A tiny space with impeccable service, constantly abuzz as drinks and conversations flow. It's not a place to get drunk and rowdy but also not so suitable for intimate heart-to-hearts on a Friday night. But boy, is it a fun place to eat.
The menu is pretty focused yet impressively varied for a place this size, and service is so attentive; one item at a time with a change of plates after every dish. They must have the fastest dishwasher in town.
I guess the cuisine is "new American", but there's inspiration from all over. Yakitori Meatballs are our opening course, sizable skewered spheres packed with delightfully tender chicken and pork. The charred onion tare is deep and dark, and the crispy chicken skin on top is just a great idea. Unfortunately, someone here has a heavy hand with the salt, more than my palate is primed to tolerate. I recognize that it's a personal preference, but I will say that for me, the more delicate flavors were buried.
My friend declares the Maple Apple Salad the best salad she's ever had, and I don't disagree. The frisee brings the texture and crunch, the radicchio adds a sharp contrast to sweet apples, which jive so perfectly with cheese and sweet pecans. The dressing is very present, and it's exactly the right amount.
We take a risk with the Blue Crab Spaghetti, which is not their strongest dish. The crab is briny, the sauce supposedly a miso butter with a slight burn and a lot of lemon. A refreshing dish on a summer night, but the amount of lemon overpowers much of the dish.
The Indian Egg is one of the more creative concoctions I've had to date, and that gooey soft-boiled yolk is divine as it oozes all over. The sausage is heavy on the salt, but if you eat a few cucumber slices in every bite of the lamb and egg, the yogurt tempers the heavy meat, and the cukes neutralize the salinity to make the flavors fuller.
Salad aside, this Smoked and Fried 1/2 Chicken might be my favorite. The batter is perfectly even and absolutely exquisite, the smokiness permeates every piece, and the soy gastrique is just so good, the chef's kiss balance between salty and sweet. I wish they sold those pickled Fresno chiles by the jar.
We couldn't resist the Coffee Toffee Pudding, and it is an adorably understated cup of comfort, a not-sweet cream, covering a warm and gooey cake beneath. Whoever sugared this dessert was not the person who salted the food, and I prefer the simplicity for sure.
I liked it, but there were some mixed feelings overall. Plenty of potential and a couple of standouts, but the salt and the lemon soured the experience some. I do love the concepts and creativity, and I would also like to see a little more polish overall.
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