Restaurant Review: Le Bernardin

As a very special birthday present this year, Jeremy took me to Eric Ripert's top-rated and famous Le Bernardin. There are a few dining options to choose from - 2 different tasting menus and a prix-fixe. We decided to go with the 8-course Chef's Tasting Menu and it was glorious.

The atmosphere felt very high-end and fancy - jackets are required for men after all. The decor was mostly fitting to this, except for a massive painting of ocean waves. I don't know why, but something was weird about this, though I get the connection with it being a seafood restaurant.

As you might expect, the service is impeccable from the moment you walk in. The staff is on their toes at all times and ready to please. They do look pretty stiff in their uniforms, but it also creates an accurate depiction of their attentiveness and knowledge of everything they are putting in front of you.

After we notified our waiter of our meal selection, the bread guy came over with a 2-foot basket full of at least 8 different types of bread. We tried a sundried tomato roll and a slice of olive and rosemary bread. Both soft, moist and homemade (so much so, that we grabbed a few more pieces when the guy came back around later on).

First came the amuse-bouche, which set the tone of excellence for the rest of the meal. On the left was a mini roll of goat cheese and some kind of basil cream. The basil was insanely fresh and potent. In the middle was a mini tuna tartare taco in a tortilla shell. On the right was a cauliflower cream soup shooter with foam and topped with a Parmesan crisp.

Amuse-bouche

The first course was a cluster of Nantucket bay scallops marinated with Granny Smith Meyer lemon vinaigrette and topped with sea urchin. The scallops were raw, tender and small, and the vinaigrette was light and fruity which complimented the dish. The sea urchin was creamy with the usual ocean flavor, and paired well with the both the scallops and vinaigrette.

Bay scallops and sea urchin

The second course was strips of King fish sashimi topped with caviar. The dish was served with just the fish and then the server poured the mariniere broth around the 3 pieces of fish as he explained what we were about to eat. The caviar really gave life to the fish and the seafood broth provided a buttery contrast.

King fish and caviar

The third course was sauteed langoustine (type of lobster) over frisee with truffle and aged balsamic vinaigrette. The langoustine looks and tastes very much like shrimp, but the only thing I was focusing on was the massive piece of black truffle that was shaved on top. The vinaigrette also had truffle in it, so naturally that pretty much overpowered the dish. This was very good, but not the most memorable of the courses.

Langoustine

The fourth course was lobster "lasagna" with truffle butter sauce. I love lobster so of course I enjoyed this generous portion of it. This wasn't typical lasagna as it was not baked and the pasta layers were homemade and soft. The truffle butter sauce was just that - extremely truffley and buttery (starting the sense a theme?).

Lobster "lasagna"

The fifth course was more of an entree dish. The pan roasted monkfish was served on top of a perfect square of some kind of potato puree and sauteed cepes mushrooms. The server poured the lemon-paprika sauce around the edges and dotted the dish with a few pearl onions that were soaked in sherry and finished with creme fraiche. The fish had a perfect crust on the outer edge and the center was soft and flaked apart. And those onions were amazing. They were like little pockets of tang tucked away in the smokey paprika sauce.

Pan roasted monkfish

The sixth course was really the main event. A little surf and turf action in the classiest of ways. On the right was white tuna (or escolar) that was lightly grilled and topped with a soy-lemon emulsion and sticks of Asian pear. In the middle was kimchi topped with a piece of baby bok choy. On the left was seared Wagyu Kobe beef (the real authentic kind) with a homemade barbecue sauce drizzled on top.

The escolar was out of this world. It was soft inside and flaked apart, and really just melted in your mouth. The outside was so lightly and perfectly grilled, and the sauce was light and mild (finally no butter!), plus the pear added a refreshing crunch. The kimchi/bok choy was spicy and kind of random, but it added some spunk to the dish. The Wagyu Kobe beef was the most amazing piece of beef I have ever had. It was only about 1.5 sq inches, but I cut off little pieces to try and savor each bite as much as possible. Inside it was the most perfect pink and the outside was crisp and savory. I have never tasted beef so flavorful before.

