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| - Posh is more about image than substance, but that's befitting for its location in Optima Camelview Village.
My girlfriend took me here for my birthday last night, since we're both foodies (although I'm definitely more hard-core adventurous than is she) and had heard fantastic reviews about this place. But for all the anticipation, it's rather sad commentary to feel the urge to grab a burger on your way home after paying $174 for dinner.
Yes, Posh can be contemporary, adventurous and fun. Service is great, too. But it is also extremely noisy - not from the kitchen as they prep your meal, but from all of the conversation amidst the glass wall-to-concrete floor hardscape environment. Tables are undersized for the dimensions of the plates set before you - did they forget to take into account water and wine glasses and the obligatory tealight candle for ambience when designing this place? I'm not sure how they accomodate orders for a bottle of white wine because there's no place to store a wine chiller - and trust me, if you're paying $45+ for a good white wine, it had better be kept at the proper temperature for the duration of the meal. Thank God we ordered a bottle of red, as a single glass would not have lasted the 2 1/2 hour experience over 4 courses.
The food was fine, but it definitely lacked pizazz - perhaps because our expectations were so high after reading Yelp reviews. I had signed my card with "The crazier the better - I eat EVERYTHING!" expecting the chefs to then create with complete impunity. No restrictions, no allergies, no "I can't eat anything with a mommy and four legs!" bullshit that must annoy chefs by stymieing their creativity. That said, I was less than impressed with the offerings presented.
The amuse-bouche of mango w/chive oil and hibiscus gelee, combined, was the size of a nickel, served on a 12" plate. My salad of watercress, duck confit, and pickled onions, dressed lightly in sesame oil, failed to capitalize on melding their flavors together. Escolar with sauteed leeks and Hatch chiles was by far the most enjoyable course (escolar tastes like any other firm-fleshed white fish). The fact there was more escolar than kangaroo in the third course - about 2 ounces total, served with four small snow pea pods sliced on the bias and two sauteed baby bok choy was a disappointment. Really? Not even a standard 3-ounce portion? My girlfriend had even less with her venison - maybe 1 1/2 ounces in a parmesan broth alongside two baby fingerling potatoes. The meats were cooked perfectly, so kudos to the chefs for getting that right. But overall, it lacked depth of flavor. Dessert was a buttermilk panna cotta with lavendar honey (missed any scent or flavor of lavendar) and a lemon cake with berry coulee. Tasty, but knowing that was the end of the meal left my hunger unabated.
The biggest disappointment was the foie gras brulee with mixed berry reduction. Paying the $15 premium was one thing; receiving a 3/16" thick slice paired with sugar and berries was a total misstep. Who pairs sugar & sweet berries with fatty foie gras? Where's the balance to foie gras's richness?
If the theme of Posh is to have subtle flavors not competing with the main ingredient, then they are a resounding success. I've had much better at Mary Elaine's. Even though this was fun from an entertainment perspective, we won't be coming back to spend this kind of money on showmanship alone.
Four stars for entertainment factor, five for service, two for food, one for having to shout across a table and still having to repeat myself.
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