Stuffed Pork Chops: Anatomy of a Meal

One week prior: Make plans to have dinner with the boyfriend while J is out of town. Begin agonizing over what to feed my harshest critic/pickiest eater. Decide to make something new. Ponder French Roast. Realize it takes a bit too much prep time. Settle on stuffed pork chops.

One day prior: Filter through ten to twenty stuffed pork chop recipes online. Compile ideas and instructions, begin to formulate original recipe. Prepare shopping list.

Two bone-in pork chops
One Granny Smith apple
Red onion
Sweet dried cherries
Dried thyme
White wine
Honey Wheat bread
Gorgonzola (crumbled)

Fingerling potatoes
Green Beans
Carrots

Five hours prior:
Pick up produce items and cheese at produce shop, hit up DiBruno Bros. for meat. Get slightly overcharged for chops. Decide not to contest it since the super nice butcher has already put up with rewrapping request. Plus, realize the sheer joy of being in/shopping at DiBruno's is worth more than a few pennies. Treat yourself to decaf cappucino.

Four hours prior:
Realize brining of the meat would be a good idea. Combine salt, sugar, pepper, apple cider vinegar and a lot of water in a shallow pan. Mix until combined, add chops, ensure coverage is complete, place in fridge. Take a nap.



90 minutes prior: Begin prep work. Dice apple, 1/8 red onion, one garlic clove, and roughly chop cherries. Toast one slice (the large butt) of bread. Open bottle of wine. Congratulate yourself for properly completing this task. Begin side dish prep. Peel two mini sweet potatoes (CSA items!), 2 carrots, and prepare green beans.




1 hour prior: Remove chops from fridge. Remove excess fat from edges, create pocket for stuffing by forming a horizontal slit about half way through the meat. Place back in brine, allow to come to room temperature.




Begin cooking. Saute prepared stuffing items until softened, add dried thyme and 1/2 cup white wine. Allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes until wine is mostly absorbed/evaporated. Add cubed toasted bread, mix well, remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup Gorgonzola crumbles.



While stuffing cooks, finish prepping side dish. Cut beans and fingerlings in half, dice down carrots. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, dried thyme and rosemary. Set aside.



40 minutes prior: Preheat oven to 425. Drain chops, ponder why meat looks slightly white-ish. Decide it must be a result of the acidity of the vinegar. Ignore. Heat butter and olive oil in a pan. Shovel as much stuffing as possible into chops, compacting it to aid the process.



When pan is screaming hot, carefully add stuffed chops to pan. Add butter and olive oil to a small roasting pan, place in oven to melt butter/heat pan.

Allow chops to cook 2-3 minutes per side, until well browned. Flip carefully, about the axis of bone to prevent stuffing spillage. Realize some spillage is inevitable due to overstuffing.



30 minutes prior: Transfer chops to pre-heated pan, place in oven.

20 minutes prior: Add vegetables to oven. Set the table. Clean the kitchen. Wait for the boyfriend.

5 minutes prior: Remove chops from the oven. Check for doneness by carefully cutting into meat directly next to bone. Breathe a sigh of relief when meat looks slightly pink and juicy. Place tin foil over chops to allow a few minutes of extra cook time and to let chops rest. Check vegetables, minorly panic that carrots are still hard.



Ten minutes after planned eating time (oops): Re-check softness status of carrots. Remove from oven. Plate chops and vegetables, serve.



Enjoy delicious dinner, discuss how improper picking chop up by the bone would be. Think up alternate stuffing ideas. Eat week's worth of meat. Bask in cooking success, good food, and good company.

