Ivy on 7th - Brunch - Denver

When I travel, the most important meal for me is brunch.  I travel to see a specific area, so I will undoubtedly be doing a lot of exploring, so it's good to start things off with a good meal.  This was especially important in Denver when I planned on doing an all day beer crawl.  I was staying in the Speer neighborhood of Denver and Ivy on 7th was both close, in Capital Hill, and on the way to RINO, where I wanted to go.  When I arrived, I noticed that it looked brand new.  In fact, the temporary banner above the door said NOW OPEN.  When I asked, I found the restaurant had been open for less than 3 months, replacing another wine bar.  It had a nice patio, but I decided to sit inside and learn about the place.  The space was very open  with brick walls, a cement floor, and an unfinished ceiling.  While I could see the dining room from the bar, it was separated by a half wall, I imagine to control traffic around the bar.

 

As I would be drinking, I decided both to stick with coffee with my brunch and to make sure I ate something hearty.  The coffee was a medium roast from a local roaster, Pablo's Coffee, and I really liked it.  For my meal, I had what they called an Ivy Cristo which was a spin on a Monte Cristo, a Ham and Cheese Sandwich served on French Toast.  For their version, it had Local Ham, Apricot Jam, and Brie, on Pressed French Sourdough Toast.  It was both sweet and savory and very gooey.  The fact that it was pressed in a panini press made it compact and crisp and very good.  As a side, I had Seasonal Fruits and Berries.  It included Grapes, Strawberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, and Raspberries which were sliced and tasted very fresh.  It also included no Cantaloupe which improved it immensely. 

My brunch was very good.  The place looked nice, it was very relaxed, and the staff was very friendly.  The food was also very fresh and good and if I return to Denver, this will definitely be on my list.       

Mon Lapin - Montreal

 

Part of the reason that I wanted to go to Montreal in the first place was to visit the most well known restaurant in Montreal, Joe Beef.  As it is the most well known restaurant in Canada, it is also very difficult to get a reservation.  They take reservations three months in advance which are gone very quickly and I was unable to get one.  Eater Montreal, said that Joe Beef has become very tourist focused and to go instead to Mon Lapin, a Wine Bar by Joe Beef, which is located in Little Italy (as opposed to Little Burgundy which is where the other restaurants in the Joe Beef group are located) and does not take reservations.  This sounded like a good idea because I would have to take a subway to get there and it would let me explore another neighborhood.  I decided to get there when it opened both because I could much more easily get a seat and I was going on my last day and would be leaving early on the next day.  The subways were pretty cool.  They were bigger than those used in Chicago with multilevel stations.  It actually reminded me of the Tube system in London.  I arrived in the neighborhood early and explored a little.  Located on the other side of Mont Royal from Downtown, Old Town, Little Burgundy, and the port, it's smaller and looks more residential than the downtown area.  Mon Lapin is in a storefront on a main road and has a large front window and a nice patio to the side.  The inside is small, a little rustic, and bistro-like.  There is a small granite-topped bar in the rear that overlooks the kitchen where I decided to sit.  I sat to one side, next to a selection of French Liqueurs using things like quince and cherries, but the one that caught my eyes was the tomato liqueur.  They all sounded interesting, though I did not try them.

 

There was a chalkboard on the wall to the left behind me that listed the wines by the glass that were available.  I started with a dry white that had a very fruity aroma, though a dry flavor and it was very nice.  For food, I decided to go with the tasting menu.  Items on the tasting menu were also on the a la carte menu, but I figured that the chef would better be able to put a meal that flowed well, than would I, so I let the chef drive.  The food menu was very vegetable heavy, and in fact, the only meat that I had was in the first course.  I was served Radishes with an Eel Cream Sauce and a very large Razor Clam with Asparagus and topped with Pork Belly.  The Radishes were very fresh and crisp and the eel cream sauce complemented the spice of the radish well.  The best way to eat the razor clam was with both the asparagus and pork belly, though admittedly, that was a little difficult.  Every part of it was very good.  The clam was briny which complemented the saltiness of the pork belly.  The asparagus was also fresh and crisp and gave this part of the course some crunch.  I saw quickly that things were going to be very fresh and crisp.

