Saturday and Sunday they also serve a fixed 5 course lunch menu from noon until 2pm. So our group decided to see what they had to offer from their hidden open kitchen. We were greeted at the door and given a table of prominence in the center of the dining room where the wild boar's head was hung by the fireplace. We were served 3 kinds of homemade bread to begin our meal. They were all very good and still warm from the oven. Our first course was a salad of watermelon, kohlrabi and cherry tomatoes pooled in something they called tomato water, the run-off from poached tomatoes that were hung and drained overnight. As strange as that might seem, it was nothing in comparison to the second course of smoked sea urchin, 3 beans and a nasturtium for color.
The third course was a freshly hatched and fried chicken egg, sunnyside up, served over corn and poblano peppers and garnished with parsley from the chef's personal garden. An additional fee intermezzo was offered and I enjoyed an oyster on the half shell topped with a hollandaise foam that had been heated and caramelized in a 600 degree oven for a few seconds and served with a rhubarb kimchee.
Grilled swordfish with pork rind and jus arrived next at our table, decorated with cooked okra and tangerine blossoms. And for dessert we concluded our meal with a scoop of thyme ice cream served with crushed hazelnuts and husked ground cherries and a slice of toasted brioche.
Each course was uniquely plated and each time a new set of silverware was provided. It was all elegantly presented and served. The food was intriguing and appealing all at the same time. But as we discussed our experience afterward we all decided that there was something critical that was lacking. There was no warmth to the staff who served us. They were as cold as the unlit fireplace. And that is too bad. For that could have made a good meal truly memorable.
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