish, but the salsa negra w/lime on the side took it to another level. It’s extremely rare to come across a dish that stands so well on its own, but also works so well with the addition of a sauce on the side. The bright acidity of the salsa was a fantastic counterpoint to the sweet heat of the frog leg seasoning, and if you pay close attention you will even be able to distinguish the different, milder pepper in the salsa.
Outstanding - possibly the best dish of the year so far.
The apple pie hardly needs any introduction, but its prize win is very well-deserved and beyond that it’s hard to describe without devolving into nigh-inappropriate onomatopoeia.
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frog legs - salsa negra, scallion, lime, s&p
Thanks @T3t for the rec. These were good but begs the question do frog legs taste like chicken or does chicken taste like frog legs?
white trout - khmeli suneli, hummus, snap peas, lemon, cilantro
This was just okay, the fish was nicely fried and deboned, but i thought the pairing of the cold hummus didn’t work.
It’s nice getting a little head at dinner
hamachi collar - nashville hot spice, fuji apple, snake peas
Still a great dish, the meat is tender and juicy and the sweet heat from the nashville hot spice paired perfectly with the tart peas and apple.
strawberry - crema, brown sugar, sable, fennel
I think they were trying to go for a deconstructed strawberry shortcake, and it was mostly successful. I still prefer their awesome yuzu tart though.
cookie
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Momotaro Tomatoes (on the house)
Perhaps I was just a in a better headspace for these, but this dish definitely seem much more balanced than the first time I had it. I still don’t think I’d order it for myself (not a big tomato person) - but if you do like tomatoes, this is great.
Snap Peas
As a new dish on the menu, I had to try them… unfortunately they came up a bit short. There’s a definite flash of brilliance with the seasoning here, but it was ruined by the sourcing - the peas were overripe; a little too large, dry, and chalky (not really the right word, but it’s as close as I can get). It definitely has potential, though.
Razor Clams
But when they hit it out of the park, they really hit it out of the park. I haven’t had too many razor clam preps in my time, but this was unquestionably the best. I’m not a big fan of raw onion but it was, amazingly, effectively moderated by the leafy green on top (forgot to note down what it was - not on the online menu yet). Combined with the lime juice, it made for an almost tropical eating experience. To me, this felt like a dish by chefs, for chefs. Outstanding.
Veal Sweetbreads
Once again - a really excellent dish. The contrast between the acidic sharpness of the pickled fennel and celery and the lush fattiness of the sweetbreads is insanely addictive. Mustard seeds provided some interesting contrast too, but weren’t strictly necessary.
I had to skip my usual pie today, as four dishes - even with two fairly small ones - pushed dangerously close to the limit of my appetite.
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Looks like vietnamese rau ram.
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unfortunately no more bar pie
WHAT. It’s gone for good???
What happened?
karla left, last night was friday.
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balls.
Went here for the first tonight, and LOVED this restaurant.
Beets, ume ranch, blueberry, shiso, basil. A-.
Momotaro tomato, bagna cauda, lap xuong, creme fraiche. A-
Carolina gold rice, black truffle, chicken skins, parsley. A+.
Hamachi collar, hot paprika, apple, snake peas. A.
Chicken leg, Chiang Mai curry, ecabeche, endive. A.
Sunchoke dessert. A+.
4 Likes
Just had the dinela deal here. 8 courses total (shared plates style) for 49 per person. Some courses are on regular menu and some new for dinela. Special dinela cocktails too for $12 instead of normal $17.
Just few of the courses for the very good qpr and solid dinela deal.
Not on dinela but on regular menu were the frog legs. We didn’t need to order since we were stuffed, but the waiter said it was best new dish on menu so we had to try. It turned out to be the best bite of the night and perhaps the year so far was the frog legs done Nashville hotchicken style
Hot off the fryer, it had perfect crunch with delicate breading—perfectly seasoned—hot but savory and complex and the meat was more tender and juicy. A definitely highlight. So for all the hot chicken fans @Chowseeker1999 @Ns1 @JeetKuneBao @PorkyBelly
Service was great and we just love how this restaurant continues to change and evolve its menu.
7 Likes
Finally trying today. Sadly just the brunch
Sunday brunch
Great toast, shitake butter was good.
Zucchini bread was kind of sweet and bland for my taste.
The tomato dish was great but I’m not sure it matched what was on the menu. The servers said the crunchy brown bits were lap cheong, but I don’t know how you could get that texture, seemed more like maybe some kind of grains or crumbs crisped in sausage fat. Delicious but kind of expensive for what it was compared with the other dishes.
Biscuit and gravy, way too much maple for my taste. Reminded me of Au Pied de Cochon.
Smoked whitefish, solid.
Hashbrowns looked good going by so we ordered them. They were pretty thick, so the uter layer was great, inside was boring. Wouldn’t order again.
Overall somewhat disappointing, but based on the highlights of the meal I definitely want to go back for dinner sometime.
3 Likes
I’ve been wanting to try out their brunch (since I’m in walking distance), but the prices and flavor combinations have made me hesitant.
This is how I feel every time I eat here. A few highlights and a few other things that just don’t really work. I keep going back because I keep expecting it to be better. Still haven’t had any meals that help me understand the raves this place can get.