For the second course, I was served Shrimp with Lovage (an herb similar to parsley with a celery flavor) and Cucumbers.  In the center of the dish there was a plastic skewer that skewered all three elements together.  The shrimp was very fresh, tender and sweet, and the lovage and cucumber added texture and a green vegetal flavor.

Course three was probably the most savory and was a favorite.  It consisted of Snow Crab with Tagliatelle topped with Bread Crumbs and Chives.  The pasta was perfectly al dente with a lot of tender and flavorful crab.  The bread crumbs added a little texture and flavor and tied everything together.

 

   I was ready for another glass of wine with my fourth course.  It was a Red Vinho Verde, which is actually called a Vinho Tinto.  Like other Vinho Verdes it was bright and light.  It isn't exceptionally complex, but it's a great table wine.  As it is a red, it does go well with more savory courses.  With my Vinho Verde, for my food course, I was served Halibut with Fried Nettles.  I had had and like halibut before, but I had never had Fried Nettles (nor nettles at all, for that matter).  The Halibut was light, moist, tender, and flaky.  The nettles had a texture similar to kale and a flavor similar to spinach.  With the light flavor of halibut, the nettles definitely added some flavor, though the butter also helped.

For course number five, we went back to the vegetables and, in fact, back to the Asparagus.  I was served Fresh Grilled Asparagus with Ramps.  While asparagus has a strong flavor, grilling actually concentrates the flavor.  Ramps are a type of wild onion that are in season in May.  They have a flavor that is kind of like a cross between garlic and onions and it went well with the asparagus.

Course number 6 actually surprised me a bit because it was essentially a salad.  I am aware that serving salads first is an American tradition and other parts of the world, France specifically, will serve it after the entree.  That doesn't mean that it still didn't throw me off a little.  I was served Lettuce with Bacalao Sauce and Salmon Roe.  Bacalao is a dried and salted cod, so with the salmon roe the dish was pretty savory.  It was very good, but it was a salad.

Pre-dessert was a Cheese Course.  It was a Louis Dor Hard Cow Cheese served with a Sour dough Cracker and Honey.  The sourdough was thin and crisp and was easily breakable into smaller pieces.  the cheese, had a nice sour salty flavor similar to cheddar, and the honey added a nice sweet finish.  It was enjoyable enough that I would have eaten the cheese even without the cracker or honey.

To finish things off, came a dessert that both was very seasonal and referenced Canada.  Called Maple Flan with Fried Rhubarb, it started with a nice firm flan topped with a lot of Maple Syrup.  If that would have been it, it still would have been very good.  Maple complements the sweetness of flan well.  I have had Rhubarb both fresh and baked in a pie with strawberries.  It is very sour, though cooking does reduce that.  Frying it made it more tender and added a little sweetness to the sour.  It was very good, I liked it a lot and it was a very nice finish to both my dinner and my trip to Canada.     

 

Bar Biscay

 

