Journeyman
Sep. 17th, 2010 12:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lillibetIn honor of our tenth wedding anniversary, tonight we celebrated at Journeyman, on their second night in operation.
They are currently offering three or five course options of a fixed menu with a vegetarian option available. We chose the five course menu with wine pairings.
They brought us an amuse bouche of veal heart confit on a square of their bread, with a small taste of a Norwegian artisanal beer made with juniper berries instead of hops. The flavor of the meat was intense and it was remarkably tender.
The salad was a selection of heirloom tomatoes, slivers of radish and roasted baby carrots and beets with a dollop of buttermilk-herb dressing and lovely sprigs of fresh herbs from the window garden next to our table. The baby basil was particularly flavorful. The pear cider with that was delicious, although just slightly overwhelming of the delicate flavors of the dish.
The next course was a torchon of pork heart (diced up, cooked until tender then rolled up, cut into slices, breaded and fried). That was delicious, although I was slightly taken aback when I cut into the torchon by the appearance of the slivers of meat--I think it would be better if they served 2-3 smaller pieces, so that they could be eaten whole. The accompaniments were brilliant: kimchee Asian pears with miso-butterscotch sauce, delicious on their own and wonderful with the meaty flavor of the torchon. The pear cider from the previous course was really good with this dish, a better pairing than the otherwise fine sauvignon blanc.
Next we got three agnolotti (like ravioli) filled with a marvelously creamy eggplant filling, sauced with a rich vegetable stock, topped with wheat foam, accompanied by hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and sprinkled with a few sprigs of fresh thyme. The wine was a Valdostana red, fairly light and a nice pairing.
The final savory course was a thick slice of beautifully roasted pork loin, decorated with incredibly flavorful fresh parsley and served over a crispy cake of polenta and braised chard. I could have eaten at least four slices, it was that good. Our wine was from a Ariana, a small producer in Sicily. The sommelier said it's one of his all-time favorite wines--it had a yeasty note that Jason didn't like, but it did have a lovely nose.
For dessert we were served half a plum, poached in Concord grape juice, with white chocolate-keffir lime ice cream, a steamed coffee-flavored cake, slivers of crispy meringue, and dollops of Concord grape jelly. With that we got pourings of two different chinatos--one made from moscato that was very light and flowery, the other a very intense nebbiolo that benefitted from adding some of the sparkling water offered with it.
It's not the easiest place to find--down an alley between the Independent and the Thai place, in an unmarked industrial space. The decor is minimal and industrial, but in a highly functional way. The service was a little slow tonight, because the kitchen was short-staffed, and the lack of music during the wait highlighted the conversation of the Very Loud Man two tables away. But the staff were friendly and knowledgeable and did a great job by us. And the food was really good--better than any of the Love+Butter meals I've had in the past. At their prices, it's a real bargain and I'm hoping to get back there early and often.
They are currently offering three or five course options of a fixed menu with a vegetarian option available. We chose the five course menu with wine pairings.
They brought us an amuse bouche of veal heart confit on a square of their bread, with a small taste of a Norwegian artisanal beer made with juniper berries instead of hops. The flavor of the meat was intense and it was remarkably tender.
The salad was a selection of heirloom tomatoes, slivers of radish and roasted baby carrots and beets with a dollop of buttermilk-herb dressing and lovely sprigs of fresh herbs from the window garden next to our table. The baby basil was particularly flavorful. The pear cider with that was delicious, although just slightly overwhelming of the delicate flavors of the dish.
The next course was a torchon of pork heart (diced up, cooked until tender then rolled up, cut into slices, breaded and fried). That was delicious, although I was slightly taken aback when I cut into the torchon by the appearance of the slivers of meat--I think it would be better if they served 2-3 smaller pieces, so that they could be eaten whole. The accompaniments were brilliant: kimchee Asian pears with miso-butterscotch sauce, delicious on their own and wonderful with the meaty flavor of the torchon. The pear cider from the previous course was really good with this dish, a better pairing than the otherwise fine sauvignon blanc.
Next we got three agnolotti (like ravioli) filled with a marvelously creamy eggplant filling, sauced with a rich vegetable stock, topped with wheat foam, accompanied by hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and sprinkled with a few sprigs of fresh thyme. The wine was a Valdostana red, fairly light and a nice pairing.
The final savory course was a thick slice of beautifully roasted pork loin, decorated with incredibly flavorful fresh parsley and served over a crispy cake of polenta and braised chard. I could have eaten at least four slices, it was that good. Our wine was from a Ariana, a small producer in Sicily. The sommelier said it's one of his all-time favorite wines--it had a yeasty note that Jason didn't like, but it did have a lovely nose.
For dessert we were served half a plum, poached in Concord grape juice, with white chocolate-keffir lime ice cream, a steamed coffee-flavored cake, slivers of crispy meringue, and dollops of Concord grape jelly. With that we got pourings of two different chinatos--one made from moscato that was very light and flowery, the other a very intense nebbiolo that benefitted from adding some of the sparkling water offered with it.
It's not the easiest place to find--down an alley between the Independent and the Thai place, in an unmarked industrial space. The decor is minimal and industrial, but in a highly functional way. The service was a little slow tonight, because the kitchen was short-staffed, and the lack of music during the wait highlighted the conversation of the Very Loud Man two tables away. But the staff were friendly and knowledgeable and did a great job by us. And the food was really good--better than any of the Love+Butter meals I've had in the past. At their prices, it's a real bargain and I'm hoping to get back there early and often.
