Heirloom is inside of Open Road Distilling Co. behind onyx black doors towards the back of the brewery. It was such a fun speakeasy experience for my friends and me this past Thursday evening. I wasn't expecting much because I'm not into alcoholic drinks, but the interior was elegant, dark, yet lively ambiance! Also, the food was, for the most part, really good?? This is rare for a spot that is more known for their drinks.
LA VARIABLE - 14
This is their weekly non-alcoholic drink (not the actual name of it) but it was a green tea (?) based drink with a really creamy matcha foam that was delicious. It was not too sweet, flavors went well together, and it honestly was gone too quickly.
HOUSE MADE HERB FOCACCIA - 10
Each order came with five thin pieces of perfectly toasted, herb focaccia that came with three dips: whipped ricotta, tomato fondue, and cultured butter. The focaccia itself was soft, with a nice chew, and well-seasoned. But this review is about the dips. I tried the whipped ricotta first, and it was light, creamy, and savory, and paired wonderfully with the bread, just as expected. I wasn't expecting much from the tomato fondue, but the depth of the flavors blew me away. It was rich and homey, almost like a grandmother's warm hug. This ended up being our favorite. The cultured butter was our least favorite, but it was still great. It was creamy and nicely salted, but the most ordinary one out of the three. We were quite impressed just from the focaccia.
MUSHROOM RAVIOLI - 19
Each order came with three large mushroom ravioli, topped with some crispy mushrooms, fresh herbs, and parmesan, and in some porcini mushroom broth. The ravioli was filled with a very mushroom-forward ricotta (?) filling that was a bit thin and flowed everywhere on my plate. For a ravioli, I prefer something slightly thicker so the filling doesn't get everywhere when I cut it up to eat. The flavors were good, but compared to everything else we ordered, this one wasn't as impressive.
SMOKED GOUDA MAC - 12
The cavatappi (corkscrew-shaped pasta) was mixed generously with a thick, smoked gouda sauce and topped with a generous amount of breadcrumbs and freshly-grated parmesan cheese. It was rich, creamy, and smoky. Each bite left me wanting more and more, and we also enjoyed it with some of the leftover porcini mushroom broth from the mushroom ravioli.
PAN ROASTED CHILEAN SEA BASS - 47
The sea bass sat on top of a neat pile of sautéed spinach mixed with some aromatics with diced tomatoes on top. It was surrounded by two different sauces, with the carrot ginger puree sitting on one half and the lemon beurre blanc on the other. The sea bass was tender and soft, not much seasoning on its own but meant to be eaten with the garlicky, crunchy vegetables and the sauces. And both sauces were so tasty! The carrot ginger puree was a mix of sweet and savory, and the lemon beurre blanc was creamy and citrusy. I didn't have a favorite because I enjoyed both! This was on the pricier side, but a phenomenal option.
7 OZ GLAZED DUCK BREAST - 38
The duck breast was glazed with an orange chipotle sauce, cut into nine pieces to be enjoyed with the blackberries and orange pieces on the side. The fruits were mixed with a cheesy flavor so it was a mix of sweet, tart, and savory, which was unique. However, the duck (which we requested medium-rare) was more like a medium-well. It was chewy and not tender, which was disappointing. For the side, our server recommended the Colcannon (Irish-style mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage and green onions), a phenomenal choice! The potatoes were whipped and well-seasoned and aromatic with some crunchy texture, and we enjoyed it so much.
Our only qualm besides minor food critiques (their seafood options seem to be better) is that the food took awhile to be prepared and served. Besides that, I had a lovely time with my friends, and I would take people out of town here! read more