I will come right out and say that Bar Biscay was my favorite restaurant that I dined at this year.  Located in West Town, it is the new little sister restaurant to Spanish Seafood Tapas restaurant, mfk.  Bar Biscay is headed by Johnny Anderes, the former chef at another old favorite of mine that is no more, Telegraph.  Like mfk., Bar Biscay is a Tapas Bar with an emphasis on seafood, though Bar Biscay focuses on Basque cuisine.  The front of the building is painted bright blue and it really reminded me of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal).  The sign over the door is small, though done in pastel blue, yellow, and pink, with black lettering, it is very noticeable.  Walking in, the color continues with the dining room lit with magenta and yellow light.  The floor is wood as is much of the furniture with the chairs for the tables and the feet for the booths painted light blue.  The booths, while open, have high backs, and a pillar between individual booths that attaches the the ceiling that gives the illusion of being in a private cubbyhole.  Like mfk., Bar Biscay also has bar and counter seating in addition to standard dining room seating.  I decided to sit at the chef's counter where I could watch the chef's work and talk to them.  Because I was there, the chef also took the opportunity to ask several questions of me.  (Where else I have been, what did I like about Telegraph, what do I like, etc.)  While there is a pretty good wine list, largely featuring Spanish Wines, there is also a pretty good cocktail list, which is what I decided to drink.  While I am generally a gin drinker and there were a couple of gin cocktails on the list, I was first thinking about leaning another way until the chef suggested I try the Basque Martinez.  I am familiar to a Martinez, it is the predecessor to the Martini, but it's sweeter.  I was curious as to what made it a Basque Martinez and saw that it used Basque Vermouth.  It used Mahon Gin, a gin that I actually thought was Irish, but is actually from the Spanish Island of Menorca (It's actually Mahón Gin), Atxa Rojo Vermouth (a sweet red vermouth), Maraschino, and Orange Bitters.  It was very good, and I appreciated the chef's recommendation.  It was sweet with an herbal flavor and a bitter orange finish.

As I was by myself and it was my first time there, in order to maximize the things I could try, I decided to go with the tasting menu.  There are apparently two tasting menus, the on menu and the off menu.  Again, as I had never been here, I decided to go with the on menu tasting menu to see what they do regularly.  It was a six course meal at a pretty good price  with the first two coming out at once as they were both nibbles in any case.  My tasting menu started out with a Manchego Gougère with Garlic Aioli, and a Salted Hake Brandade Crudite with Trout Roe.  A gougère is a savory cream puff.  The crust was very light with the manchego cheese the cream inside.  It sat on a dab of garlic aioli, both the hold it still on the plate and to also provide flavor.  While it was good, I did prefer the other bite on the plate more, the Salted Hake Brandade Crudite.  Hake is a Whitefish similar to Cod and is often used as a replacement for cod.  Brandade is an emulsion of salt cod (or in this case, salt hake), fish that has been cured and dehydrated using a lot of salt, and olive oil.  Crudite simply means appetizer.  In this case the whipped and salted hake was served on toast and topped with trout roe which added another pop of salty flavor and a variety of textures with the crunch of the toast, the creaminess of the brandade, and the light pop of the roe.

The next course was more seafood and also a favorite, Razor Clams with Radishes, Garlic Butter , and Toast.  While I had heard of Razor Clams, I had never before encountered them on the plate.  They were large meaty cylinders.  The radishes served were also cylindrical, though I am not sure whether it's the breed used or the way that they were cut (after looking, I am now thinking that they were French Breakfast Radishes).  While it was served on toast, the cylindrical shape of the clams and radishes made them apt to roll off, do it was easier to eat with knife and fork.  While it didn't work well as a pintxo or bruschetta, the toast came in handy for soaking up the garlic butter.

From seafood, we then went to vegetables with Roasted Delicata Squash served with Sauce au Percil Plat (Parsley Sauce with Garlic, Herbs, Oil, and Vinegar), and Marcona Almonds.  The squash was well cooked and flavorful with the skin being a little more dense, but still easily edible.  The Sauce au Persil provided a nice herbal flavor and the Marcona almonds added a nutty crunch.

After the squash came the first of my entrees, Sausage Piquillo Peppers with a Manchego Mornay Sauce.  This was really good.  The peppers were very tender and added to the really good sausage.  It reminded me of a spicier version of stuffed bell peppers.  Piquillo peppers are non-spicy, so the spice must have been in the sausage.  The Manchego Mornay sauce added a good cheesy flavor to everything and seemed also to have a little spice to it.

