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| - I have been here before and enjoyed it, but today's unexpected lunch option blew me away.
The decor is lovely and the ambiance very nice for a downtown swanky restaurant. What's weird - in a very good way - is the music. You would expect this place to have pretentious classic or jazz playing, but instead you are treated to some fantastic mix that sounds like something from WYEP. Lovely surprise.
When I walked in, I was given the drink menu which struck me as a bit odd for lunch. While I am all for drunken afternoons, I feel that my company would have a bit of a problem with it - as would most companies within walking distance. But I was also handed a strange 4 course menu. This was awesome. It was broken into 4 courses which are served on the same plate as a healthy and nutritious 4 course meal. Tons of choices, but for today, I picked:
1. Arugula with goat cheese and brambleberries (read blackberries, raspberries and blueberries) - There was no dressing which at first struck me as odd, but as I stabbed through some arugula, berries and goat cheese all in one bite, I realized that it didn't need any. Perfect combination.
2. Braised escarole with beans and pancetta - A bit salty for the pancetta, but you expect that with this combination. It was a bit mushier than I have had other places (which might be their "thing"... see below), but the flavor was pretty out of this world.
3. Scallops with peach salsa - Just awesome. The salsa was both sweet and spicy and the scallops were seared perfectly.
4. Polenta with fennel sausage and peppers - By far the most disappointing of the quadrants. The polenta was too mushy for my tastes and there was not nearly enough sausage.
I will definitely be back to pick 4 more choices. Oh and this was all for $14. Maybe more than a regular lunch, but with these high end choices, well worth the money.
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