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| - Heavy on wood - both reclaimed and polished - constituting everything from the floors to the tables to the open rafters of the ceiling I was greeted quickly upon seating by a young man named Spencer who, along with a female bartender, were apparently the only persons working front of the house that afternoon and with the menu presented I spent a few minutes perusing as Pearl Jam played over head and with my decisions largely made before I even entered the door I had a full glass of water and my order placed by the time the song ended and progressed to Radiohead; to say the least I agreed with Praying Monk's recent nomination for best restaurant soundtrack.
With the table next to me settling the check as I read and listened to the soundtrack move to Zeppelin, Stones, and Nirvana it would not be long before Spencer would return with my appetizer selections, one hot and one cold, the first a $5 quintet of "hush puppies with tenderbelly ham and tupelo honey." Crisp on the exterior and toothsome within featuring great cornbread flavor and a touch of brine from the ham each hushpuppy was surprisingly light and low on grease while the honey was delivered thin, warm, and in excessive portion on the side. Great snack/bar food with a happy hour price of a mere $2.50 it would be hard for me not to order these on a return visit given my affinity for both cornbread and honey - ham included or not - but for Southern/Soul food purists it may be better to look elsewhere as the ham is definitely notable on the palate.
For the cold appetizer the $16 "F This" PB&J Foie Gras Torchon was one part of my original reason for visiting Praying Monk in the first place and served in a small sealed jar with a layer of whipped and compressed liver at the base topped by blackberry jam and house made peanut butter mousse I'd be hard pressed to name a better torchon or terrine under $20 outside of Paris. Arriving as a 2oz portion of each layer alongside a small stack of toasted baguettes each aspect of the composition was nicely flavored and with the sapor of the foie balanced nicely by the unsweetened berries the peanut butter added a bit of salt and a light toasted flavor that lingered on the palate. Having had far less successful attempts at Foie Gras with PB&J at notably more expensive restaurants I'd consider this a must order.
With the waiter, the bartender, a chef or two, and myself now being entertained by The Red Hot Chili Peppers my main course of "Kentucky Fried Quail" would arrive as I was slowly enjoying the foie gras and with the small bird surprisingly plump I again set aside the liver and moved onto the hot dish before me; the first bite a crackling of deep fried skin and lightly herbed breading that would set the tone for everything on the well composed plate. With small bones still present but easily navigable the quail itself was not-surprisingly lean with just enough fat to keep it juicy and with a the bird's slight gamey flavor well met by the breading even more levity and balance was found in the accoutrements - a mild lightly dressed slaw of Brussels sprots and "Red, White, and Bleu" potato salad featuring tender redskin potatoes, a touch of mayo, and punchy bleu cheese...unnecessarily upscale comfort food perhaps, but damned good as well.
With the hour now nearing three Spencer returned to ask if I wanted to see the dessert menu and with my mantra that it never hurts to look I said sure and received a short list of four choices, all of which sounded okay but none which sounded great, and as such I deferred to my server's opinion and he recommended the "Fourplay" based on his own personal preference for cheesecake, a good recommendation though certainly not on par with the savories. Described on the menu as "Flourless chocolate cake, New York Cheesecake, Chocolate Cream, Milk Chocolate Parfait, and a Chocolate Fan" and mere minutes after ordering it was clear from the start that this was a pre-prepared dessert and while each texture was nice enough the cake itself was a tad spongy thus relying on the 'fan' to add a bit of crunch-rich but not heavy, cold but not frozen, the flavor itself was not all that different from a Hostess Ho-Ho...not a 'bad' thing, but at $7 perhaps the only overpriced item I ordered and an area where the Praying Monk could definitely stand to improve.
With the check settled-a veritable steal considering the gift certificate-and an ample tip added for the 1 to 1 service I sat for a few moments reading and listening to Beast of Burden before making my way to the door where the Scottsdale Sun had basted my car to a pleasant 121 degrees. A long day of dining behind me and dinner yet to go I hope Praying Monk is turning better business on other days of the week-my guess is that it'd be an awesome place to watch some College Football in the coming months, particularly given the quality of the food (and beer list if you're into that.)
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