Before my last entree arrived, I ordered a second cocktail.  One of the things that the chef asked me about was sherry.  I know that there are a wide variety of sherries with a variety of flavors and while I have had some that I like, I don't know it well enough to order it on my own.  There were a few sherry based cocktails on the menu and the chef recommended I can help, which kind of reminded me of the classic gin cocktail Bee's Knees.  I Can Help started with Sherry, but also had Patxaran (a Basque Sloe-flavored liqueur), Citrus, Angostura Bitters, Honey, and Mint.  It was sweet, very smooth, and had a slightly minty finish.  My final entree was actually the first Basque entree (basically, details were different) that I had ever had, Oxtail, served with Watercress and Orange Gremolata.  Gremolata is a chopped herb condiment using Parsley, Lemon Zest, and Garlic.  In this case, orange zest was substituted for the lemon, giving it a softer citrus flavor.  Frequently Gremolata is served with Ossobuco, so it went very well with the very tender and flavorful oxtail.  The Watercress added a bitter green note to the dish.

After the very good tasting menu, it was time for dessert.  While dessert was not included in the tasting menu, the fact that I was sitting right in front of the dessert station made it basically a foregone conclusion.  While chocolate was on the menu and it's always a win, what I saw leaving the kitchen most frequently, and which also sounded really good was the Crepe stuffed with Nutella and Bananas and topped with Cashews and Powdered Sugar.  While Nutella is hazelnut flavored, it does go well with cashews.  The crepe was thin and delicate, the bananas and Nutella went together well and it was a great finish.  I really enjoyed my food and drink here, but being able to converse with the chef while he was working was a great bonus.  I will definitely return next year for more and will bring friends.        

Income Tax - Tasting Collective Dinner

 

When you go to a place called Income Tax, one of the last things you might expect is good food.  If, however, you go to a place called Income Tax in Edgewater, that is exactly what you will get.  Located in a former currency exchange, Income Tax both chose there name for the former proprietor of the space and to blend in with the neighborhood.  Their sign is small and very low key and the space blends into the neighborhood.  While it still could be a currency exchange from the outside, inside it is very much a European Wine Bar with hanging lights, small tables, and a lot of dark wood.  While I had heard of it and had heard good things, it wasn't really on my radar as for places to go.  When I got an email from Tasting Collective telling me that this was a place that they had chosen, I looked at the menu and looked it up a little more and decided that I was interested and would go.  The space is divided into two dining rooms, both nearly identical in design with hanging lights and a lot of dark wood.  The big difference was that one room had the bar and a table for larger parties in the back.  I was seated at a table of 8 (two four tops) near the front of the smaller room.  As the restaurant is serving an extended tasting menu to a large number of people, drink lists are generally abbreviated with a few beers, wines, and cocktails.  In this case, there were a few wines and beers offered, though there were no cocktails.  I decided to start things a Whiner Miaou, a Barrel Aged Dry Hopped Belgian Wheat Ale.  I had had it before so I knew that I would like it.  It is lightly tart with tangerine and citrus flavors and a mild hoppiness.

For our first course starting out our dinner, we started with Octopus Escabeche with Fennel, Melrose Pepper, Cranberry Beans, and Dill.  Escabeche means pickled and the dish have a certain tartness which was enhanced with the dill.  The octopus was chewy and flavorful, the cranberry beans gave the dish some body, and the peppers provided some sweetness.  Melrose Peppers are sweet Italian peppers that look similar to Jalapenos, but have a Scoville rating of 0 (for reference, a jalapeno runs in the 2500-8000 range and scotch bonnet peppers are in the 80,000-400,000 range).  Thaey are good for cooking and provide a nice pepper flavor without the heat.  The dish had a lot of flavor anf it was a nice start.

