out and about: paradisaea chef's menu

gin gimlet: featuring the botanist

jamon iberico croquette: smoked paprika, confit garlic aioli

So, I’ve obviously written about our nights out at paradisaea before… but that was before they got a new chef, and added a chef’s menu to their offerings.

And what’s an obsessed foodie to do, but try out the new menu. Obviously the easiest way to see what a chef is cooking up, is to do their menu… small portions of what they think is their most popular dishes.

Chef’s tasting it is.

According to our waiter, the menu is planned to change weekly; and they are looking to add wine pairings in the future.

We just took it for what it was.

Up first… ya know your girl loves a gimlet, so that’s what I started with. It was chilled, and not overly sweet, so a win in my book.

We started with an amuse, from the bar menu. The croquette was amazing. Bechamel, gruyere, galic aioli… i mean seriously? There is nothing wrong with any of that. We also tasted dijon, and jamie thought it reminded him of chicken cordon blue.

It defintely amused. And gets a 10 out of 10 for a perfect bite.

grass fed beef tartare: remoulade, cornishons, cured yolk, house grilled rye bread

This was the one dish on the menu that I wanted to try - and was afraid to order the chef’s menu, and not be able to taste it. But the need to try the chef’s menu won out. And thankfully, it was part of the tasting.

I love tartare. Seriously my fav. And this tartare was one of the best we’ve had. We compared it to our other faves… and agreed that it had the flavoring you want, without overpowering the meat, and yet enough flavor, so you weren’t only eating one big bite of raw steak. What i loved too was the addition of soy and fish sauce to the mix… time bits of flavor bombs, and ones I’m going to have to try next time I make tartare at home.

Will definitely be going back just for this.

cavatelli: oyster mushrooms, pine nuts, preserved lemons, fiore de sardo, porcini cream

So this mushroom pasta dish was beyond delish. Jamie couldn’t stop waxing poetic about it. He said he could just have a big bowl of it, and that’s all he’d need for the perfect meal.

The bite of the mushrooms was just perfect.

The only complaint we had, was that the portion was just too much for a tasting menu. Especially for pasta.

It was still early on in the tasting menu that you weren’t full, so you ate more, than you should… and then it left us almost too full, for the next few courses.

Just a few bites would have been perfect. and lent itself to the enjoyment of the rest of the meal.

dry aged branzino: salt roasted rutabaga, bloomsdale spinach velouté, sunflower seeds golden raisin gremolata

I mean… the crispy skin. The delicate texture of the fish, the gremolata… and I love, love, love golden raisins. Seriously, great bite.

Especially when you take into account, that I am a self-professed warm/creamed/heated spinach hater. I love fresh spinach, can tolerate it in soups, or lasagna, but warm, by itself. No thank you.

But this velouté? Yeah… could have a whole bowlful.

klingeman family farms pork loin: pork cheek cabbage dumpling, tomatillo fennel relish, fennel pollen

Yeah, so it’s the pickled tomatillos for me… love them. We ended up taking some of it home, just because we were so full from the pasta. And I gotta say… I would want to have enjoyed more of the pork.

Loved the double presentation of pork. The cabbage wrapped cheeks was an unbelievable combination… really, really good.

pistachio cake: marscarpone frosting, and rose

Our last course - dessert; was a bite they were testing in the kitchen for a future menu offering. And yes… they should 100 percent put it on the menu.

We weren’t able to eat it all… so took it home, and avy ate it all before we could. It ranked a 10 out of 10 on the baking with avy scale… so that’s all you really need to know.

It was super fun to try some of the new dishes, and definitely peaked our interest to go back and do another tasting to try even more of the menu in the future.