Jordana G.
Yelp
Celebrating my 600th review!
Start with the Cilantro Paloma -Texas Sotol, cilantro, grapefruit, lime - it's amazing. Salty and slightly sweet and complex. Using Sotol instead of tequila is brilliant. DH had the Thai Mai Tai, made with a Thai tea syrup. Quite tasty and unusual, but not as inspired as the Paloma.
Came for Restaurant Week. Ordered broccoli appetizer, arugula salad, pork chop, grouper, and 2 desserts: Candy Bar and Carolina Gold Rice Pudding. Also ordered an additional app, the English Pea Hummus, because it sounded intriguing.
So the broccoli, grilled and served in some sort of Bernaise, toasted pecan, and fried shallot situation, is 13/10. I pity vegans because they would have to skip the killer Bernaise. The arugula salad, while not especially avant garde, is well worth ordering with its bright dressing and toasted pecans. The pea hummus was ok, but I don't know if I would order it again. I found the rich olive oil pool on top too overpowering for the dish. That olive oil was pretty delish on its own when dipping bread in it, however. Delicious bread served with it and appreciated watermelon radish among the veggie dippers.
Round two for cocktails: fig drink and the La Pina. The fig cocktail was tasty but seemed much more of a lemon thing. Delicious (I love lemon) but the fig taste wasn't really present. The Pina was bomb. Pineapple and coconut but oh so subtle and not oversweet. It's a very sophisticated cocktail.
Pork chop: good sear, great flavor, but too dry (overcooked?). Side dishes were delicious, bourbon apple jam/farro/delicata squash. Grouper: underseasoned but cooked well. The sauce didn't add much. Again, outstanding side dishes, greens and acorn squash chile slices.
Both desserts were amazing. The rice pudding was so subtle but impossibly creamy and dotted with bruleed marshmallows and pieces of grapefruit. It was like tasting your childhood through rose colored glasses. The nutty chocolaty bar with peanut butter fluff was an exercise in restraint. It could have been so overly sweet yet it wasn't. Which is a good thing considering how rich this puppy is. Chocolate ganache makes a statement. Both desserts should be shared.
They don't have espresso but they do make a nice French press coffee to have with your dessert. 1 pot is enough for 2 people.
Service was ok considering current problems getting enough restaurant help. Very friendly if not as attentive as you likely see during normal times. They try hard and do a creditable job. It's a charming venue, too. Beautifully designed with a rustic flair. One thing I really dislike is the choice of light bulbs on the beautiful main chandeliers: bright cold blue-white LED - please please change them to 2700K! I know it's 180 new bulbs but have mercy.
I will return to try other things on the menu. I might stick with the vegetable items, desserts, and cocktails, and skip the animal proteins, though. They had a fine looking cauliflower steak on the regular menu.