For our next course, we had more peppers, though these had the potential for having a little spice.  Referred to on the menu as Tempura Fried Sweet Peppers with Tonnato and Horseradish, they are listed as Nardello Peppers, another Italian Sweet Pepper, on the regular menu.  The tempura provided a nice light crunch on the outside of the crisp and sweet peppers.  Tonnato is a tuna aioli, and then there was the horseradish.  While the peppers themselves didn't provide any heat, the horseradish did add some spice.  The sweetness of the peppers, the light crunch, the tuna aioli, and the horseradish made for a great dish with a lot of texture and flavor.

When you go to many restaurants and have a lot of different dishes, occasionally, you will run into a dish you might not like or is at least less than your favorite.  I knew that eggplant is not a favorite of mine and that it can frequently become slimy if not cooked right.  Surprisingly this dish which contained Eggplant, as well as Walnut, Mint, Charred Cucumbers, and Golden Raisins, and served with Pita Chips was not the wreck that I was expecting.  The eggplant was stewed almost to the point of becoming Baba Ghannoush and the mint, walnut, and cucumbers added a lot of flavor and contributed to the textural variety.

After 3 dishes, we were then served the salad.  I found this a little humorous because, while salads are not generally first in a multi-course meal, it generally comes early in the meal. Our Wedge Salad came pre-chopped and contained Gem Lettuce, Radishes, Parsley Vinaigrette, and Ricotta Salata.  As far as salads are concerned, it wasn't bad, but to me a salad is frequently a space filler.

The next course also could be termed a salad.  It was definitely a vegetable dish in any case, but it was very interesting.  It was Roasted String Beans with Chanterelle Mushrooms, Roasted Red Onions, and Summer Truffles.  Dishes served with truffle oil frequently have a funky flavor from the truffle that overwhelms everything else.  Fresh truffles, on the other hand, have a much more subtle flavor while still providing the acrid truffle flavor.  The beans were crisp and crunchy, the onions and mushrooms were tender and flavorful, and the truffles were plentiful.

Our first entree was a pasta dish.  It was a pasta that I had never heard of, Maltagliati, which is similar to an unevenly cut Pappardelle, which was served with Roasted Sungold Tomatoes and Edible Marigolds.  If this wasn't enough, it was spiced with Nutmeg.  I liked this a lot.  It was tender with a lot of flavor.  The marigold had a floral flavor without being flowery and tomatoes always go well with pasta.  The nutmeg added an interesting spicy twist at the end.

Our final savory dish was a favorite favorite of mine because I enjoy pork belly in any incarnation.  We were served Crispy Slow Cooked Pork Belly with N'Duja (a spreadable salami which was actually turned into a sauce) and Grilled Broccoli.  The pork belly had a crispy outer crust and an inner texture and sweet flavor similar to a well cooked ham.  The N'Duja added a spicy tang similar to barbecue sauce, and the bitterness of the broccoli, which was amplified by being grilled, mellowed the sweetness of the dish.  It was nice, flavorful, and very good.

We finished things off with a Dark Chocolate Tart with Lavender, Blueberries, Almonds, and Anise Hyssop.  There were a lot of things to like about this.  I really like dark chocolate and this was seasoned with sea salt.  Lavender and blueberries are a great combination and these were combined as a marmalade-like sauce, and the anise hyssop, a wildflower in the mint family with an anise flavor was added to the whipped cream.  The tart was good on its own or in any of the several combinations in which it could be eaten.  I really enjoyed it and thought it made for a great finish.  I really enjoyed this dinner and will definitely have to try things out on my own.    