White tuna and Wagyu Kobe Beef

The seventh course was the first of the two desserts. They called this a "palate cleanser" since it was cold and refreshing. It had roasted Bosc pear with vanilla ice cream and topped with Bartlett pear olive oil. There was some kind of "pear ice" as well that was very interesting.

Pear and vanilla ice cream

The eighth and final course was the maple candy dessert. There were 3 cubes of maple candy cap cremeux (French pudding) with maple and huckleberry confit. There were chocolate and caramel (I think) cubes that were fluffy and mousse-like with a strong maple flavor. There were some sort of caramel crisps stuck in the cubes that gave the dish a nice presentation. The huckleberries were tasty and a nice contrast to the rich cremuex cubes.

Maple dessert

To wrap up the meal, every table gets a little cookie plate that we rook advantage of. We also ordered cappuccinos that were so excellent, I didn't even need to add sugar to (which is quite rare).

Cookie plate

Overall, we had such a special evening. We got dressed up, were waited on hand and foot, and ate spectacular food. My takeaways from the experience are that the French really like butter, truffles, and decadence (and are not overly generous with the portion sizes), but Le Bernardin are truly the masters at preparing, handling, and cooking seafood and can really put on show.

Restaurant Review: Cosme

After a bit of a lull in date nights, Jeremy and I decided to spend Halloween checking out a new place in Flatiron, Cosme. The vibe is modern, cool and trendy, and I really appreciated the low volume level (a.k.a. great date spot).

We waited at the bar (for at least 20 minutes after our reservation time) and were slightly snubbed by the bartender, though he did make us some excellent cocktails. I went for the Scoville Sour, made with tequila, lemon juice, agave, and garnished with spicy cucumber. This flavor combo was right up my alley. Jeremy went with an Old Fashion made with Bulleit and was very pleased.

Left: Scoville Sour
Right: Bulleit Old Fashion

Once our table was ready, the service for the rest of the night was fantastic. Our waiter took the time to explain the menu, point out his favorites, and answer our several questions. The menu is designed for sharing and there are 3 sections - seafood, vegetables, and warm entree dishes. They suggest 3-5 for 2 people, so we felt safe going with 4.

First they bring out complimentary housemade tostadas served with some kind of spread that is made by cooking tomatoes, onions, and pumpkin seeds until they burn and then mush them up into a paste and add some chiles. It had a unique flavor... just something to pick at while you waited.

For our meal, we started with scallop aguachile with jicama, wasabi, cucumber and lime. It was probably only one scallop in total, but sliced very thin and layered among round jicama slices so it almost blended (until you stuck your fork in it and felt the different textures). The scallop was raw and the jicama was crisp, and I loved the super light and fresh citrus flavor of this dish. However, I would have appreciated a bit more scallop as the dish is made for sharing.

Scallop aguachile

Next we had cobia al pastor served with a pineapple puree. Cobia fish is similar to swordfish in its meatiness, and it was served in small, thickly cut chunks topped with crisp pickled onions and jalapenos. The pineapple puree was the best thing all night. It was the perfect amount of sweetness with the smallest kick from the jalapenos. They served this with tortillas to give you the option to make it into a taco - which we absolutely did. This dish had more substance since more fish was served allowing us to make 2 tacos each. We both spread the sweet pineapple goodness first and then loaded on the fish and onions for crunch. They were SO good. I would go back just to get this again.

Cobia al pastor

Next we went for some veggies. I somehow convinced Jeremy (who hates mushrooms) to let me order the mushroom and squash dish, by recommendation of the waiter. This came with large pieces of high quality mushrooms and chunks of squash in a smokey flavored sauce. I thought the sauce was a really strong, unique flavor that I liked, but the dish itself was nothing super memorable.

Mushroom and squash

Last came the lobster pibil with chorizo and black bean puree. This came with a pretty decent portion of lobster that was perfectly cooked. The bean puree was probably the most elegant version of beans I have ever eaten, however I just don't think the two things go very well together. It is just ingredients from two different worlds, and opposites don't necessarily attract. I still enjoyed the food, I just wouldn't order it again. I also don't recall the chorizo, but maybe it was in there somewhere.

