Richard S.
Yelp
This is a new restaurant, just open one month. We had an excellent meal.
First, the restaurant is small, and the layout is slightly odd, with all the tables pushed out to the periphery and the center of the room unoccupied except for the host's podium. The tables were adequately far apart, all with cushioned benches lining the sides of the room and standard restaurant chairs opposite.
The staff was small but nice, attentive and knowledgeable.
The menu and drink list are small. There are not a lot of options here, but the options are well chosen. The dishes are elevated, with imaginative matching of ingredients and lovely plating.
We eschewed the good looking raw bar menu on this first visit, relying on the limited menu. Instead of choosing main courses, the two of us chose to make our meal from 4 appetizers, which turned out to be plenty for our moderate appetites.
First, we had the beef tartare - nicely done, though paired with a slightly sweet bread that clashed just a bit with the flavors of the tartare.
Second, we had chilled octopus. Served with grilled bread, the octopus was rendered into a chunky terrine and delivered in slices, topped with a lovely tapenade and some thinly sliced pickled fresno chilis. Again, it was delicious and flavorful, highlighted by the tender octopus. Octopus is a mild flavor - but it was not overwhelmed here, despite being served cold.
Third, we had the special - foie gras with a rhubarb jelly and with some delightful tangy marmalade on the side. Again, the slightly sweet bread slices were provided, and in this case the match was delightful.
And, last, we had the "lazy mussels" - a thoroughly odd dish that we truly enjoyed. The cooked muscles were delivered in a dense, flavorful broth, and topped with sour beer foam - served with a different savory and crunchier bread. We've never had anything like it. Messy to eat, but it worked very nicely.
We split a slice of excellent homemade cheesecake for dessert - that excellent marmalade made another appearance, this time mixed with rhubarb. There was a subtle flavoring in the cheesecake - possibly almonds.
Highly recommended.