 

Southport and Irving SIP - Brunch

For brunch this month, we went to a Wine Bar/Market/ Restaurant with one of the most obvious names ever.  SIP Southport and Irving Restaurant is located at the corner of Southport and Irving Park with the entrance to the wine bar right at the corner.  There is a second entrance to the main dining room on Southport, but most of us did not know this and entered the main dining room through the bar via a long winding hall.  The building is an old brick building obviously divided between the bar and the dining area.  The floor is hardwood as is the bar and furniture.  The hall to the dining room is darker and has several turns before getting to the host station which is where the entrance to the dining room also is.  The dining room is laid out like a market (which it is) with several large wine racks in the middle of the room as well as on the front wall.  There are also several large communal tables made of a heavy wood along the walls.  There are also smaller tables between the wine racks.  The seats along the wall used a padded banquette with a hardwood bench seat.  The drink menu features the usual coffee, tea and orange juice, as well as beer, wine, and cocktails.  There were a few cocktails ordered, and I was interested in the Espresso cocktail, but I decided to go with a cup of coffee, which was good, but not terribly notable.  The food menu was divided into Sweets, Eggs, and Lunch.  As I like to try both sweet and savory for brunch, I started things off with an order of Beignets for the table.  The order was served on a piece of slate and came with four beignets which were covered in powdered sugar and served with a buttery sweet dipping sauce.  While they had a lightly crusty exterior and a very airy interior, they were pretty big.  This is not a complaint.  I was happily surprised to see how big they were.  While we had 9 people at the table, one plate was sufficient for all of us.

My main course was also listed under Sweets, but I think that that was only because it couldn't easily be included under eggs (my order did come with eggs, but that was an extra charge) and it almost certainly was not Lunch.  I had Chicken and Waffles with 4 Buttermilk Waffles, Cajun Fried Chicken, and 2 Eggs, served to order which, for me, was Over Medium).  It was served with Harissa Honey which I poured over everything and added a sweet and slightly flavor.  The chicken was crisp and crunchy on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside.  The breading did have some spice to it, but it probably could have used a little more.  The eggs though, were cooked perfectly.

I enjoyed brunch here, the atmosphere was rustic, the staff was friendly, and the food was good.  There was a hiccup in the service of one of my friend's orders, but, while it did take a little more time, they were very apologetic and took it off the bill.  I would happily return for brunch and I might want to try it for dinner sometime.         

Sociale

We were introduced by a scallop.  Every fall, generally in October, there is a benefit for Meals on Wheels Chicago called the Celebrity Chefs Ball that I attend.  At this event, they have a sit down meal first featuring several notable chefs, this part of the benefit is pretty expensive and while it would be cool to attend, it would also probably make it difficult to enjoy the second part which is when I attend.  For this part of the event, about 40 restaurants are invited to set up tasting stations and offer bites based on dishes at the restaurant.  Many of the restaurants invited are well established with a very good reputation, but there are a few newcomers invited that have a significant buzz about them.  Last fall, Sociale, a brand new restaurant and wine bar that had opened in the Printer's Row/South Loop area was one of the newcomers.  They were serving a Scallop which was crusted in Sumac and cooked with Pistachio Butter which was absolutely amazing.  It was decided then that me must make a trip to try their food in person.  Located on a corner, it has a glass wall office space look from the outside.  The inside is a very open space with high, unfinished ceilings, floating liquor shelves and a kitchen, that while not open, was windowed so you could see it.  The dining room was L-shaped and we sat at a point where we could see both sides at a large black wood table.  Beer, Wine, and Cocktails were all available, but so were coffee and coffee drinks.  I started things with a Latte in which they did some very nice foam art.  I got a heart, another diner got a leaf.  The Coffee used in the Latte was also very good and flavorful.

As far as dining is concerned, I started things out with one of their small plates, a Pork Belly Pintxo, Braised Pork Belly Skewers wrapped in Iberico Bacon and served with Sherry Jus.  If you are thinking bacon on top of bacon, that is exactly what it was.  The pork belly was served as a big chunk of fatty and porky goodness.  The bacon was made from the highest grade of Spanish pork.  It was sweet and porky and had a more concentrated flavor than the pork belly.  It also provided some textural variety, being a little stiffer than the fatty belly.  The Jus provided some moisture and some sherry flavor on top of additional bacon flavor.  While this was good though, had i noticed the Scallops on the menu, I would have ordered them

For my main course, I chose Duck Sausage Hash with a Fried Duck Egg and Harissa Crema.  Like the first course was bacon on top of bacon, this was duck on top of duck.  I really like duck, but I think for other people, because of the variety, it wouldn't  be overwhelming.  The duck sausage tasted like sausage first and the egg tasted like egg first.  The Harissa Crema, a sour cream based chili paste added a spice to the dish, and the potatoes, which are an integral part of hash, gave it a nice heartiness.  It was a very good brunch with a friendly staff and I will return if for nothing else but to have another shot at the scallops.  