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Honest Tom's Taco Truck

I have a Philadelphia foodie confession: I do not support food trucks. It's not that I have anything against them, rather I just have never really ventured into the scene. As I enter my seventh year at Penn (yikes), it seems almost impossible- they're everywhere, they're cheap, they're fast, and word on the street is that many of them are delicious. Don't get me wrong, I have eaten from them.. but only a handful of times. Recently (maybe since I graduated from undergrad?), the food truck scene has seen a bit of a change-- it seems the number of trucks has increased, and some of these are trying their hand at a more gourmet, out-of-the-box concept. One of these is Honest Tom's Taco Truck, which I have read about countless times, and seen more than my fair share of mouth-watering taco pictures produced by Tom.

Streetside view

The problem with these upscale trucks is location- they tend to roam about the city, not staying in one constant spot like many of the Penn classics. Honest Tom's has a few spots around town they tend to stop at, one of which is West Philly's Clark Park on Saturdays. Needing to do a little weekend work in lab, which is really just a few blocks from the park, I figured I'd make a side trip for some tacos. As I approached the park, the location of the truck was immediately obvious-- it's very bright colors as well as the hoard of eager taco-ites surrounding it made it easy to spot. I really hate crowds, and was bordering on hangry (the grouchiness/anger that sometimes accompanies deep hunger) but decided I had to follow through with my plan. I stood in a short, unorganized line to place my order with the woman at the window-- Tom made it easy by only offering a single choice, the breakfast taco.

Menu + Condiment Applying Zone

I then waited in a cluster of people waiting for food, and watched the process. Order, wait 5-10 minutes, hear name called, weave through people* to try to reach tacos, awkwardly reach around people* to squeeze hot sauce onto taco or God forbid, have to juggle both tacos and coffee to add cream and sugar to the latter, emerge from the crowd looking a bit worse for the wear, hastily scarf down food somewhere in a 15 foot radius of the truck. It was seriously enough to raise my blood pressure just watching. Like I said, I don't like crowds.
*West Philly hipsters. They were out in full force.

I finally received my order of tacos, hurried through the above process, and escaped across the street to the park to find a quiet bench to eat. The breakfast tacos (2 for $6) each consisted of a mini flour tortilla filled with scrambled egg, breakfast potatoes (chunks of simple pan fried potato), shredded cheddar, and a scoop of guacamole. They came with an option of sausage or no sausage (for all those vegetarian hipsters), and I chose one of each. The first bite was delicious- I love all of the above foods, so together wrapped in a soft tortilla, I was happy (particularly considering my hunger level).



However, as I worked my way through that first taco, I started to realize it wasn't all it was hyped up to be. To begin, it wasn't hot. Warm, maybe, but not nearly hot enough to melt the cheese. By the time I made it to the second taco, it was bordering on cold. The guacamole was also a bit off- the sharpness of the lime and onion was too much, overpowering the other items in both the condiment and the taco as a whole. The flavor of the eggs and potato were just.. lost, leaving their textures to try to fend for themselves. This might have been OK if the potatoes were thoroughly cooked- I had an unfortunate bite of crunchy raw potato in one taco. The sausage was the one saving grace, leaving me wishing I had ordered both tacos filled with meat. It had a sharp rosemary flavor that made a perfect breakfast sausage (although paired with guacamole, I'm not so sure). They were also a little on the small side- I might be used to the supersized portions usually found at food trucks, but I wanted something a little more substantial.

Palm-sized tacos. And I have small hands.

I was also looking forward to getting my caffeine fix via Honest Tom's-- they brew Stumptown coffee, the absolute best coffee I've ever had. My small cup ($1.50) should have been plenty- my experience with Stumptown has always been a perfectly bold but smooth coffee with a surprising caffeine kick, needing just a touch of cream to help it down. I'm not sure what happened here- it was just not good. It had a burnt flavor, and the "cream" offered by the truck (which poured much more like watered down milk) did nothing to temper the flavor. I sadly threw it out after just a few sips.



Overall, I have to conclude that Honest Tom's is overrated. Perhaps it was the size of the crowd that forced the truck to speed through the taco making process, but I'd rather wait a few more minutes for a quality product than eat mediocre food. I know I could make a better breakfast taco (perhaps a future blog post?), probably for a similar price. On the other hand, Honest Tom's does make a variety of other tacos, although I believe breakfast tacos is their Saturday special (the only day I would ever be able to get to them!), and perhaps they are better at these other options... perhaps.

