Jennifer B.
Yelp
I haven't seen my ride-or-die Cuzzo for a long minute and we were due for one of our brunch sessions!
We usually meet halfway between our homes (she's about an hour drive away) but she decided to come through my hood instead. She let Hubbers and I decide where to go. Truth is, we were gonna go somewhere else, but Hubbers called an audible at the last minute and opted to come here instead.
We got lucky and found parking a few feet away. We tried our luck by walking in (vs making reservations) but we were confident we were gonna get seated (we arrived sorta at a late-ish brunch-lunch hour.) As we hoped, we were seated immediately.
It's a lot smaller than I expected, but the tables were spaced out enough so you're not running elbows with strangers. Our menus were given quickly as well as glasses of water. I'll admit we might have taken long to decide what to eat because we just got to talkin' first before looking through grub! Our server was incredibly patient, though. And it's a good thing there wasn't a wait!
BRUSSEL SPROUTS: So this was my pick only because I've never had gochujang brussel sprouts. And what a difference it makes taste-wise. It wasn't strong or overwhelming, it really was mostly a hint, but noticeable, as with the bacon. Good starter.
DOZEN OYSTERS: 3 of each: fat bastard, summer stone, Aphrodite and river gold. It's perfectly portioned since we all got to try one of each. Each had their own flavor characteristics. Personally, they didn't need the mignonette or the cocktail sauce. (I tried them anyway, but I liked the oysters as is.) The only teenee issue here? There were tiny bits of shell left post-shucking, so be mindful of that. If you're an oyster fiend, go for this.
FRIED RHODE ISLAND CALAMARI: Crispy, good amount of batter, a bit on the salty side (but the cocktail sauce tamed that down.) But the salad that came with it is distracting - it was so good! It should be a side on its own! It's the dressing that makes it. This is one well-put together combo!
CRISPY SKIN ICELANDIC SALMON: My choice for grub because I have never had a crispy arugula. (I know, that's a weird reason to have it, even more especially when I'm not really a fan of lentils.) I had hoped, though, that the sidekicks (lentils, sun dried tomatoes, red peppers and arugula) were also evenly portioned -the lentils dominated. But! Can't fault them on that, this is how they prep it - and they weren't bad either. The salmon skin was absolutely crispy and the fish was cooked buttery and flaky. I was surprised how much I enjoyed that.
Hubbers opted for the Connecticut lobster roll (which I thought was kinda small for the price) and Cuzzo built her own omelette (which was done wrong the first time but was immediately fixed, so yay for that!)
FOOD: 4.
SERVICE: 3.75.
VALUE: 3. Average at best for what you get. Some might think it's pricey, but the quality makes up for it.
PARKING: Metered street only. $1.50/hr, maximum 4 hours. It can get busy during peak hours. Allocate some time for it.
OVERALL: 3.5.
Okay first run. A second stop is a good possibility since there are a few things in their menu I'd like to eventually try. Someday soon!