The Boarding House - Restaurant Week

Chicago Restaurant Week is an event that I participate in every year.  Restaurants participating in Restaurant Week will offer a 3 course prix fixe menu for $22 for lunch, or $33 or $44 for dinner.  While the menu is limited, it does allow me to both see what a restaurant that I have not yet visited is about or to revisit a restaurant that I have previously visited and liked at a discount.  Admittedly, you do have to do your research beforehand because the offerings that some restaurants make are not a discount and in some cases, you will pay a premium for a reduced menu.  This year, there were about 300 restaurants participating in Restaurant Week.  I am obviously not going to visit all of the participating restaurants, so I pick restaurants that I think that I will enjoy and may offer a good deal.  The first restaurant that I visited for Restaurant Week was The Boarding House, a restaurant/wine bar run by former Check Please! host and Master Sommelier, Alpana Singh.  The restaurant, is a multistory space that was formerly a fairly high profile nightclub, Club 720, but there were obviously a bunch of changes made in order to become its present incarnation.  The first floor is occupied by the high-ceilinged wine bar.  The bar is three sided and occupies the center of the room with tables surrounding the exterior of the room.  Above the bar is an enormous installation made up of over 9000 wine glasses.  It is just awesome in it's size and the number of glasses that it contains.  It is apparently held together by museum quality hanging wire. The wine cellar for this large space is located in the basement, which is also open for private parties.  The second floor is for the kitchen and a private dining room.  The third and fourth floors are the main dining room.  There is an elevator that transports you up to the dining floor with a host station posted just into the room.  The host stations between the first and third floors communicate via tablet so the third floor host is prepared for a party arriving.  I arrived after my friend who I met in the wine bar.  When we were ready, we were directed to the elevator, met by the host at the entrance to the dining room, which had an even higher ceiling than the wine bar and also had a large hanging installation, this one composed of wine bottles.  Our seat was on the fourth floor which was actually a balcony overlooking the third floor (and the wine bottle installation).  I should have taken a picture of the view, but I didn't think about it at the time.  The Restaurant Week menu was $44 unless you ordered the Risotto as a main course which was offered for $33.  They also offered an optional wine pairing for an additional $28.  I figured that if I was going to be dining at a restaurant run by a Master Sommelier, it would be an absolute shame not to try the wine offered.  I started things off with a Grilled Baby Octopus with Confit Potatoes, Chorizo, Shishito Peppers, Grilled Lemon, and Squid Ink Aioli.  I liked this even before I took a bite because the presentation was done so well.  The octopus was served in large chunks which gave diners something to bite into.  The potatoes were small potatoes served whole and served as a base of the tower that was the dish.  They were nicely tender and added depth to the dish.  The Chorizo (Spanish), the Shishito Peppers, and the Grilled Lemon were chopped finely and added flavor and textural variety.   The wine served with this was a lightly flavored Rose which went as well as I would have expected.

For my main course I went with the Risotto option (the other options being King Salmon or Amish Chicken).  While the other options did sound good, the risotto was what spoke to me most.  The Risotto was a Mushroom Risotto with Porcini Broth, Wild Mushrooms including Oyster, Shiitake, and Maitake, Parmesan, and Truffle Cream.  The risotto was very creamy with plenty of mushrooms and had a fairly prominent truffle aroma (but not overpowering).  The pairing for this was an Italian white that was not exceptionally tannic and went even better with the risotto than the rose did with the octopus.