Thankfully, my trip to Clark Park was made a bit better by the discovery of super cheap dried spices and a delicious "healthy" chocolate chip-four seed cookie (baked by previously unknown local Slow Rise Bakery), both found at the nearby farmer's market. I still have another taco truck on my "list," and we'll hope that this future experience will help bolster my opinion of food trucks!

Honest Tom's Taco Truck
Tues/Thurs 33rd and Arch Streets
Wed/Fri 18th and Vine Streets
Sat 42nd and Chester Streets

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Catahoula

With our love for any food originating in the South, creole & Cajun food always hits the spot. But really, who doesn't like spicy fried things? Although we've never been to New Orleans, Catahoula, the new-ish Cajun restaurant on Front Street, gave us a little taste of the city. The location is a little further away than we usually venture, but hey, sometimes you have to make an effort to get to some good food.


Photo from Yelp

Arriving a little after 6 PM on a Friday, we snagged the last table, a two-top by the door. Without a hostess, the no-frills atmosphere lends itself to Catahoula's laid back vibe. With only a handful of tables and a long stretch of a bar, the space seems to have a bit of an identity crisis. Some snazzy design elements such as huge gilded mirrors and ornate wood built-ins behind the bar are juxtaposed by the big-screen TVs and chalkboard menus. Advertising specials during Eagles games yet with a solid non-bar-food menu, it just seems like a weird mix of sports bar and cozy Cajun eatery.

One benefit of the weird mix is a solid list of Happy Hour deals. From 5-7 PM you can get several of their menu items in smaller portions and for less money. A & I opted to start with one of our faves: fried oysters ($5). Two fat oysters were rolled in a light cornmeal batter, deep-fried, and dusted with a spice mixture. The outside was soft and subtle, letting the bite of seafood shine. The highlight of the dish was the sauce- a creamy, tangy tartar with whole-grain mustard and dill. A squeeze of lemon made the whole experience ridiculously good. New favorite fried oyster? Quite possibly.



We also started with a "cup" of the Crawfish Bisque ($5). Although we ordered a cup, and were charged for a cup, we were definitely served soup in a bowl. With a darker color than most bisques, the flavor was still creamy with a strong seafood punch. A few small bits of crawfish gave a little texture- I would have liked a few MORE small bits. The roux seemed a tiny bit off- we both commented on the flour-y taste, but it actually ended up being a good thing. I literally felt like I was eating a buttery biscuit topped with a spicy piece of fish... in liquid form. So while some might see the flour flavor as a negative, we actually enjoyed it.



From the "Big Papa Plates" section of the menu, A chose the Braised Duck Jambalaya ($18). A big meaty duck leg came served on a bed of slow-cooked rice chock full of Andouille sausage and slow cooked veggies, namely celery and green pepper. Heavy on the heat, the texture and flavor of the jambalaya was rich and hearty. The duck meat was a little on the greasy side for me, but A loves duck and believes "you can't go wrong with duck." There did seem to be extra flavorful little pockets of jambalaya under the big hunk of meat- some of the skin was left on to add some of that juicy, smoky, meaty flavor. The sausage gave it an extra kick, but I preferred digging out the soft pieces of bell pepper that just soaked up all the jambalaya goodness.



I chose the catfish Po' Boy ($10), which starred a big hunk of whitefish fried in the same batter as the oysters. The sandwich roll was toasted, giving it a few crispy edges while still maintaining a super fluffy inside. The remoulade sauce was amazing- a more classic version of a tartar with chopped pickles and a touch of vinegar. A few slices of tomato and some shreds of lettuce seemed like an after thought. I was a little worried that the whole mess would be really crispy and crunchy, so I was pleasantly surprised to bite through soft bread, soft fried shell, and soft flaky fish. The sauce made everything pretty juicy so I made a bit of a mess, but overall it was a solid sandwich. However, I definitely think that the chefs could go a little more modern with this and play with some of the components. The side of fries, though well cooked, were ridiculously salty. Probably a good thing, since that limited my consumption.



