can i have a bite?

Last night was emotionally overwhelming for me. Lots of big dog sightings, a friend’s engagement news, and P A S T A. I finally made my way to Monteverde, Sarah Gruenberg’s pasta mecca in Chicago, sponsored in part by my brilliant princess friend Mary who was kind enough to get me some dough (pun) to Monteverde as a birthday gift last year. Sister Sarah tagged along and we went to town! Let’s get into it. 

Started with an amazing cocktail - The Sardinian Bandit. Gin, absinthe (wooooo), lemon, rosemary, egg white. Simple and clean, and a lovely pairing with the BOMB grassini -- one of these grassini was rosemary and sea salt, the other one I couldn’t figure out but based on the color, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some saffron involved. Crispy crunchy goodness.

Then it was time to order the main event(s). This caused stress, because menus are always stressful, but it was EXTRA stressful because Sarah and I had made decisions based on the online menu and were startled to see SPECIALS... ack! Curveball! This stress was not helped by the fact that a) we were surrounded by doggos (pictures below) and b) I found out mid-meal that my close friend got ENGAGED. to be MARRIED! What a day!

But anyway, squash blossoms are an automatic go for me. With ricotta and SCAMORZA (which is a way under-used cheese in the states), couldn’t say no. Crispy, cheesy, delicious. Fancy mozzarella sticks, basically. Yes. Good. 

Next: another Italian GEM that you never see here - TIGELLE. Imagine that an english muffin and a biscuit got busy and had a really dense baby. That is what tigelle are. In this case, there was lemon involved in the dough. Served here with burrata, prosciutto, and fresh spring peas. DIY BB GOURMET SANDWICHES. What’s not to like? The bread was crispy on the outside, the prosciutto was obviously so incredibly fresh, and if a glob of burrata put on a pair of glasses and said it was running for president I would vote for it, so. 

One more lil snick snack before PASTA TIME: PBT. Prosciutto. Butter. Toast. For real. Rye bread, prosciutto butter which shouldn’t be allowed but Sarah Gruenberg is a crazy wonderful bitch, and the most beautiful radishes I’ve ever laid eyes upon. Sarah (my sister, not the chef...) split one lil piece and it was so rich and perfect. 

#TIME #FOR #PASTA

First up, had to go with the tortelli verdi - because when was the last time you saw pasta with miso, hazelnuts, and orange on a menu? The pasta here was so INCREDIBLY thin and tender, and the sauce was absolutely packed with flavor. Such a unique take on pasta, but definitely going to play around with hazelnuts and orange in pasta in the future... also, can we talk about how pretty this plate is?!

Last but not least. The Big Kahuna. The Main Event. The Pasta to End All Pastas. Hot DAMN it was good - a special of the day that REALLY came through: spring nettle pappardelle with porcini, pecorino, mint, oregano, and walnuts. The perfect pasta was a vibrant green, and the mushrooms... oh god, the mushrooms! Do they not look like giant wedges of pear? But no. They are tender, meaty, life changing, umami-packed porcini bbz. And globs of fresh minty pesto... what’s not to like? I slurped up the remaining sauce with a spoon because it was THAT good. One of my favorite pastas I have ever had, for sure. 

What a spectacular meal! And here’s a bonus: a doppelganger of our family dog was at the table in front of me, and the smolest dog known to man named TED was behind us, napping under the table. Here they are! 

Well, it’s apparently taken me a full 7 weeks to process the emotions of this here experience, folks. Apparently that is a thing when one meets one’s idol! 

Here’s the sitch: the folks at BOKA, a hub of fine dining in Chicago and the namesake of the restaurant group to which we owe Goats (Girl and, Duck Duck, and Little) and other gems, partnered with Coolest Man on the Planet Massimo Bottura to craft a meal inspired by Massimo’s life philosophy/mission. You may know Massimo as the guy from the first episode of Chef’s Table -- in addition to being the chef at one of the top 3 restaurants in the world, he has dedicated himself to alleviating food waste and feeding those in need. His organization, Food for Soul, has now operated several ‘refectories;’ local businesses donate food that would otherwise be thrown away, and world-class chef Massimo (and his world-class chef friends) prepare gourmet meals to be served to those in need of a meal. He is, no exaggeration, my idol, so when my dearest sister told me this meal was happening, we had to get in (shoutout to her boyfriend for getting us the last 2 available seats and forfeiting his spot so Sarah and I could go). 

