Mojito & Screwdriver

A pair of edible cocktails arrived for the first round of amuse bouche.

Mojito

• like an ICEE® in cube form – has a crushed ice crunch

• very subtle mint flavor

• no apparent alcohol presence

• barely gelatinous

rating:  3

Screwdriver

• looks like an egg yolk

• tastes like concentrated orange juice

• exterior has gelatinous texture

rating:  3

Passion Fruit Carrot Soup, Gougeres, Mexican Shrimp

A Second round of amuse bouche arrived bringing a trio of bites…

Passion Fruit Carrot Soup

• strong passion fruit flavor

• carrot flavor not as prominent

• salty, but not overwhelmingly so

rating:  3.5

Gougeres

• creamy trout filling

• chives in filling really come through

• slightly dry exterior

rating:  3.75

Mexican Shrimp

• smells shrimpy

• veiny, chewy texture, still chewing…

• standard americanized mexican flavors

rating:  3

Japanese Kanpachi, Red Shiso, Pearl Tapioca, Cucumber, Enoki

The first course arrived with Japanese Kanpachi…

tasting notes:

• delicate, light (raw) texture

• smells fresh and herby, like a garden

• cucumber adds slight crunch, which is accentuated because it’s cut into ribbons

• tapioca adds gummy texture

• enoki adds a mild/subtle crunch

• ever so slight acidity

• shiso adds a japanese essence to the dish

rating:  4.75

Bobby's Block Island Scallops, Forono Beets, Almond, Nori, Upland Cress

The second course arrived with Scallops, which had a peculiar pairing with beets.  Quite an inventive take on surf-and-turf, and it really works…

tasting notes:

• seared scallop smell

• perfectly cooked scallops, perfect moist texture, not rubbery

• beets add a subtle sweetness and earthiness

• almonds add unneeded, muted crunch

• upland cress adds a much-needed vegetable presence and more acceptable crunch

• nori soil adds more crunch

• well seasoned

rating:  5

Wild Alaskan Halibut, Purple Runner Beans, Charred Tomato, Epazote Pistou

The third course arrived with Wild Alaskan Halibut…

tasting notes:

• herby/savory aroma

• halibut is slightly undercooked and luke warm

• charred tomato and epazote pistou add a savory punch

• purple runner beans just taste like beans, adds a different texture

• flavors are excellent, but the protein was not executed properly unfortunately

rating:  3.5

Marcho Farms Veal Tenderloin, Sweet Pea Puree, Buna Shimeji Mushrooms, Turnips, Tomato Confit

Fourth course arrived with a tender Veal Tenderloin that was sous vide for TWO HOURS…

tasting notes:

• veal is SO TENDER

• whole dish smells like seared, savory goodness

• turnips are SO soft and tender, not crunchy at all

• sweet pea puree is slightly salty and verges on gummy, could do without

• sunflower sprouts add a needed leafy vegetable component

• mushrooms are tiny and add a moist crunch, also slightly salty

• sun-dried tomato is moist and adds intense tomato flavor

rating:  5.5

Corn Pudding, Apricots, Caramel Popcorn, Lemon Verbena Ice Cream

Dessert course was originally a chocolate option, but I switched it to the Corn Pudding offering since I don’t care for chocolate…

tasting notes:

• smells like corn

• corn pudding is moist and CORNY

• lemon verbena ice cream is sweet and herby, which I could eat all day…

• apricots are mushy and blah

• Popcorn?  Why is this Here?  It adds crunch for sure and another corn element, but the buttery popcorn flavor I could do without…

rating:  4

Blackberry Macaron, Vanilla Caramel, Thai Iced Tea Gelee

Mignardises arrived with the check…

Blackberry Macaron

• smells like cinnamon

• crisp texture

• slight blackberry flavor

rating:  4

Vanilla Caramel

• smells odd

• salty and caramelly

• soft and chewy texture

rating:  3

Thai Iced Tea Gelee

• smells and tastes lemony

• very slight crunch from the sugar coating

rating:  4.5

Tomato and Zucchini Soup with Cumin Yoghurt

The amuse bouche came unexpectedly, with repeated instructions to eat while still warm. I mention that the instructions were repeated, as our fashionably late friend was reprimanded for being late in eating the soup…

tasting notes:

nice smooth texture

cumin scent comes through

little chunks of zucchini offers added texture

rating: 4.5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seared Ahi Tuna with Avocado, Nori, Enoki Mushrooms and Lemon Soy Dressing

Quail Stuffed with Foie Gras, Mushroom, and Quinoa, Braised Artichokes, Peas, Proscuitto, and Olive Butter