Of course we're never ones to turn down dessert, and the dessert list is extremely enticing. We ended up making an unusual (for us) choice in the Molasses Pecan Pie with Buttermilk Gelato ($7). With that sickening sugar-jelly-weirdness that usually makes up pecan pie, it's just not our favorite. However, I like molasses and A knew the buttermilk-flavored gelato would be right up her alley so we took the risk. Thankfully, we were quite pleased with the outcome. With a soft, buttery crust with just a thin layer of pecan mush, most of the pie consisted of soft baked pecans drizzled with molasses. The gelato (tasted suspiciously like ice cream but whatever) was sweet and creamy and amazing. We ate every bite.



Although the atmosphere is a little off, we realize this place is going for a neighborhood feel. Fortunately, the food was tasty and the prices were fair for what we were served. Nothing was out-of-this-world unique or original, but everything we tried was solid; I'd love to get back there to try the brunch. With Craig LaBan reviewing it tomorrow in the Inquirer, it'll be interesting to see what his take is on the tiny, casual, Cajun Catahoula.



Catahoula
775 S. Front Street

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Spice Encrusted Fish & Roasted Leeks

Inspiration for one of this week's dinners came from two sources: our lovely recently-wedded friends and our CSA. We were very thankful to experience (and be a part of) our friends' recent wedding, and took home wonderful memories as well as some great gifts. As the bride and groom currently live in Memphis, they gifted each guest with a small bottle of homemade spice rub, a little taste of their new hometown.



As soon as I saw these, I knew I wanted to use it on fish, and thankfully the opportunity didn't take long to arise. In this week's CSA we received two MONSTER leeks, and I decided to prepare it much the same way we prepare many of our CSA veggies: roasted. My first task was to create a "side dish" with the leeks, to go with the spicy fish. The best thing about my final product is the overwhelming simplicity of it. The entire meal used only seven ingredients (minus a few common items such as salt and pepper)!

Roasted Leeks and Tomatoes with Lemon-Cream Sauce
You will need:
2 large leeks
1 pint grape tomoatoes
1 lemon
1/3 cup light cream
1 clove garlic



First, I sliced my leeks into 1 inch chunks, starting from the end and working my way up through 2/3rds of the dark green part. I then sliced the larger chunks in half, and rinsed out the green pieces (leeks are notoriously dirty, and very good at hiding it). These went into a roasting pan sprayed with cooking spray, along with a carton of grape tomatoes. I sprinkled them with salt and pepper, gave them a light top coat of cooking spray, and into the oven they went (425 degrees for 35-40 minutes).



As my vegetables were baking, I started preparing the fish. I used two large filets of mahi-mahi, but any good white fish will work. I combined 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs with 1.5 bottles of spice rub- about 3 tablespoons. Sorry, you'll have to check with the newlyweds for the special spice recipe!



The fish was wet enough so that I could dredge it immediately in my crumb mix, but if it was on the drier side, a dip in milk/egg whites/water would do the trick. After a good coating was applied, I carefully laid it into another greased pan. I timed it so that the fish and the leeks would be done simultaneously-- allowing the fish about 12-15 minutes total. Bake for 6-8 minutes (the timing will really depend on how thick the cut is) and then carefully flip the filets and finish on the other side.

Pre-baking

The final step: the lemon-cream sauce. Sounds kinda fancy, right? SO easy. I heated a small pan, drizzled in a tiny amount of olive oil and added a chopped garlic clove. While that was heating up, I zested and juiced a lemon, and added this to the pan as soon as the garlic was good and sizzly.



