Parkside has been on my 'to try' list for a long time. We live about 2-3 blocks away, but never seem to think of it when we are hungry. I noticed they were on the Restaurant Week list so I made a reservation. They didn't have a menu up for RW that I could find, but I was excited because I had heard alot of really nice things about the place.
The place lives up to the reputation. The RW set menu was amazing, and worth twice the price. Our service was great and I really don't have anything really negative to say about the entire experience(though I do quibble a bit about the dessert). Parkside nailed the menu. I was also impressed by the amuse bouche (it was pretty much a crab filled hush puppy) and an additional bridge course (blonde pate) sent out as compliments of the chef. Well played, sir.... and darned tasty too.
My appetizer was sweetbreads. I recently discovered how wonderful these offals can be when prepared well, and Parkside executed it well. They pair them with apple and vanilla... the vanilla is a bit odd, but the apple adds a nice acidity which elevates the entire dish.
I had the lamb for the main course... it has lentils, olives, carrot, and a relish component underneath. The lamb was perfectly done. I'm not a lentil fan and I finished the plate. The relish (pickled something) gave the plate a punch that kept it from being too one note. It was nice fall dish and while it would have been nicer on a cooler night (it was over 100 today in town), there was not anything wrong with it.
Dessert was a chocolate mousse paired with a green thing (green tea bread?) and passion fruit sorbet and coulis. I am a total passion fruit junkie. I would probably eat a brick if it was covered in passion fruit. I've even made my own passion fruit caramel and store it in my freezer to keep it around longer (and yes, its amazing). All the components were great on the dish, but the dessert did suffer a bit from the current trend of placing 2-3 disjointed desserts on a plate and trying to connect them awkwardly. The chocolate mousse was just okay... nothing amazing. the passion fruit sorbet was the star... that stuff was the diva on the plate and commanded the attention... and yes, it delivered the goods. I don't even know what the green stuff was so you can probably figure out my opinion from the term 'stuff'... there was also chocolate crumb 'dirt' and some nuts chucked in for good measure. None of it was bad, but it was all like an atonal chorus sitting behind our passion fruit diva distracting from her sheer majesty. Good stuff, but I think it would be better if it was paired down, and simplified.
Overall, the meal was amazing. We'll be back and I can't wait to see what I try next. We've tried just about every comparable place in town over the last 5 years, and this place is in the husband's top 5 for the city.
Lately, I've been closing a bunch of reviews of places around campus or 6th st by saying that they are okay, but not worth circling the block or fighting traffic to go there. This place is the exception. It is worth playing a game of chicken with a Hummer to park. The parking hassle is worth every freaking delicious bite at this place. read more