Second course was the Quail…

tasting notes:

very moist, the legs pull apart very easily

quail is also very well seasoned and nicely browned

artichokes pair nicely with the quail

pea shoots taste and smell like vietnamese water spinach

mushroom, foie gras, quinoa stuffing adds earthiness

rating: 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roasted Pork Belly and Tenderloin with Potato Ramp Puree, Cauliflower, Fava Beans and Maple Cider Glaze

Someone else ordered this Pork Belly dish…

tasting notes:

pork belly texture was fatty

tenderloin texture was a bit stringy

rating: 3.5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lemon Souffle Cake with Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta and Raspberry Sorbet

Dessert course included this lemon souffle cake…

tasting notes:

lemon tartness on top of cake

fluffy souffle cake underneath

cold raspberry sorbet adds temperature element and more tartness

panna cotta is creamy instead of gelatinous

rating: 4.5

Selection of Farmhouse and Artisanal Cheeses presented tableside

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The majority of the table chose the cheese course for dessert and opted for a slice of every available cheese…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: ratings are given on a range from 0 – 6,

where 0 indicates God Awful — 3 indicates Humanly Mundane — 6 indicates Deliciously Evil

Cherry Blossom Granita, Cultured Yoghurt, Pistachio

Wild Sockeye, Crispy Potato, Pickled Ramp, Button Mushroom, Nasturtium

Lobster, Wood Ear Mushrooms, Peas, Baby Corn, XO Sauce

The second course arrived with the Lobster…

Duck, Preserved Plum, Turnip, Mustard Greens

Flatbread Cracker

tasting notes:

• flatbread cracker adds nice crunch
• creme fraiche adds subtle tartness
• onions add bite

rating:  3.5

Canape 1 - Oyster

tasting notes:

• meaty
• briny
• smooth
• dill/grass adds pungent flavor, in a good way

rating:  4

Canape 2 - Parsnip

 The second of the three canapes offered was a Parsnip Puree with Parsnip Foam topped with a Parsnip Chip…

tasting notes:

• salmon roe adds POP! POP! POP!
• parsnip adds subtle sweetness
• egg yolk layer adds congealed texture (I’m not a fan of eggs)
• parsnip chip adds crunch

rating:  3

Canape 3 - Radish

tasting notes:

• crunch, crunch
• that radish aftertaste (very strong)
• nasturtium honey adds subtle sweetness

rating:  2.5

Wild Spot Prawn

tasting notes:

• crunchy yet gelatinous
• clean, fresh
• yellow tomato granita and gelee add subtle required acidity

rating:  3.5

Brassicas

tasting notes:

• inherent brassicas/broccoli flavor
• toasted crunch from barley, faro, and still-dehydrated brassicas

  savory bonito broth melds the dish together

rating:  4.5

Crustaceans

The fourth course on the menu offered sea urchin and crab in a crustacean broth with Meyer lemon foam…

 tasting notes:

• sea urchin has smooth texture
• crab has shredded texture
• crustacean broth is a bit oily, but has good seafood flavor
• tarragon went unnoticed thankfully (I hate tarragon)

rating:  4

Pasternack's Rabbit

tasting notes:

succulent rabbit, in two forms

savory rabbit jus

barely overcooked peas add freshness

rating:  5

Lou Bergier Pichin

tasting notes:

• creamy brie-like cheese
• sweet brioche
• sticky honeycomb adds more sweetness

rating:  6

Preserve Lemon 1:7

 The seventh course on the menu was lemon probably done seven ways…

tasting notes:

• creamy lemon custard is a bit salty in some spots
• lemon gelee and lemon foam add more lemon flavor
• chrysanthemum adds slightly grassy flavor (unwanted)
• missing something…

rating:  4

Milk Chocolate

 The eighth course on the menu was a milk chocolate dessert.  This probably won’t be a fair review as I personally hate milk chocolate…

tasting notes:

• chocolate
• salty
• RYE wafers?  WHY?!!??  Blah!

rating:  1

Popcorn Ice Cream

 Though not on the official set menu, the last dessert was a scoop of popcorn ice cream…

tasting notes:

• popcorn flavor
• ice cream
• not much else to say

rating:  3.5

Note:  ratings are given on a range from 0 – 6,

where 0 indicates God Awful — 3 indicates Humanly Mundane — 6 indicates Deliciously Evil

Sushi: foie gras atop seared scallop.

– Kata Robata, Houston TX

Rare Ahi, cucumbers, carrots, parsnips, jicama, ponzu over a pickled ginger slaw.

– Zelko Bistro, Houston, TX

Crab cake, shaved radish salad, ginger buerre blanc

– Branch Water Tavern, Houston, Texas [February 1, 2011]

Roasted beets, Humbolt Fog cheese, candied pistachios

– Branch Water Tavern, Houston, Texas [February 1, 2011]