After about a minute, I lowered the heat and poured in the cream, stirring as I went. This stayed on low heat as I pulled out the fish (check for doneness by gently pulling a corner away-- if it flakes, it's done!) and the leeks (they should be soft and slightly crisp at the edges, and the tomatoes should be wrinkled) and plated both. Final step: pour the sauce over the leeks, add a piece of toasted bread, and serve!



One pound of fish and the two giant leeks provided enough for two dinners and one amazing leftover lunch-- but you can certainly scale up or down (or simply serve less-- our veggie portions are pretty outrageous). The flavors and textures of the juicy, panko-encrusted mahi with a hint of almost Cajun-y spice was well complimented with the subtle lemon-scented leeks and tomatoes. For seven ingredients, and just 45 minutes in the kitchen, I was impressed-- and I think you will be too!

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Rosey's BBQ

Perusing one of the local Philly "Things to Do" blogs (Uwishunu) recently, I came across a post about one of my favorite foods: barbecue! One of our very first posts discusses the semi-lack of good BBQ in Philly, and I was interested to see which restaurants Uwishunu supported. I was disappointed to see that most of them were actually not in Philadelphia proper, but out in the 'burbs, until I saw that one of them was located in Jenkintown-- the only suburb I frequent (the boyfriend lives there). Even better, the BBQ joint was located literally around the corner from his house! While he nor his family had ever been there/heard about it, I decided it was about time to try it out.

Rosey's advertises itself as "Southern Taste, Up North," which I can certainly buy into. The menu consists of your usual barbecue suspects-- a meatfest consisting of ribs, pulled pork, brisket, chicken, turkey, and sausage, and well-known sides like collard greens, mac n cheese, cole slaw, and beans. The options don't spread much beyond that-- a few sandwiches and platters that consist of various combinations of the aforementioned items, as well as gumbo, fries, and BBQ nachos.



The restaurant is hidden in a tiny shopping center, seemingly a little out of place. Once you step in it's somewhat like entering a whole new world. A subtle smoky smell, lots of dark wood and no pretenses-- seat yourself, use paper plates and plastic forks, and hit up the fountain drink machine. The server brought us a little plate of crunchy pickle slices and spicy pickled pepperoncinis. For once, I was glad my boyfriend is a picky eater- all those pickles to myself! Just don't tell my cardiologist.



We both wanted the "Memphis" sandwich which is simple, but exemplifies the Memphis BBQ traditions-- barbecued meat coated with barbecue sauce and a heap of coleslaw, all on a kaiser roll ($6.75). However, for blogging purposes, I do not allow repetitive ordering (stern face), and called the sandwich for myself. It is served alone on a big plate, which was actually helpful because the sheer size forced me to deconstruct it. It was impossible to bite into, so I removed the top bun and used a fork and knife to tackle the heap of food. I selected pulled pork as my meat of choice, which was perfect- smoky, moist, some pulled strands alongside some chopped chunks. I love the warm meat/cool crunchy creamy coleslaw combination (that alliteration got a little out of hand). The bread was a little crumbly and dry, so the removal of the top half helped that problem, while the bottom of the bun soaked up all the meat juices and was a good little edible platter.



Since the sandwich comes alone, I also ordered a side of collard greens ($1.75) - one of my favorite Southern staples. A heaping styrofoam cup delivered the perfect portion of soft, well-cooked collards. Unfortunately, the major flavor was overwhelmingly salt. I managed a good amount of them, but knew I would probably be thirsty for the next two days.



All of the meats are also available all alone- in 6 oz, 12 oz, and 16 oz sizes. The boyfriend ordered the pulled pork (yeah, we just couldn't manage diversification) in the smallest size, which ended up being a good single-sized portion ($4.75). Since the meat was plain (minus all the delicious meat flavor of course), he topped it with some barbecue sauce. A good sauce can really make a BBQ joint, and it was here that Rosey's definitely fell short. Their signature sauce is very sweet, not very spicy, and just tastes a little bit.. off. He commented that it even had a sort of fermented smell. One other sauce is available, and I liked it a bit better, although I can't exactly pinpoint the difference. Either way, definitely a negative aspect of the place.



