Gretta B.
Yelp
Upon opening the menu, a line at the bottom reads: no substitutions, our chef is crazy, seriously. Well I must say, if Ian Algeroen is crazy, I don't want to be sane.
The venue is small and precisely curated. Minimal decor, some clearly Norwegian accents, an open kitchen, lovely accent lighting, all lead the customer to focus on their companions and their food.
A beautiful wine list that spans the globe leaves something for everyone to enjoy.
I wish I'd gotten our server's name. He was so professional and pleasant, we enjoyed his service immensely.
The menu! I recall 6 appetizers, 2 salads, 1 soup, 6 or 7 entrees, 5 desserts. Total. Why mess with perfection? I can see why substitutions are denied. The kitchen is a well oiled machine, a gorgeous dance between 3-4 people sautéing, plating, and serving. Such artistic presentation.
There were 6 of us. Apps to start.. We ordered the crepes with mushroom duxelles, cherry wood smoked trout, house cured gravlax, and baby gem salad with blue cheese and beets. I really thought the crepe would be my favorite, but I added the gravlax at the last minute and was so happy I did. It was such a lovely dish. All of them were, but that was such a refreshingly pleasant surprise. The cure of the salmon was delicate and light, the seed bread with butter and mustard sauce just added to the amazing marriage of flavors. The crepes were rich and had a great depth of umami flavor, one of us actually spread the remaining sauce on the bread because the flavor was so amazing. The trout was so nice. Thumb sized chunks of pink trout on top of finely chopped haricots vert and potatoes, with that delicious horseradish creme fraiche. And the gem salad was perfection. Crisp, fresh lettuce with a sharp danish blue cheese, and the gold and red beets. Just lovely, and a great balance. Blue cheese can be strong, overpowering sometimes, but this was just an ideal combination.
Main dishes: 3 of us had the scallops, 1 crispy skin salmon, 1 steak, and 1 venison special. The scallops were unreal. So creamy on the inside but seared and crispy outside. All served on a delicious puree of cauliflower with romanesco and a surprisingly refreshing addition: cucumber cut to look like grapes. Amazing! Crispy skin salmon was served skin side up over a saffron buerre blanc, alongside roasted tomato and fennel, a simple Yukon gold potato, which was a little under cooked, tbh, spinach, and pesto. Such delicate flavors, it was very refined, and the combination was so nice. Steak was a very healthy portion, cooked perfectly. And last but not least, the venison two ways. OMG! The venison was cooked perfectly medium rare, sliced on top of a marsala sauce, served with a hasselback potato, venison sausage, and asparagus along with morels. I only had one bite of this, and I'm still thinking about it. Perfection. No gamey-ness. Just pure delciousness.
You'd think we would be done at this point, but no. The dessert menu leaves you wanting one of each. We did 4 of the 5, and damn, now I wish we had gotten the 5th. The best creme brûlée most of us have ever had. Creamy yet set, with the most delicate crust of sugar on top which was so easy to tap through. As it should be. Lemon panna cotta with pistachio biscotti was a real lovely, light palate cleanser. The caramelized macadamia nut and vanilla bean parfait was such a delight. Beautiful to look at, even better to eat. And the tasting of chocolate was nice also. The hazelnut chocolate crunch was our favorite of that dish, so good.
We had wine also, but the food was so good I barely cared to drink my wine. And that's saying something!!
And when chef came up to see us at our fabulous table up top, overlooking the kitchen, we were so delighted. He's my kind of crazy for sure, and I will be returning every chance I get.
Many thanks for a fine dining experience in Mammoth!