So, the day rolls around, and Sarah and I show up to the restaurant, and I immediately catch a glimpse of Massimo chatting with a table of diners. This initiated a cycle of me borderline hyperventilating and/or crying, and Sarah gently calming me and/or yelling at me to get my shit together (a theme of the night).

When we sat in our spacious corner booth, we were greeted with the first sign that this was a very special night -- the menus were all handmade out of recycled paper and vegetables and handwritten. I am glad the waiter told me they were not edible because I was 100% about to take a bite of the menu. 

Diving into the meal, though -- first up was, as you see on the menu, cod skin and belly. The belly was crafted into a staggeringly light and flavorful dip, and the skin was fried to serve as crackers for the dip. Add on some picked fennel and giardiniera, and this was a leadoff homerun. 

***INTERMISSION BECAUSE THIS IS WHEN MASSIMO CAME TO OUR TABLE***

Massimo came over (he stopped at every table to chat because he is a perfect angel) and I did my best to keep it together, telling him about my interest in food policy and that I lived in Bologna (20 minutes from Modena, where his restaurant is) for a year. He asked how we were enjoying the meal, took a photo with us (then demanded we take it again so the lighting would be better -- the man gets it) and then TOLD ME TO FOLLOW MY DREAMS? It was perfect. I had a nagging fear that he would be an asshole IRL and then I’d have to find a new idol, which would be a pain in the butt, but he was as kind, patient, and charismatic as I could have imagined. GO MASSIMO

***End intermission***

Next was Sarah’s sleeper favorite - carrot panzanella. Roasted carrots met fresh carrots (including both of their greens) in a bowl with crusty stale bread (a staple in anti-food waste meals) and dollops a lowkey majestic sunflower seed yogurt sauce. It was one of those dishes where every time you take a bite you discover another layer to it, and then because you’re discovering all these layers, you feel like you’re really in the know as a diner and like, know your shit. 

Next was what I would have to say was my least favorite dish, although that’s like choosing a ‘least favorite puppy’ or a ‘least favorite Colin Firth film.’ This mushroom risotto was made with freekeh instead of rice and featured mushroom zabaione and fresh shaved maitake mushrooms. Although the flavor was truly to die for -- like Very Real Mushroom Flavor -- the freekeh was crunchy. It was interesting, but a little off-putting for me. But like mushroom risotto in general is one of my favorite foods. So this was still bomb. Let there be no confusion!

Next was a *BONUS COURSE* because we are Very Important. What up, cod! Our Course #1 cod mad a reappearance -- this time it was poached and served with pickled cauliflower and roe. Honestly, the fish was so freaking buttery it was like the best scallop I’d ever had. That is a major glo up for cod, to be honest. A nice transition into the gluttony to follow...

Meatballs AND cheesy black truffle bread boats (the best five words that have ever been strung together maybe?). These meatballs were not for the faint of heart -- I am a terrible blogger and forgot what meats they were made of, but one of them was someone’s belly. Whatever the ingredients were, they were some of the most flavor-packed and rich meatballs I’ve ever had, tempered slightly by the bright crunchy greens they were served with, and the cookie crumbs (I think!) on top. 

Had nearly hit a food wall at this point, but made room for dessert -- banana peel ice cream with beignet and gold leaf. I will say, I totally get how the banana peel thing fits with the no waste theme. I struggle slightly to wrap my head around the idea of, oh, rampant gold waste, but I’ll let it slide because this dessert was fantastic. Bananas are so sweet, they can be cloying, and with a donut you’d think it would be overpowering, but the banana was light and subtle, and the bitter chocolate kept things on track. 

Boka is #extra, so the check came with 3 different kinds of bon bons, if you will -- some meringue-like cookies with cocoa nibs, chocolate bark with candied orange peel, and a lovechild of a pecan cookie and a lemon bar. 