We also got a platter of BBQ fries ($2.50). I love thick cut steak fries, and these skin-on fat fries were right up my alley. If you're a fan of thin, crispy fries, these may not be for you. The "BBQ" aspect came from the signature spice rub sprinkled on top. I expected a bit of heat, but instead tasted a LOT of cinnamon. Cinnamon is a great addition to barbecue, but not as a top note... I ended up picking out the ones from the bottom.



I'm glad I found a new barbecue place that is accessible, but we'll see if I can convince a return trip out of my dining partner anytime soon. We didn't try a huge variety of the menu, and we certainly saw some misses among the hits, but I'm still interested in trying out some of the other items (Hello, ribs!). At least I got my barbecue fix which might last until our next trip to Gainesville (or Memphis!).

Rosey's BBQ
505 Old York Road
Jenkintown, PA

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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

With fall in full swing, A & I decided to do some festive baking with the standard autumn ingredient: pumpkin. After several incredibly long blog posts, I'll try to make this one a bit shorter. This task will be pretty easy considering the recipe we used for the cookie portion of some deliciously amazing (if I do say so myself) pumpkin whoopie pies.



1) Mix together one box of spice cake mix and one can of pumpkin.



2) Blob large tablespoons of the mixture onto a well-greased cookie sheet, smooth a bit with fingers and/or the back of a greased spoon.



3) Bake 12-15 minutes at 350F, until the dough becomes slightly firm to the touch (ie not wet dough).



4) Done!

It comes out as sort of a cookie/cake mixture- fluffy and soft without a bit of crispyness. Incredibly moist (and with no oil!), full of spices and that delicious pumpkin flavor that always makes me think of sweaters, fireplaces, and fall foliage.

To balance the earthy, rich, spicy flavors of the cookies, A whipped up a cream cheese frosting to make the filling of the pies. Take out 4 ounces of light cream cheese and a half stick of butter and let them come to room temperature. Using a mixer, briefly beat the cream cheese until it gets fluffy.



Add the butter and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and mix that in. Slowly add 1 cup of confectioners sugar and beat until it is completely incorporated.



Using a mixer keeps the frosting airy and "light", meaning you can use a bit less for each pie. Of course, you can use more or less depending on how much you like cream cheese and sugar (I happen to love both... a lot).



The sweet creaminess is a great contrast sandwiched between two spice cake cookies- not too heavy or too sweet. Overall a great fall dessert meant to be shared with friends.

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JG Domestic

Jose Garces strikes again.. the Iron Chef is becoming quite the entrepreneur in Philly, recently opening his SEVENTH restaurant in the city. I'm really not sure how he does it- somehow he has created an empire, each restaurant more creative/delicious/ambitious than the last, without losing quality at the older places. Amada continues to be one of the best, most popular restaurants in the city, and a recent visit allows me to personally attest to the fact that Garces Trading Company has perhaps even improved since it opened (with the exception of the prices, but that's a different story). While I have commented previously about Distrito's "decline," I also fully realize that Jose is playin' it safe by catering to his target population.

Garces' model shot: courtesy of Phoodie.info

Garces opened JG Domestic under two weeks ago, perfect timing for a trip to check it out with the wielders of a credit card parentals while they were visiting. We've taken them to Tinto, Distrito, and GTC all with high degrees of success, and my dad was drooling over the menu once we had it downloaded. My mom on the other hand-- the picky eater in the bunch-- wasn't so sure. But, reservations had been made, and we made the trek over to the Cira Centre. {Warning: this post may be very long and descriptive. But this meal was too amazing to miss a single detail!}



One comment- accessing the restaurant is a little awkward. It's actually best to go through 30th Street Station, head north through the SEPTA terminal, and cross over into the Cira. Walking across several lanes of non-pedestrian-friendly traffic is not recommended. Once inside, however, I was quite impressed. Having never been in the building before, I don't know what kind of building blocks Garces began with, but he has created what feels like a European open air cafe. A variety of different seating areas and options, a large bar with seating, an open kitchen, a semi-private back room, and even an upstairs area (not sure what's up there!). We sat at a long communal table, thankfully not crowded by the parties on either side.