For our dessert, while we technically only had one choice, it was actually a tasting of three different desserts.  We were offered Julia's Carrot Cake, an Oatmeal Raisin Sandwich Cookie, and a Flourless Chocolate Cake.  The carrot cake (named for Julia Fitting, the Pastry Chef) had a high bar to cross because my mother makes a fantastic carrot cake, but it was a win.  The cake was very moist with a sour cream frosting.  The oatmeal sandwich cookie was also very moist with a cream cheese filling, and the flourless chocolate cake was rich and dense and was topped with a chocolate disc that looked familiar when I remembered I had seen her using it as a garnish at a Buche de Noel competition at Cafe Des Architectes in 2014.  The wine pairing was a very sweet red with raisin and plum flavors.  It was a great finish to a very good meal and I would be happy to return for both a good dinner and the wine.     

Trellis - Brunch

I have a tendency to lean toward the savory side when I go out for bunch.  I will say though, that for the most part, I do tend to stay on the breakfast side of brunch.  While I will occasionally have pizza for breakfast, I will say that calling pizza a breakfast food is a stretch, most of the time.  My adventure to hit some good and interesting brunch places took me to Trellis this month.  I had been to this location in it's previous incarnation as Gaslight Bar and Grille (although not for brunch) and at the time, it was pretty good in the world of bars and grille.  As Trellis, it has updated the look of the place, giving it a more modern look (while still maintaining a vintage vibe) although it is still a narrow bar with an elevated section at the back of the bar where we sat.  The menu (both brunch and regular) features a selection of charcuterie and cheese as well as oysters, sandwiches and pizzas.  The brunch menu has pancakes, French toast, and eggs, while the regular menu swaps those out for things small plates such as steak tartare, venison meat balls, and fondue.  As we were coming for brunch, it was going to be the eggs, pancakes, and French toast.  I had recently read an article raving about Trellis' Fig Jam and Bacon Pizza so I knew what I was going to get before I even looked at the menu (although looking at the menu did make things a bit more difficult).  Before getting to the pizza though, I did start out with an order of Fruits and Berries.  I was a little worried about ordering this because in many incarnations of the fruit salad, I have seen a lot of canteloupe, a fruit that I am not overly fond of.  Talking to the waitress beforehand, I found out that while there was canteloupe in the dish, there was also a lot of other fruit so it hopefully wasn't going to be a huge issue.  I really liked the presentation as it came in a mason jar and at first glance I saw no canteloupe which made me happy.  The jar was topped with Strawberries, but also contained raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Pineapple, Honeydew, Watermelon, and after some digging, 3 balled pieces of canteloupe.  The fruit was fresh and sweet with a mild tartness as good fresh fruit should have.  Three pieces of canteloupe was fine because I was easily able to eat around them and there was still plenty to eat.

Then came the pizza.  It was a large single serving size that looked like it was hand tossed and cooked in a fired oven.  The dough was both crisp on the outside and chewy and had some nice browning  to it.  In addition to the fig jam, which was spread over the top like a well frosted streusel, and the bacon, which was finely cubed and scattered over the top, the pizza also had Caramelized Onions, Mindoro Blue Cheese, a rich Danish-style blue cheese made in Mindoro, Wisconsin, and was topped with an egg, which you have to have on a breakfast pizza.  I had my egg over hard because I didn't want to deal with the yolk.  The fig jam provided a sweetness which emphasized the sweetness of the bacon, the onions, and the blue cheese.  The blue cheese added a depth of flavor with a nicely bitter finish which played well with the onions.  The egg added a savory finish.

While pizza might not generally be thought of as a breakfast (brunch) dish, in this case it really worked and I liked the way that it was made.  There were a few other things on the menu that really intrigued me so I will definitely have to return, for brunch and for dinner.