Suffice it to say I left that dinner table much as one might leave a poker table after winning a bazillion dollars and doing a line... or at least that’s how I imagine it. And to top it off, my sister treated me as a birthday-Christmas present. Ain’t she the best? 

Went to the BEACH yesterday except this beach was made of carbs and I didn’t have to wear a swimsuit and it was actually Spiaggia. Sister Sarah (not a nun; is my literal sister) and I were fortunate enough to take advantage of our parents not using their Spiaggia gift card before they moved away. So, birthday dinner for us! 

So honestly this woman can just have my firstborn if she wants, bc she deserves it. I finally made it to Duck Duck Goat today, on a date with my hot roommate Sofia. It had been a while since I had had any Chinese food, so the base craving was there, with the added excitement of it being Dame Stephanie Izard’s take on Chinese food. 

You know what would be cool? If doctor’s offices and the DMV had waiting rooms like Duck Duck Goat’s cocktail lounge, which is full of jade-colored tile and fancy, potentially-authentic-but-also-potentially-bought-from-Pier-1-because-I-wouldn’t-know-the-difference Chinese artifacts. Anyway, this was a delightful space in which to await my table, and I ordered the ‘Before the Dawn’ -  Ketel One Vodka, Blood Orange Liqueur, Ginger Liqueur, Rose Demerara, Lemon, Sea Salt, Activated Charcoal. That ACTIVATED CHARCOAL made this a badass black cocktail and I felt x-tra cool drinking it in my black top and black leather jacket, but that’s beside the point. Honestly, gimme a cocktail with vodka, orange, and ginger and imma like it. Add salt on the rim with that black color and I felt like, a sexy drunk salt miner. 

We ordered under the supervision of our appropriately hipster waiter Jerome, complete with round rimmed glasses. First up: shrimp toast. Super finely chopped shrimp with some mayo-y goodness, capers, some lil peppers and hella cilantro, all on top of thick Texas toast. There was an insane almost po’ boy feel to the mayo/shrimp/toast element, but lightened up and acidified with the capers, peppers, and cilantro. So rich and flavorful without being heavy. Move the f over, avocado toast (kidding -- plz never leave).

Next they brought us the dish that turned out to be Sof’s favorite: octopus, cucumber, and peanut salad. Super thinly sliced and of course magnificently tender octopus, wedges of cucumber, peanuts, and some fresh little red chili peppers, scallions, and unsung heroes of salads and sandwiches everywhere, sprouts. I mean, this one was just as crunchy, cool, and fresh as the ingredients indicate - a nice dish to counter the other super rich ones we got. 

Second to last was possibly my favorite - sichuan eggplant and goat sausage. It was reminiscent of a sichuan eggplant you’d get at any Chinese joint, but elevated with the gamey goat sausage, some thin shiitake mushrooms, and more of my BFF sprouts. I think I literally said to Sofia, ‘mushrooms are the only things that make me sometimes think I could be a vegetarian.’ They, along with well-done eggplant, are so savory and warming and just ultimate comfort food. Saucy, hearty goodness- I only wish I had some rice to soak up all the yummy sauce.

Finally, a dish my sister insisted I get - duck fried rice with soft-boiled duck egg. Folks, there’s only so much to say about this, because it was simple brilliance. The absolute indulgence that is fried rice, with the addition of duck which, I decided yesterday, is the sexiest protein. We have sexy duck working in tandem with soft egg yolk here, people, so like... I was all hot and bothered. Add some WOOD EAR MUSHROOMS and SNOW PEAS... oh baby. Smoky, savory, crispy, crunchy, soft, eggy MAGIC. #sexrice 

Jerome tempted us by offering a dessert menu, but I had big plans to roll home to my pint of birthday cake halo top. So we accepted our PERFECT almond butter cookies (another dark horse in the cookie field, almond cookies. Only wish I had a cup of coffee to accompany).