Lobster pibil

Overall I enjoyed my experience here. I appreciated how Chef Enrique Olvera found interesting ways to put a Mexican spin on other culture's dishes. He also gave everything a little kick, but not too much, which was good. Because they opened very recently, I heard that menu will continue to evolve as they figure out what works and what doesn't. I would come back if not only for the cobia al pastor, but to try a few other dishes I was eyeing on the menu and see what else he comes up with.

Restaurant Review: Vinegar Hill House

Jeremy had been wanting to try out this place in DUMBO, Vinegar Hill House, for awhile now. It is pretty hard to get a reservation, so we finally made the trek about a month after securing our table. I had read that there is a really lovely outdoor patio area, so we requested to sit out there and got lucky with the weather that evening. Aside from us, the only other party outside was a large group that was strangely quiet. We decided it must be a work outing, otherwise there would be must more chatter (and drinking). So while the garden was really pleasant, it was a slightly awkward setting. Also to note, they have cute tables and chairs that really bring out the garden feel, but unfortunately the chairs were extremely uncomfortable. Jeremy barely fit so we almost moved inside, but he decided to suck it up. Though, this became a bit of a damper on the meal as he kept complaining and shifting around trying to get comfortable.

Vinegar Hill House back patio

We started with a few drinks. The waitress was extremely knowledgeable about the wine selection. I told her I like a full-bodied red, and she proceeded to explain each red on the menu in great detail. I settled on a tempranillo and it was right up my alley (also a pretty solid pour). Jeremy went classic style with the Vinegar Hill cocktail, made with Rittenhouse rye, Cocchi vermouth, Dolin genepy, and hopped grapefruit bitters. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy this.

Red wine and Vinegar Hill cocktail

For a starter, we selected the chicken liver mousse. It was served in a jar and topped with pistachios, and I love the way the whole dish was plated. The jar came on a wooden board with caramelized vinegar onions, a small frisee salad with dijon mustard dressing, and a few pieces of sourdough bread. The chicken liver was divine. It definitely tops the chicken liver list for us (yes, there really is a list). Because it was a mousse, the texture was airy and creamy. The pistachios added that crunch it needed, along with a complementary nutty flavor. The bread was also amazing. It was basically blackened on the outside, but the inside was soft and fluffy, making the perfect vehicle for the mousse. The vinegar onions added a little tang to the bite when piled all together. They were also just delicious on their own, so we were sure to finish those off even after we had scraped the jar of mousse clean. The frisee added some color and freshness, but I ate it really for the zesty dressing.

Chicken Liver Mousse

Our "pre-entree" selection was the pasta special - housemade fettuccine with chanterelle mushrooms in duck confit. No doubt this fettuccine was housemade. It was the right amount al dente, and the duck confit glistened on the noodles. I don't think I have ever had chanterelle mushrooms, but I really enjoyed them. Not at all earthy or spongy, and they picked up the savory flavor of the confit. There were also pieces of pickled turnip on top that provided a slightly sour taste (in a good way) and added a little crunch.

Fettuccine

The main event (at least for Jeremy) was the entree. Most of the reason we came here was to try the famous Red Wattle Country Chop. This pork chop was served sliced and sitting atop potato-currant salad with dill and pickled pearl onions. The chop was cooked perfectly and had the most delectable outer crust. It is almost hard to describe why it was so good, but it has something to do with the way the rub caramelized on the skin. The inside was perfectly pink and juicy. The "potato salad" was really just large chunks of potato in a mayo-dill dressing. More like a side of potatoes than a salad, but still good and went well with the chop.

Red Wattle Country Chop

My entree was not as delicious, but definitely unique and really just weird. I went with the Brisket Pibil, and was expecting a tender, melt in your mouth piece of meat, maybe BBQ or Jewish mom style. However, I was completely surprised that it was served in the form of Irish corned beef. Two thick pieces of pink brisket arrived on top of chunks of watermelon, with mole sauce and buckwheat roti on the side. The brisket was tough, and had a dark, crispy crust around the edges. That was definitely the best part. The watermelon at first bite was good, I got the whole salty/sweet thing. But what was with the mole sauce? and the roti? How does an Indian bread make any sense here? I was very confused. I just don't understand how Irish-style brisket pairs with Mexican-style mole sauce pairs with Indian-style roti bread. Plus watermelon. Unfortunately, I just could not get into this dish and was pretty disappointed in my selection. I had major food envy towards Jeremy.

