1 /5 Jeffery Williams: I write this review out of utmost respect and concern for the person reading it. I strongly advise against visiting this restaurant. The service is slow, and the waiters arent welcoming. After the appetizers, they told us that the main courses would be "Coming out immediately". It then took 22 more minutes for the next dish to come. Beyond just the timing issue, the service also had a timing issue. They brought out the tomato toast as its own course, then the buttermilk onions as a separate course, when either of these two dishes could have easily been held at temperature and served together. The agnolotti and ravioli then came out, followed by the mains. We did not order dessert as we did not want to wait another 30 minutes and were already put off by our experience.
The tomato toast was by far the most delicious thing on the menu. Deeply caramelized and crusty rye sourdough, topped with rich savory and acidic tomato paste and plump sweet grape tomatoes. Like bruschettas cousin that goes to the gym. A phenomenal dish and Id order it every time if I ever wanted to come back.
The melted onions were delicious, I wont deny it. The only issue is that the dish feels quite incomplete. The sweet and tender onions with a rich and sweet buttermilk that gives a little tang to balance it out, the flavor components were there. One could say it needed salt and I would be inclined to agree, but as it is the dish is a very delicate and pleasing dish. It wasnt satisfactory at all however. As in satisfying to eat, because the meager amount of breadcrumbs didnt succeed in giving enough texture or substance to the dish.
The agnolotti was wonderful. A very sweet and slightly salty ricotta and parmesan filled pasta, with grapes that splash with fruity sweet moisture to refresh the mouth. I very much enjoyed this dish.
The beef dumplings were awful. My friend compared the texture of the beef to DQ steak fingers and I only laughed at the accuracy of the statement. Nothing redeeming about the dish. The ground beef was not succulent, not flavorful, and it did not stand out in any way.
The chicken breast was relatively tender, albeit tough on the thin end. The coconut sauce the chicken sat in was nice but it needed punchiness from acidity or to lean in more savory. As it was, it just tasted watered down, and it wasnt thick enough to cling to the chicken to provide an adequate amount of flavor and seasoning.
The chicken thigh was probably the most delicious main course, having ridiculously crispy skin and the seasoning was very much adequate. The soy sauce stood out and the flesh was bouncy yet tender to eat.
The redfish was my most anticipated dish, and it did taste similar to how I thought it would. A buttery and rich fish with a toast crust instead of skin, the savory flavor of the redfish was very appealing and the strongest point of the dish, but the meat itself didnt have a texture that impressed me. It wasnt soft or flaky, just something reminiscent of grilling tuna all the way through. The toast was a cool add though.
The main sentiment to take away from this review is that there is not anything in this restaurant justifying the premium youre paying to dine here. The service is mediocre, and the food is easily replicable after one taste, i.e. theres no magic at this restaurant. And I hate to be the person that complains about food cost when dining out but serving a single piece of chicken breast and a single piece of thigh for $26 and $28 respectively feels like a kick in the nuts when they’re not doing anything impressive with the protein. When I think about my visit here, I feel like someone that was teased with a dream by the tomato toast, only to be strung along and let down at the very end. Please take your hard-earned money somewhere else to a place that respects it. Their sister restaurant Squable is very good, I have no idea why they missed the mark so hard with this one.