Another overdue post, but one I’ve been pumped to write. In addition to my love of food and writing about it, I’m a big fan of true crime, particularly My Favorite Murder. So I was well chuffed to see a post in the FB group for MFM about a new restaurant in Chicago, Split Rail, opened and managed by a fellow murderino! My sister and I made a reservation ASAP, and went a couple weeks ago.

We knew going in that there was a cocktail on the menu called ‘Stay Out of the Forest’, named after a classic line/piece of very important advice from MFM.  Vikre spruce gin, zirbenz alpine liqeur, grapefruit, lime -- a foresty, fruity, not-too-sweet libation to get things goin’.

Because I like eating the eggs any animal in the animal kingdom can offer me, Sarah and I started off with chips and dip --  trout roe, sour cream & onion dip, housemade potato chips. Honestly, chips with sour cream and onion dip from the grocery store is one of my favorite things on the planet, so this was that but FANCIER AND BETTER AND WITH SQUISHY FISHY EGGS. A+

Next, lamb tartare (harissa aioli, black garlic, herb salad, rye). Lots going on here, people. That smear of goodness which I can only assume is where the harissa aioli and black garlic come into play was complex, y’all. The kind of thing where you know a million things are going on but you can’t really pinpoint any of them. Magnifique.

Next was the dish I was arguably most excited about, a concept that is so simple and so brilliant: loaded baked potato gnocchi (house bacon, sour cream, hook’s 5 year cheddar, crispy potato skins). Guys, this was some of the best gnocchi I’ve ever had (like could have eaten the gnocchi plain and would have thought that), with all the baked potato fixins’ on top. Italian comfort food meets American comfort food in the most magical way. 10/10 would eat for all eternity

Lastly, the finger sandwiches, with ‘nduja, grilled eggplant, and honey. This was a last minute decision and I’m so glad we made it -- it was one of those dishes that really covers all of the taste bases. Spicy, salty ‘nduja, mellow and savory eggplant with the extra depth from being grilled, and then, of course, sweeeeet sweet honey. Fab. 

This weekend marked my first ever trip to Nashvegasville with my best gal pals from Duke -- a little MDW getaway and a chance for us to catch up in a city that was new to all of us. We had an absolutely perfect Airbnb in East Nashville, complete with a big back yard strung with bulb lights and two fuzzy neighbor dogs. By the time I left after four days, the ol’ pantaloons were tttttight. We ate a lot -- at City House (unfortunately underwhelming), some lil’ bites and fantastic live music at The Post East, the coffeeshop around the corner from our house, and our mandatory stop at the much vaunted Prince’s Hot Chicken (V HOT - HURT TONGUE AND LIPS - BUYER BEWARE - BUT IT WAS WORTH IT BC SO CRISPY SO JUICY SO GOOD.)

Our last dinner, though, was my favorite edible part of the weekend. Rolf and Daughters had a lot of buzz, and exceeded my expectations, starting with the building itself, decorated on the outside with a playful mural and a bulb light-strung patio. We were fortunate to sit outside for our super memorable meal.

We started with sourdough bread and seaweed butter (yeah, seaweed butter). The bread spoke to my inner Paul Hollywood -- its texture was doughy but somehow also airy and even, it was perfectly baked, it had a crunchy crust and soft inside. It would have been amazing on its own. But that BUTTER, y’all. More so than the brininess I was expecting, this butter seemed to just be a salty umami masterpiece. It was amazing how much rich flavor was packed into such a neat little bowl. And it was pretty to look at, with the light yellow-green color and big flakes of sea salt on top. 

One of the most special dishes I’ve ever had was the stracciatella -- the absurdly underrated soft, stringy Italian cheese basically filled the role of yogurt in a fruit and yogurt parfait -- and it was incredible. Salty, creamy cheese; sweet and juicy fruit and saba (a new ingredient I learned -- a reduced grape syrup that can be subbed for balsamic); and the kicker -- crunchy, nutty seeds that were absolutely essential to rounding the dish out. One of the most fanciful and just straight up delicious things I’ve eaten in a long while. 

