Came here for a Michelin starred experience by Cristina Bowerman, the only female chef to achieve the award in 2010. We were not disappointed. The service was excellent to match the food! My friend is vegetarian and they offered a 7 course tasting menu for her. I did the regular tasting menu. Both were fantastic, creative and beautiful!
The amuse bouche was a white chocolate hollow sphere and inside was pisco. It was served to be taken as a shot, on a tiny mound of brown sugar and exploded in you mouth as you bit into it! The second amuse bouche was a mini arepa with lemon goat cheese filling, served in a glass bell cloche over raw black beans for effect.
My first course was almond gazpacho with lychees and shaved foie gras. Sounded like an interesting combination, but it was heavenly. Second course was beef tartare, poached egg and Italian ham. Also delicious, but there was a hint of citrus zest in the mayo- not my fav. Third course was veal tongue pastrami, ciauscolo (sausage), a tiny dollop of mustard seed ice cream (yum!) pickled veggie, and aromatic greens, served with a mini bun for you to construct a sandwich. Fourth course was scented sumac mini roasted rack of lamb, crispy chicory, stilton cheese, morel mushrooms, fennel and red & golden beets. Medium rare to perfection!
Phew! We were getting full at this point, so I whipped out my wooden leg to stuff more food down my gullet! Fifth course was amatriciana stuffed pasta, pecorino cheese and crispy guanciale- my favorite of all! Sixth course was a sweetbreads, wild cherries, and light soy sauce "predessert." It was also fantastic! Finally, my seventh course was condensed milk, espresso jelly and Bailey's ice cream in a sugar art basket! Truly a meal fit for a queen.
The dining space is clean and modern, glass, wood & metal. The restrooms are unisex, individually rooms, common sink. The menu also lists an extensive legend marking dishes that might coincide with an individual's food allergies.
I posted pics of my meal, in order, then the menu, then my friend's veggie tasting menu...
Enjoy! It's worth a visit for a special occasion!