Our waiter was a bit unsteady at his new job-- but I'll cut him some slack since he'd only been there a week-- and walked us through the menu. The focus of the restaurant is the origin of the food- all sourced from the United States, with information about each participating "grower." Honestly, I didn't really read it too carefully, I was just excited about eating, but I do find it an interesting concept, and one that seems to be embraced more and more.

The menu consists of "snacks" (related to a bar snack), cold and warm "plates" similar to a small appetizer, vegetable "sides" and meat and fish. To create more of an entree, you would combine a meat or fish with one or more of the vegetable plates, as the meats come rather alone. There is also a chef's tasting menu ($65), a few daily specials, and a "whole animal," which varies from night to night and showcases different parts of a single animal. Each of us made several selections based on what we were interested in, but then proceeded to share each dish as it arrived.

We started with the Salt & Vinegar Kettle Chips ($4), which were the freshest potato chips you will ever experience. The vinegar flavor comes from a creamy aioli that lies beneath the chips. The bowl was quickly polished off and practically licked out (this became a theme of the evening), and we moved onto the house-baked rolls: soft, yeasty, hot and perfect with a dab of butter and a smidge of homemade jam.





Our first appetizer followed on the carb wagon- Wood Oven Flatbread ($12), similar in style to Garces' flatbreads at each of his other restaurants, and covered with a variety of mushrooms and salty cheese wisps on a crispy base. Definitely delicious, but not necessarily one of the highlights of the night.



One of the night's specials was an abalone dish- red abalone, shipped from the coast of California, is a large sea snail which our waiter called "foie gras of the sea." Well, after that description, there was no way we were turning this down-- but for the $25 price tag, we would have liked a little more. And, to be honest, it wasn't anywhere close to foie gras! It's a little bit buttery, a little bit rubbery, a little bit clam-like. Served atop a pile of perfectly cooked rice, intermixed with a bit of steamed-down greens and wild mushrooms, the presentation overall gave it more of a meaty feel rather than a seafood feel. The mushrooms maintained a good bite, with a bit of a woody taste and texture. Very unique, but not necessarily in a good way?



However, the next dish to arrive pretty much blew us away. I think we all would have agreed that the Smoked Chestnut Souffle ($9) was at the top of our list for the night. It's hard to describe, but essentially a base of creamy spaghetti squash, crunchy candy-like chestnuts, and soft golden raisins are topped with souffle- essentially eggy, bready, whipped cream. It came with a small pot of pureed squash, butter, and maple syrup, a perfect sweet topping that I wanted to spoon up eternally.

Pure Food Genius

Next up: the meat dishes. One of the more unique options was the Texas Wild Boar ($22), which came prepared much in the same way as I imagine a classic beef dish- grilled, smothered in a mustard based glaze, and served atop creamy grits and braised greens. The party next to us ordered a platter of four of these "steaks," leading us to false hopes that we would be getting our hands on a lot of meat. Not the case-- each order is a single serving, but we all enjoyed the bite or two we had, swiped into quite possibly the best grits of all time. I envisioned boar to be more closely related to the domesticated pig, but the tender meat was much like a good cut of beef.



My meat dish of choice was a little out of character- the Colorado Lamb Spareribs ($16). I don't typically like lamb- it has that gamey, weird flavor, but I was convinced that if anyone could make me like lamb, it would be Garces. These ribs are texturally amazing- soft and almost falling off the bone. The dark glaze seemed to have a deep Asian-inspired flavor, which helped offset the hint of "lambiness" (closely related to "goatiness") of the meat. Am I now a lamb convert? Maybe not, but these were good! They were served with a tiny pile of soft "country fried" apples, which seemed more like a classic baked apple.