Last but far from least, my pasta -- mafalde with culatello, broccoli, and pecorino. It was basically a play on the classic orecchiette with sausage and rapini, expertly executed. The pasta was very obviously homemade and fresh, the cured meat was in tiny pieces, so as to add flavor throughout the dish without overwhelming any bite, and the slight sharpness of the pecorino (a cheese that is not at the top of my list of favorite cheeses) worked perfectly to keep the dish from getting to rich. I found myself licking the plate, and was full but not stuffed. 

Posting a week late about yet another incredible meal had in the triangle, this time at a new adorable Italian space in Durham, Mothers & Sons. The parents, sister and I went on a Friday night that was unfortunately marred by one of my clients from hell who was blowing up my phone with emails throughout the dinner (but hey, I only left the table crying one time!). Devil-client notwithstanding, we had a really spectacular meal. 

We were immediately taken in by the vintage posters and eclectic furniture in the open, airy space, as well as our impossibly charming and knowledgable Carolina born-and-bred waitress. We were immediately having menu anxiety as we wanted to order literally everything, but ended up settling on some awesome dishes. 

First, top left: fried seafood (smelt, shrimp, squid) along with little fried zucchini chips. Wonderfully fresh, well-done breading... you can’t go wrong with good fried seafood with lemon squeezed on top. 

On the other end of the seafood fanciness spectrum: the special of scallop carpaccio, served with SPECK, LOBSTER ROE and SQUID INK CROUTONS!! Squid ink croutons, people. This is not a drill!! This was the kind of thing where one bite was revelatory all on its own. Amazingly tender scallops, lil popz of the caviar, savory/salty speck and those damn croutons. Somehow, even with all those indulgent elements, it wasn’t overwhelming or heavy or  busy - it was light and refreshing and absolutely to the brimmmm with flavor.

I had some serious panic picking an entree, but settled on mint garganelli with lamb ragú. Basically a mediterranean twist on the classic tagliatelle al ragú. It was absolutely delicious, but I’ll admit, it wasn’t as different from normal ragu as I would have hoped. It was an incredible sauce and pasta, let there be no confusion there, but it could have been really special if the mint and lamb flavors had shone a bit more.

Finally, dessert. There was a mix-up in the kitchen so our entrees took a super long time to come out, so we got comped one of each of the four desserts on the menu. Three of them are pictured here: blood orange upside down cake, pink peppercorn panna cotta (!!!) with grapefruit, and chocolate cake with hazelnut something or other (sorry, forgot...). They also sent along some unreal zeppole. Gonna focus on that panna cotta for a second though... it was such an amazing, almost floral pepperiness that somehow was perfectly in place as the main flavor of something as delicate as panna cotta, which was impossibly silky and perfectly set. Adding the grapefruit on top... it was one of the most unique and special desserts I’ve ever had.

A quick recap of a delicious and very photogenic brunch at Dusek’s, the beloved beer-focused joint attached to Thalia Hall in Pilsen. My aunt and I braved the absolutely miserable Chicago weather (a fixture of this entire weekend because who needs sun when you can have wind and rain ????) for a Saturday brunch. It was my first time actually eating at Dusek’s, as my prior time being in the restaurant was to scavenge remaining bites of food from plates like your common trash panda when I met my family before a concert at Thalia. Anyway, those bites were enough to convince me I needed to go back for the real deal!

First up was coffee and a bloody, because brunch. Being a beer spot, the bloody blissfully came with a pony, as all good Midwestern bloodies should. The drink itself was awesome -- super spicy and pickly (there was pickled cauliflower and asparagus inside), and vodka-y. 

Food-wise, we were advised by the kind couple at the next table over  to get the day’s special: The Ordinary, breakfast flatbread with house-made duck sausage, garlic béchamel, figs, taleggio, fried duck egg & parm. THX, KIND STRANGERS, FOR THE RECO. Figs were the true star here. Without them, this would have been a damn good white sausage pizza, but the sweetness and tiny bit of tartness from the figs brought a whole new dimension to the super-savory cheesy, sausagey, eggy, umami-fest. To top it off (or bottom it off, I suppose is more accurate), the homemade dough was thick and, well, very doughy, lending some extra indulgence to the whole thing. 