Brisket Pibil

As a general review, I would definitely recommend this adorable place off the beaten path and tucked away in DUMBO. The service was great and I appreciated the detail and effort that went into each dish. Aside from my entree, everything was really top notch. I would really love to give it another go and try a different entree, and perhaps hit up their cornbread which I really should have went for in the first place. Til next time!

Restaurant Review: El Porron Part II

Since I had such a nice meal at El Porron last time, we decided to go back on a double date. I got to try a few new dishes, and had another really lovely meal that was full of flavor.

Instead of wine, this time we tried a pitcher of white sangria which was sweet and yummy.

First up was the Queso Manchego. A slice of cave-aged Spanish sheep's milk cheese was served on top of a piece of raisin pecan bread with quince paste. The cheese was mellow yet savory, and overall it was a nice light bite to start with.

Queso Manchego

Next, a few things came out together. The Albondigas de Ternera, veal meatballs, were served in a leek, carrot, celery, and tomato stew and topped with slivered almonds. This was one of our favorite dishes of the night. It came with 4, so unfortunately we each only got one of these super tender, delicate, and flavorful balls of goodness. The slivered almonds added a nice salty crunch, making for a good combination that I had never tried before.

Albondigas de Ternera

Since I liked the Pulpo a la Gallega last time, we ordered it again. The boiled octopus was cooked nicely, though I still prefer a good char. The oil and vinegar and seasonings gave the octopus some zest.

Pulpo a la Gallega

The most adventurous dish of the evening was the Mollejas al Espuma de Cava & Ajo, otherwise known as crispy sauteed sweetbreads. It was served in a garlic and cava wine reduction alongside julienne veggies. They were very tender and juicy inside and the outside stayed crispy atop the savory reduction sauce.

Mollejas al Espuma de Cava & Ajo

There was a request for croquettes at the table, so we went with the Croquetas de Pollo. They were crispy on the outside and filled with creamy chicken on the inside. That might not sound the best, but it was actually really good. The tomato dipping sauce was a tasty compliment as well.

Croquetas de Pollo

Last time I thoroughly enjoyed the skirt steak, so this time we went for the Solomillo de Vaca a la Pimienta Verde...or the filet mignon. The meat was high quality and cooked wonderfully and served in a light herbed green peppercorn sauce atop of julienne veggies and homemade french fries.

Solomillo de Vaca a la Pimienta Verde

The final dish was the paella. We tried a different one than last time, the Valenciana. This one had a bit more variety of land and sea ingredients - chicken, veal, Spanish chorizo, monkfish, mussels, squid, clams, scallops, shrimp and veggies. You could tell everything was cooked together and all of the flavors came through beautifully.

Paella Valenciana

I am glad I went back to try a few new things. The menu is huge so it will definitely take a few more trips to really hit everything. We had a really delicious meal and I would recommend going back with 4 people, maybe 6, so you can drink lots of sangria and try as many things as possible!

Review: Edible Manhattan's Good Beer Event

Jeremy and I heard about Edible Manhattan's Good Beer event and thought it sounded fun. This event was the publication's 6th annual, and it had a pretty good showing. Not sure how many people were there, maybe 200, and there were about 65+ food vendors and beer breweries represented.

The food and beer pairing was held at 82 Mercer event space, which is pretty cool and conducive to the event. Upon arrival, everyone was given a beer glass and a fork to use while navigating all of the vendors. Unfortunately, juggling your glass and your food plate is a common problem at these types of events and I really wish we had thought to bring our handy-dandy "glass holder necklaces."

(yes, we actually have these)

We were able to find some random spots around to post up for a minute while we ate and drank the current selection, however I would have really appreciated several high tops around the room.