We had a bit of a lull in our meal at this point, much to the chagrin of our waiter-- who kept anxiously checking in on us and assuring us the next "course" would be out soon. We didn't mind at all; a few minutes to talk and digest were more than fine! Soon enough, the final vegetable side and meat dishes arrived. The Kabocha Squash ($10) may scare some diners off by it's name and description, but we weren't fooled and loved it just as expected. Kabocha is similar to butternut or acorn squash, and was melon-balled and roasted for perfect caramelization and flavor. The round chunks are tossed with tender kale and baked pumpkin seeds, adding necessary crunch.



The squash was brought out alongside our "Whole Animal," which on this night was a Jidori Chicken ($28). Our waiter once again tried to make an analogy with a well-known meat, comparing the Jidori chicken to Wagyu beef- originating in Japan, and being top-of-the-line in terms of a common meat. In a serving bowl were laid onions, carrots, and fingerling potatoes, and topped with large pieces of the chicken (actually, not a whole animal, but a half!). Breast, leg, thigh, drumstick- all slow-roasted, creating a juicy interior and a bit of a crispy skin. The vegetables underneath benefitted from the chicken fat drippings, and were super soft and coated in gravy.



At this point, we had run out of dishes arriving from the kitchen, and it was time to think about dessert. Usually, after hitting all those high food notes, I would choose to pass, but word on the street was that dessert was not to be missed. We decided to split two of them- each named with a single descriptive word, the "Pumpkin" and the "Chocolate." Our waiter seemed hesitant to recommend the Pumpkin ($8), and told us it wasn't quite as it sounded- the Pumpkin Cake and Ice Cream were accompanied by a bit of PB&J influence, with peanut butter worked into the cake and grape jam also making an appearance.

Thankfully, we happen to love this flavor combination, and were glad we stuck with it. The cake was a good mix of both nuttiness and organic sweetness, and the ice cream tasted more like butter than the advertised "Sour Cream and Pumpkin Swirl." The grape jelly reduction was a great addition, bringing a burst of fruity sweetness to every bite swiped through it. Possibly the best part of the dish-- the pumpkin confit piled a bit lonely on the other side of the plate. Nature's candy? Garces' love of the green garnish also played a role.



The Chocolate ($8) was also a big hit- basically, if you at all like chocolate, you will love this. A rich chocolate cake, oozing melted chocolate with the first bite, sprinkled with rich dark cocoa and accompanied by "chocolate chip" ice cream-- cacao nibs playing the role of chocolate chips and providing a sharper, more bitter flavor. Chocolate soaked figs and a drizzle of olive oil finished the deal- seemingly strange, but a match made in chocolate heaven.



I have somehow picked up the habit of craving a warm coffee drink at the end of huge, decadent meals, and decided to try one last item on the Dessert/Coffee menu. Entitled "Coffee & Donuts," I asked our waiter if my coffee would in fact be accompanied by donuts. The answer-- no. Instead, fresh glazed donuts are soaked in milk overnight, and this milk is then strained and steamed and served with coffee, cafe au lait style. Can I just say it again- Pure. Food. Genius. Or, coffee. Whatever. I signed up immediately, and savored every last sip. With each taste my brain wavered, "Is it coffee? Is it donuts?" It was amazing-- the perfect end to one of the best meals in my recent memory (do I say that a lot..?).



The total bill actually didn't break the bank as much as I expected-- and while the parents were footing the bill, I was glad it wasn't too outrageous. My dad listed off each item that we had ordered, marveling at the range of foods we had experienced in a single meal, "Abalone.. boar.. souffle.. a whole animal!" It was pretty impressive, and we still left many items left to be explored. I'm hoping for a return trip, and very soon.

JG Domestic
Cira Centre, Ground Floor
2929 Arch Street

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