We also split chicken & waffles, because I am officially incapable of going to a menu with chicken & waffles on it and not ordering the chicken & waffles. I blame Dame’s. Anyway, this version had a corn bread waffle, that was dotted with peppers for an added kick. I will say, I think I prefer a more traditional waffle in the chicken and waffles context, but this was delicious nonetheless. And the chicken itself was perfect -- crisp and juicy. Add in the rich house made pimento cheese and the ultra-vinegary chow chow, and this plate had all bases covered. 

Whoa. Had an amazing meal last week at the new hotspot in the Southport Corridor area: Ella Elli, to celebrate my work wife’s birthday. Having extensively stalked the menu, as is typical for me, I was in a ‘can I just order one of everything’ mindset, which was only fueled when the four of us were seated in our cozy, private booth in the chic yet comfortable space.

We started out with cocktails -- the Foxglove for me (Bison Grass Vodka, Orchard Cherry Syrup, Blood Orange Liqueur, Lime). It was sweet -- but not too sweet -- and tart, and I probably could have had 10 more of them, but our fantastic waiter suggested an amazing floral white wine to go with the...

FOOD.

The birthday girl is pescatarian, which was fine by me -- the menu was more than up to the task.

First up was creamy mushroom toast. Three words that I love, but that I have never seen together. A blend of wild mushrooms mixed with creme fraiche and thyme on perfectly crusty, crispy bread. It was an umami bomb to end all umami bombs, that is until we were served...

Ricotta gnocchi with truffle and roasted mushrooms. It was honestly amazing to be with a group of people who love mushrooms, because usually there’s at least one of those people, you know? Anyway, thank god those people weren’t there. Because this was one of the best pasta dishes I have had in my life (reminder: I lived in Italy for a year!). Absolutely fluffy gnocchi, made crisp on the outside by a lil visit to the pan, tossed in a somehow perfect blend of mushrooms and truffle oil. It was such a deft use of truffle oil alongside the other ingredients -- it all came together so well that I wasn’t immediately like, ohmygodtruffleoilyes, like I usually am. It took a second for me to process everything that was happening -- roasty mushrooms, creamy pasta, truffle oil, parmigiano... just like, damn y’all. Go get yourselves #datgnocchi.

But wait! There’s more!

We got a double dose of salsa verde, first from the cauliflower with salsa verde, lemon, and shallot. The menu did not include one very important word: crispy. CRISPY shallot. Because the best healthy things are the things that taste like unhealthy things. And roasted cauliflower with crispy shallots is one of those things. Could have been too rich, but not so with the herby salsa and the kick of lemon. Delicious.

Salsa verde pt. 2 was grilled octopus with crispy potatoes and salsa verde. The octopus was meaty without forcing me to chew it for 5 minutes before swallowing. Fresh, not fishy, and I just feel so wonderfully ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ about the crispy potatoes-- and I mean that in the best way possible. Because it’s like, hey, I’m gonna give you fancy grilled octopus but I’m gonna throw some HOMESTYLE TATERS in there because why not?! And it was great. Crispy potatoes are GREAT, people. Don’t forget it.

Last but not least, tomato flatbread with burrata and basil. It’s a burrata margherita pizza, folks. Made with housemade pizza dough. It was as good as you think it would be (read: v good). Give me dough + cheese and I will eat and like it, and this was no exception.

We also had homemade profiteroles for dessert, per the birthday girl’s request. I never get like #PUMPED about profiteroles as a dessert, but these were awesome. Simple, and well done -- perfect choux, super beany vanilla ice cream, and thick melty chocolate sauce. What’s not to like?

I ate at Girl and the Goat for my birthday a few weeks ago. And it was absolutely delicious (seriously, that cauliflower was heartier and more multifaceted and umami-filled than many meat dishes I’ve had, and the goat empanadas were so balanced with the crisp, flaky dough and tender, warm goat inside). But my expectations of the spot were so sky-high that it was, from the get-go, impossible for me to be taken aback by how amazing it was. It was damn good, and I enjoyed every bite, just like I knew I would. 

