| rev:text
| - I love food, so when I stopped here on a day off and read some of the other reviews that were highly complimentary of this restaurant, I had to give it a try.
First off, it's small but beautiful, I was seated on the patio on a beautiful night and the ambiance was truly delightful. The wait staff were very gracious and accommodating, and I have nothing but nice things to say about them. I decided to get a Sazerac to drink (which was delicious) and try the chef's tasting menu.
First course: scallop crudo, almost like a ceviche. Anaheim (Or Fresno? Can't remember) peppers gave a really nice but not overbearing heat with a wonderful flavor, while some fresh mint leaves helped cool things a bit. A playful dusting of - I believe - chopped pistachio helped give a nice crunch element to the dish. A really nice way to start the meal.
Second course: raw heirloom tomatoes with blue cheese crumbled on top, and some olive oil and a fried green tomato on the bottom. Some of the best tomatoes I've ever tasted, and the salty tang of the blue cheese paired exquisitely with the warm, summer-infused, savory flavors of the tomatoes. The fried green tomato added a welcome texture component to the dish, and the breading was perfectly crunchy; not the *slightest* bit soggy.
Third course: These were mini-gnocchi in - I believe - tomato and cream or milk-based sauce. The flavors were good, but the entire dish suffered from being slightly overseasoned. Further, the gnocchi were perhaps half a minute under being perfectly al dente, and were the tiniest bit rubbery. The Kalamata olives in this dish were spectacular, adding just the perfect brine-y pop. Size-size, things started to get a little big here - the portion size could have been about half for this plate and the one that followed.
Fourth course: Quail with a tapenade, cannellini beans, and grilled onions. The least successful course, in my opinion. Like the last, this dish suffered from being overseasoned. Quail can be difficult to eat at the best of times because it's such a small bird, and in this case it was quite hidden under a thick layer of tapenade and other toppings that made it difficult to see to cut. The onions were a little stringy and difficult to eat, and there was a strong...smokey? flavor that I found...unbalanced. As with the gnocchi, less would have been more with portion sizes.
Fifth course: Dessert, and a return to deliciousness. A milk chocolate mousse crusted with cocoa nibs, and a mint-infused fresh whipped cream with a dulce de leche sauce and sliced blackberries with mint leaves. Not too sweet, but still read as a dessert. The milk chocolate had a fresh milk taste and the cocoa nibs were perfectly crunchy, and the highlight of this dish. The mint whipped cream fused perfectly with the chocolate and overall, this entire dish sang. My only - very minor - critique here was the stems of the mint leaves were a little tough and difficult to chew, but this is again very minor.
Overall, a delightful place to have dinner and a drink. I'd definitely come back. My only complaint about the restaurant itself was the kitchen staff *loudly* arguing and swearing at each other. Totally unprofessional. I get it, kitchens can be rough-and-tumble, but if you're going to have an open kitchen, do not bitch at each other in front of the guests. It's very poor form.
7/10.
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