I went last night with my boyfriend and we did it all- from bar snacks and cocktails to dinner and then dessert. Here's what we thought...
We arrived 45 minutes early for our reservation and were able to snag a bar table. The space looks great- kind of like Central meets Proof. By that I mean, it is darker and sexier than Central but not quite as dark and sexy as Proof. We were a little put of by the music, which was a little techno/clubby (they finally changed it to something more mellow around the time we ordered desert, at 11:30). We were able to snag a small cocktail table and proceeded to order cocktails and some bar snacks. (I should warn you that the next several lines are fairly critical as we didn’t have the most positive experience in the bar area but the rest of the night did make up for it) I ordered the Westend Cocktail, which was basically a Pomegranate Martini. It was refreshing but nothing to write home about. My boyfriend ordered a more interesting cocktail at our cocktail server’s suggestion- the Bourbonesque, which was Markers mark muddled w/strawberries and maple syrup. I am not a bourbon fan so I did not try it but he was very happy with it and it did smell delicious. We also ordered the truffle/parmesan popcorn and the marinated olives. We were disappointed in both- our big problem with the popcorn was that it was served cold. The olives were also served cold, pitted and fell flat on flavor. I could see a couple of cloves of garlic and a sprig of rosemary but I could taste very little beyond the garlic. I was hoping for higher quality olives and the flavor could have certainly been pumped up a couple of notches (I also prefer them warm, but I recognize that this is merely a matter or taste and opinion). The cocktail service was a little off but I only saw one cocktail server which tells me they probably weren’t expecting the crowd that they got.
Next, we headed to our table in the dining room and began the serious eating. We started with the mini pork pies (served with mustard and some sliced house-made?? pickles) and the salmon rillette. I believe someone posted on the rillette already and their description was pretty accurate. The pieces of salmon in the mayo sauce was served with toast points and while not quite the creamy spread I was expecting, the flavor was very good and I really enjoyed it. The pork pies were also very good- reminiscent of a pig-in-a blanket meets an empanada (what’s not to like??).
We moved on to another course of the tuna tartar and the crab cake and again, we were very happy with both. The tuna tartar was simple and gorgeous. The crab cake had almost no filling- also falling into the category of simple and delicious.
For our entrees, I had the salmon and my boyfriend had the veal cheeks. My salmon came medium rare which I love and was very good. It came with asparagus and a buerre blanc. The sauce was a bit heavy for my taste but again it was basic but still wonderful. My boyfriend’s veal cheeks seemed to be the perfect winter’s dish- they were perfectly tender and the sauce they were served in was rich but still delicate.
We ordered three deserts- the apple tart, the rice pudding, and the warm chocolate cake. The apple tart was described to us by our waiter as their signature desert but it was actually our least favorite. Again, we had a problem with the temperature and we felt that it should have been served warm rather than room temperature. It was fine but certainly not outstanding. The chocolate cake was the biggest hit. It seems that every restaurant does some version of a molten chocolate cake these days (and as chocolate is my weakness, I think I end up ordering each and every one) but this one ranked high. It was rich but not bitter and the inside almost tasted like brownie batter. It was served with rum ice cream, which was fine but the I couldn’t really make out the rum flavor over the rich chocolate. The rice pudding was also quite good- reminiscent of the rice pudding that you would be served in an Indian restaurant more than in a Jewish deli. It was bruleed and topped with dried fruit- creamy and perfume-y (from the honey, I assume).
All and all, we had a very positive experience, especially considering that last night was their first night of service. Beyond the bumps we experienced in the bar area and the limited wine list, we found very little to dislike. Our service in the dining room was great- although they obviously had all hand on deck last night. Our server was very attentive but not intrusive. He seemed to know the menu very well and he was happy to offer his recommendations.
I know this was a long review but I hope it was helpful....I also hope you are not judging me for all the food I managed to put away in one sitting!!
Happy Friday
