My first Vespertine experience. We did the you cook it yourself thing. I have two thoughts. One is that there were only a few superlative courses. The other is that it is some of the most fun I’ve had since the pandemic started and I absolutely loved the experience! Carving out a few hours after the baby went to sleep and cooking (but not REALLY cooking) was a great way to blow off some steam.
Favorites:
Both drinks (Granny Smith and How Does Snoop Dogg Use Lemongrass?)
Pear (right off the bat, maybe my favorite bite. Also required the least amount of work so maybe something to that )
Duck (specifically the bite of the duck; tasted like everything great Thai food can be. The soup was fairly forgettable and I was completely unable to whip up any foam)
Idiazabal (had it day 2; so crunchy and sweet and umami-y and fun)
Next best:
Bacon (completely blew the presentation, but the flavor was still there and your usual delicious bacon + sweet)
Beef (even better as leftovers day 2)
Just Ok:
Halibut (this was perhaps the most FUN of all the courses to make, but the “steam” didn’t really bring up any new aroma and while I did really like the custard, the overall flavor of the dish was a little subtle for my liking)
Oyster Cream (This was mostly my fault; I completely blew the prescribed sizes, though in my defense I just put in what they gave me. As it is, surprise surprise the balance was off)
Chocolate (the ganache and the lime were really good, but everything else kind of got lost)
Through this ephemeral vessel, our bespoke offerings are designed to bridge environment and experience, building on our fundamental principles of hospitality as a holistic conduit to nurture connectivity.
I remember when I ate at Red Medicine my initial reaction was that it reminded me of reading Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park -witch read like a great first draft of a novel. Jordan Kahn’s food when it misses is like that - interesting concept just not thought all the way through
Oh my, that picture reminded me how damn difficult it is to eat out of that vessel. It didn’t help that they are pitch black and the lighting is sharp and directly overhead. Not only is it hard to get your spoon in there, it’s hard to see what’s inside too! For me it was too much form over function.
)
