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| - They had us at the pork belly... melt-in-your mouth tender, well-rendered fat, tasty, and seasoned in a way that didn't make it taste too "porky". The duck confit appetizer was equally impressive, and much like the pork belly, fat was rendered excellently, skin crispy, and the meat fell right off the bone. The trout fulfilled my requirements of the dish: the skin had a good pan-sear, yet was juicy but not soggy on the inside. It was served hot on top of grits and kale. These dishes get a 5.
The croque madam was warm, comforting and oh boy, larger-than-expected. It would taste like a ham and cheese sandwich with egg on top. The bread tasted like a sourdough that tasted even better when that sunny-side-up egg broke all over it. This is an easy dish I can make at home though. Pork schnitzel was a decent dish, basically your German version of an American breaded pork chop or Japanese pork Tonkatsu if you will. There was an egg on top that took it to a higher level. It was well cooked, but I personally think it's challenging to get more "wow" out of a breaded pork cutlet, not much to say. These dishes get a 4.
Our waitress Kara was friendly and positive, I mean, naturally and effortlessly positive. You rarely see that anymore. She seemed like the kind of person who would volunteer to help an animal shelter. We loved her.
There's car valet service nearby, otherwise, you might have to park at the westside market parking lot. For 6 bucks, the decision was easy.
Overall it's a 4.5, but I'll round to 5, a new favorite for me.
To think that Ohio city was nearly dead 10 years ago, we love the revival, and the new energetic vibe. The repurposed building in which it was situated was a hip backdrop. I felt like a cool kid in there...
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