Last night, I had a meal at a restaurant I knew next to nothing about (sister had recommended it, saying, “I heard it’s good”, more or less): River Roast, located -- you guessed it -- on the river at LaSalle. The occasion: dinner with sister, aunt, uncle, and two visiting Slovenian third-cousins-once-removed. 

And it was great. Among the 6 of us, we tried about a dozen dishes, and nearly all were fantastic. A couple highlights...

Blistered shishito peppers with harissa spice and lemon. Oily, smoky, spicy, tangy, sweet in ~perfect harmony~. Fantastic way to get things started, and it’s also like really low-stakes roulette because approximately 1 in 10 shishito peppers is really spicy. Wahoo!

Fontina-stuffed zucchini blossoms with tomato puree and arugula. I brilliantly commented “something almost tastes floral!” And Sarah says, “you’re literally eating a flower”, so, touche. But yeah, flower + sweet tomatoes + crispy fried-ness + melty cheese = <3  The tomato puree was really key, actually, to add some sweetness as well as acidity to the salty cheesy blossoms. 

Baby romaine with tomatoes, radishes, BACON, and blue cheese spread. I had never had a grilled romaine salad before, probably subconsciously because hot lettuce makes me uncomfortable as a concept and a phrase. But I should have had more faith -- other grilled veggies are delicious, so y not romaine? The tomatoes and radishes match the refreshing crispness of the lettuce left uncharred, and the bacon holds hands with the smoky parts of the lettuce. Blue cheese is playing it cool as a spread on the bottom of the plate and doing a great job. Keep it up, blue cheese.

Okay, I’ll share 3 more. 

Mexican street corn with creme fraiche, mayonnaise, chile, parmesan, lime. Y’all, I’m not going to bother trying to say intelligent things about this. Just read the ingredients. It was warm and gooey and comforting and corny and I ate many scoops of it.

Our one “roast” of the evening - Rack of pork with roasted apple gravy and cornbread, carved lovingly and seductively (no? just me? whatever) tableside. You guys, this was a game changer. I actually was startled upon taking my first bite - the crust (and I really mean crust -- it was crunchy and delicious) was absolutely packed with smoky spicy flavor. And the tenderness is visible in the photo - it was like, melt in your mouth pork. It’s hard to articulate, especially because I cannot from memory recall what spices were in that rub, but just know that my sister and I agreed this was the best pork loin we have ever had. Would go back and just get this and be very satisfied.

Last but oh my god not even close to least: Cherry Jar - almond cake w/ dry cherries, whipped goat cheese, vanilla ice cream, Amarena Cherries. I think I feel comfortable calling this my favorite dessert I have ever eaten, or at least my favorite dessert I’ve had in recent memory. Oh my god. This was a sit back in my chair, cover my mouth, gather my composure, try not to cry in front of my long-lost relatives and make them uncomfortable good. There’s a lot going on here so let me try to break it down... On top, you see that scoop of vanilla ice cream with the syrupy Amarena cherry on top. I fell in love with Amarena cherries in Italy, where they are far more ubiquitous and commonly used in some damn good gelato. They are tart and almost bitter, with a depth of flavor you don’t get in typical sickly sweet syrupy cherries. Hiding underneath is an incredibly moist almond cake. Not too dense, not too spongy. Perfect. The bottom holds what must be what they call dried cherries, but because they are at the bottom of all the other business going on in the jar, they are almost like a dense amarena cherry jam which gets soaked up by the bottom of the cake. All of this would have been fantastic as is. The kicker is that whipped goat cheese... which I think they should have called goat cheese mousse. It adds a totally new dimension of tang to this little jar. It is the mousse, and not the literal cherry on top, that is the cherry-on-top of this dish. Life changing business right here, folks. I would 100% go back just for this dessert.

I told my sister to look up the translation of the word balena, the restaurant we went to last night, knowing that it meant whale, which I thought was amusing enough in itself. She, of course, immediately saw the definition “barrel of lard,” which, well, fits just as well. 

Anyhow, our visit to barrel o’lard was prompted by the generous gift card I received to the restaurant as a thank you for watching my impossibly cute “niece” (cousin’s daughter, not technically a niece, but easier to say than my cousin’s daughter) a few weeks ago. 