There were many restaurants I knew of there, but it seemed like the unknowns (to me) were the most memorable. Since we ate and drank SO much, I thought it would be best to just highlight some of my favorite dishes from the night.

Good Restaurant featured toast topped with avocado, English pea and ricotta salata. The toast was crispy on the outside, but easy to bite, creating a nice vehicle for the avocado spread and fresh sweet peas. The ricotta was not the star here, but made the entire topping creamy and delicious.

Avocado toast

L&W Oyster Co. featured a sloppy shark taco with fennel coleslaw and salsa verde. I am not sure if I have ever had shark before, but this was great! I love fish tacos and this one did not disappoint. The shark was blackened and seasoned well, and honestly tasted similar to a white fish like tilapia. The fennel coleslaw and salsa verde freshened the dish up with some crunch and a little kick.

Sloppy shark taco

Gramercy Tavern served up jerk chicken with avocado and cucumber on a black rice chip. The chicken had a ton of flavor and a bit of spice, but the avocado and cucumber cooled it off. The black rice chip was a great base because it was thin, crispy, and held it's own salty flavor.

Jerk chicken on a black rice chip

Chapter One had by far the most robust offering with 2 giant pork ribs. The ribs were smoked and had a bourbon molasses glaze, served with grilled sweet corn relish on top. The meat was super tender and tasty, and the sauce was sweet-ish and good. The corn relish fell off as soon as you went to eat the rib, but the flavors were there and it was a nice accompaniment.

Smoked pork ribs

So I think I found my new favorite place - Jacob's Pickles! Well, I have not actually tried it other than the amazing spread of pickles they had at this event, but I am definitely intrigued. I love pickles of all forms and this display made me very happy - from cucumber pickles of varying flavors to string beans, carrots, and jalapenos.

Jacob's Pickles

The Vanderbilt served the most interesting dish of the night - carrot salami and rabbit mortadella. The carrots smoked and had an intensely smokey flavor, and the rabbit was in a salami/sausage form with pomegranate jelly. I actually didn't love either of these - the carrots were TOO smokey and the rabbit had an odd flavor that was kind of irony, but Jeremy was really into it.

Carrot salami and rabbit mortadella

Monument Lane brought duck roulette with pickled mustard seeds and red pepper jam on toast. I have had more flavorful dishes for sure, but I liked the flavor combination here and appreciated the duck.

Duck roulette

I also want to note an awesome new beer I got to try from Brooklyn Brewery. They were previewing Weizenhammer and I really enjoyed the bold taste. I tried many other beers at this event, but this one stuck out to me.

After about 2 hours we decided that we had tried pretty much everything, and were full to the point of discomfort, so it was time to head home. Overall a fun night, and I found a few new restaurants (to me) to add to the list!

Restaurant Review: El Porron

In planning dinner with some girl friends, everyone seemed to know about El Porron but me. They all were raving, so I was excited to see what this place was all about. Five of us went to this Upper East Side tapas place, and enjoyed a really wonderful meal.

We started with some wine, ordered from a pretty reasonable wine list. I am not a wine connoisseur but I know it was good Sauvignon Blanc!

Then we went rattled off several small plates and a few entrees to the waiter:

The Jamon Serrano - thin slices of dry-cured Spanish country ham served with toast and topped with tomato and garlic. The ham was delicious, and the flavors paired well when eaten on top of the toast with tomato/garlic. This was a good starter.

Jamon Serrano

Pulpo A La Gallega - boiled octopus in EVOO, red wine vinegar, Spanish "pimenton" paprika and Mediterranean sea salt. I prefer octopus to be grilled and charred, but this was still tasty and not rubbery or too chewy. The vinegar gave it a nice tang and I found the dish to be very tasty.

Pulpo A La Gallega

Gambas A La Plancha Con Sal Gorda - whole grilled tiger shrimp with coarse Mediterranean sea salt. I was hoping this would come with either more shrimp or larger shrimp (or both!), but nonetheless it was extremely flavorful and served in a delicious garlicky sauce.

Gambas A La Plancha Con Sal Gorda

Croquettes special with risotto, spinach, and pinenuts served a tomato-based sauce. This was fried perfectly without grease and everything inside was creamy and heavenly.