First things first: the restaurant itself and the staff inside of it are gorgeous. Seriously, 3 people who could have been models greeted us at the hostess stand and I was in awe as I plodded away toward my table. The structure itself has probably 20-foot ceilings -- it’s very open and bright accented by an enormous vase and bouquet of flowers in the middle of the room. 

Time for the things we ingested: um, there were absurdly good little flatbread crackers instead of bread, and I think it’s rare that a cracker can surpass bread just, like, in general, but damn -- these herbed beauts with big flakes of sea salt were 2die4. We begrudgingly shook our heads when the waitress asked if we wanted more... it was probably a good call, though, as I easily could have downed 2 dozen of them. 

Sarah and I agonized over the wine selection, but not because we were torn between the peachier selection and the one with stronger notes of apple, but because we didn’t know what the eff we were looking at in the like 30-page book. We settled on a very balanced Slovenian wine (we are 1/4 Slovenian so it felt right) with a nice bit of mineral to it. Very delicious. 

I wrote about those things because they contributed to the experience and yada yada yada, but let’s be real I just want to talk about the food. As Sarah previously mentioned, we knew exactly what we were ordering before we arrived:

Chicken liver mousse bruschetta w/ schmaltz onions

Octopus w/ escarole, chili, & lemon aioli

Orecchiette w/ kale & lemon crema

Sardinian gnocchi w/ walnut pesto, chard & ramps

Hen egg tajarin w/ sage & brown butter

#nailedit

Seriously though, all amazing. I’ll start with the bruschetta:

Like, OKAY. “Margot, they call it mousse, but was it really that different from pate?” 

Imaginary questioner, you ignorant slut, yes it was. It was that different. This stuff was light and airy and dare I say FLUFFY. It had a fruitiness too it that made it so you felt less like a barrel of lard (courtesy of a balsamic reduction mixed in, we later learned, because OF COURSE) and then those SCHMALTZ ONIONS to bring you right back into lard barrel territory. I think this may have been the best thing I ate all night. Oh, and the bread was of course dense and perfectly toasted and brioche-y. Gr8 canvas for the mousse.

Ze octopus next: 

Pardon the bad photo quality, was very intent on getting it over with so I could eat. This was a surprising one -- the chili was far more dominant than I was anticipating, but in a good way. It had an awesome kick that was balanced by the refreshing lemon crema and lemon zest. The octopus itself was nice and meaty, but may have been a tad overcooked -- I would have liked it to be a bit more tender. All in all, though, delicious.

And then, of course, the pastas. 

Sarah took this picture which explains why it is pretty. 

From left to right: Sardinian gnocchi, orecchiette, tajarin. 

Starting with the gnocchi: very interesting. This was a very nutty dish, and not just because of the walnuts -- the pasta had a sort of earthiness to it that definitely made it a very unique dish. Hard to put a finger on. It’s almost like it was whole wheat pasta? At any rate, probably my least favorite pasta, but still tasty and a nice contrast to the other two.

Next, the lil’ earz. This is just like, yeah, okay, it’s lemon crema and breadcrumbs so it’s going to be delicious. And it was. Perfectly cooked and fantastic homemade pasta, creamy without being gloppy, little crispy crunchies in the breadcrumbs... mmm. So comforting. The kale wasn’t too kale-y, which is a good thing for kale to be. Deliziosa

And last but not least, the thing that had brown butter in it, which, surprise surprise, was like a big warm hug. Tajarin, as it turns out, is taglierini (a long noodle) in what I assume to be Piemontese dialect, because it’s apparently a Piemontese noodle. #pastafacts. I’m mad at myself because we saved this one for last, so it wasn’t piping hot when we ate it, but still. It’s as good as you would expect given the ingredients, which is really effin good. Just so cozy. And I said to my sister, “I could totally recreate this,” but then she, with her infinite wisdom, was like well yeah, but it wouldn’t be as good without this specific pasta. And she was right -- the homemade pasta was so key to the whole experience. Tender homemade noodles are just as good as it gets.