Croquettes special

Vieras Con Tocino En Salsa De Esparragos - pan-seared sea scallops sprinkled with crispy bacon bits, garlic and breadcrumbs in a white asparagus sauce. The scallops were cooked perfectly (lightly browned on the edges and smooth inside) and the bacon on top was perfect for a salty contrast. The asparagus sauce was creamy and rich and really brought the whole thing together.

Vieras Con Tocino En Salsa De Esparragos

The skirt steak special entree came perfectly cooked- medium rare as requested. This is not on the regular menu so I don't remember the details, but I do know that it was well-seasoned, fantastic, and accompanied by some fresh sauteed veggies such as snow peas, carrots, and zucchini.

Skirt Steak special

Paella Marinera - saffron rice with chicken, veal, Spanish chorizo, monkfish, mussels, squid, clams, bay scallops, shrimp, bell peppers, green peas and onions. This paella entree was pretty good, but not the best paella I have ever had. Everything in it was tasty and there was a wide variety of ingredients, but it just wasn't the most memorable. However, it seemed to be a good thing to order for the table as it's easy to share and everyone can find something in it that they like.

Paella Marinera

After some debate, we decided to go with one of the dessert specials to cap off the meal - churros with chocolate sauce and berry garnish. Not only was this the smallest portion of churros I have ever seen, they were rock hard. It literally crumbled when you bit into it. This was pretty disappointing because the rest of the meal was so good and this is the last thing you are left with.

Churros dessert special

However, I will look beyond the terrible dessert and say that I had a wonderful, highly flavorful meal with good service and a relaxed, intimate atmosphere. I will definitely be going back to try out more of the extensive menu. I definitely recommend checking it out and bringing along at least a group of 4 here so you can make the most of your order.

Restaurant Review: Do or Dine

For anyone who watched season 8 of Food Network Star, you will appreciate that Jeremy and I checked out winner Justin Warner's innovative spot in Bed-Stuy with 2 other couples. Yes, you read that correctly- Bed-Stuy. The place is called Do or Dine and it's really fun and different.

I am not going to lie to you, it was a bit of a journey to get there. I mean, I took the G train. So after 3 transfers, it was only a few blocks from the Bedford-Nostrand stop. This is definitely a random location, yet very fitting for its vibe. The place is pretty small, but they have an awesome outdoor back patio area that is graffitied and decorated with colorful unidentified objects.

Upon being seated outside, the staff was very attentive. Justin was in full force setting tables, filling waters, and serving food.

Before I get to the food, I must explain Justin's "POV" and reason for winning his season. He is extremely creative and "sciencey" and always used highly innovative techniques to cook his food.  So, unsurprisingly, the menu is quite reflective of that. They use quirky, clever names such as "miso-corny" and "pho-rk chop."

There were 6 of us (which, by the way, is my recommended party size not only for table space but for proper selection variety and portion size) and somehow we managed to narrow down our choices. Maybe it's easier to tell you what we DIDN'T get? Nah, not as fun. So the run down goes as follows:

Dranks: we all ordered an array of wines and cocktails, all very nice (especially the Fitzgerald that was a gin and bitters drink, on some "secret" menu)

Snacks and small plates:

E666S-6 (aka Deviled Eggs) with culantro (apparently this isn't cilantro) and bacon. As you may have guessed, these are not your ordinary deviled eggs. They came as fried pockets of joy with hard boiled egg inside, creamy yolk and a spicy sauce gushing out. I must note that these were only lightly greased,  perfectly crispy, and a table favorite.

E666S-6

POND WINGS - spicy frog legs with a Dr. Pepper glaze. Two rather large legs were served all glazed up with a sticky exterior. This was my first experience with frog legs and I liked them. The meat inside was different, but hard to explain how. You could definitely identify the Dr. Pepper ingredient which was unique and tasty. This was a hard to dish to split with a group, but we made do.

Pond Wings

FAWN-TONS - fried wontons filled with venison and Jarlsburg cheese. This was definitely the best small plate of the meal. Reminiscent of crab rangoon, these wontons were super crispy, not at all greasy, and the well-seasoned venison filling was perfectly ground and blended with the cheese.

Fawn-tons

SKIPJACK TUNA CRUDO - sliced raw tuna served with leeks, some kind of sauce and this weird unidentified gelee. This dish was underwhelming, and I know I have had much better raw tuna dishes. It was sliced too thick and texturally it just didn't feel right. No one was fighting for the last few pieces.

Skip Jack Tuna Crudo

YOU'VE GOT QUAIL - quail rillette served with "pomolasses" dollops and pita bread. Not at all what I was expecting, but a pleasant surprise. The menu did not indicate the quail would be in this form, so when a jar of essentially quail purée showed up, I was a bit confused. I spread the pomegranate stuff on the pita and then topped it with the quail, which turned out to be the way to go. My table mates soon followed suit and we all really enjoyed the flavors.

You've Got Quail

Hummus - a bright plate of fresh veggies arranged around hummus. The plate was decorated with blackened sesame seed sauce so beautifully we didn't even realize at first that it wasn't part of the plate. This was a nice way to get some veggies on the table and lighten it up a bit.

Hummus and veggies

Grilled octopus - served over some kind of creamy sauce with scallions. One of the plainer dishes, and I was wishing it was more charred. The flavors were there though.

Grilled octopus

Big plates:

A CHICKEN AND WOFFALS - jerk chicken served atop waffles with maple syrup and pineapple. Mostly legs and maybe a little breast, the jerk chicken was juicy and glazed with a maple syrup/sauce creating a delicious sweet and savory flavor. The waffle sort of just absorbed the goodness and became a vehicle for the sauce. This definitely isn't the ultimate southern chicken n waffles, but it's a unique, yummy version of the dish.

A chicken and woffals

BEEF AND BROCCOLI - sliced beef served with broccoli and a couple of tots over kimchi creme-fraiche. Tots were good (when are they not?) and the sauce was yummy, but unfortunately the beef and broccoli were pretty bland. The sauce really saved the dish, but overall this wasn't a fan favorite.

Beef and broccoli

PHO-RK CHOP - sliced pork chop with an Asian style marinade (lemongrass, peanut, basil) topped with a summer roll. The pork was delicious and these are some of my favorite flavors, so I really enjoyed this one. The summer roll had cilantro in it, which I hate, so I was done with that after one bite. Otherwise, this went fast at the table.

Pho-rk Chop

BASA-NOVA - catfish served with wild mushrooms, seaweed salad, and hush puppies. Catfish is not something you see on a menu everyday, but it's right in line with the many other white fish options. This was blackened and cooked perfectly. Everything else on the plate complimented the fish really nicely. This was my favorite main dish.

Basa-nova

For dessert we ordered 2 FOIE GRAS DOUGHNUTS. These are technically in the small plates section and we ordered them up front, but the waitress asked if we might want them for dessert. We decided that sounded like a good idea and I am so glad we made that decision. These were the perfect way to wrap the meal. A perfectly crisp doughnut arrived on each plate covered in powdered sugar and jelly spilling out. We split each one in 3 pieces and discovered the vast amount of foie gras inside. Foie has sort of a nutty taste, so the jelly in the doughnut is genius and provided the ultimate sweet and salty combo (however, the foie was extremely salty so perhaps the dish could have benefitted from more sweet). These doughnuts were SO rich that a third of it was really all you needed. I think some of the party was a bit overwhelmed, but I liked it.

Foie gras doughnut

Overall this eclectic restaurant was a super fun outing to take with friends and we got to experience some very interesting food in a neighborhood we do not frequent. I thought the service was great and the whole place just has a chill, anything goes, we are here to serve you vibe. Definitely worth the trip and I recommend checking it out!

PS: there is a wonderful bar (cash only) a few doors down that is worth checking out before or after - Dynaco. If you can find your way through with the near pitch black lighting design, there are some tables in the back. The bartender listened to what types of drinks we like and then brought over cocktail after cocktail after cocktail of his creations, all different, yet all strong and delicious. He must have liked us too because we got a round of shots out of nowhere that we happily took with him. Needless to say, we left very happy.