Parish

My newest pal, aspiring Lindyhopper T. Dooley, and I enjoyed a pre-Dad's garage meal at Parish. Thanks to the Concentric's website we got 50% off our bill:) It's a very cute space, but they try a little hard. The tv dinner concept is cute, and all the different plates and Southern appeal just don't quite feel honest and sincere. The gingham clad staff is cooler than that, and would undoubtedly never be caught  in their cutesy tops. The live music was great, but seemed to be uncomfortably stuck into the front seating area. We also were sat right next to a robust 12 top, so this made for an awkward few moments - when there were plenty of other tables around at 6:30....(pre show remember). 

The food:

heirloom tomatoes & watermelon

heirloom tomatoes, grilled watermelon, mint, capers, pickled watermelon rind,

farmer’s cheese, coffee-balsamic reduction

The tomatoes were really good and fresh and the farmer's cheese was the best part. But I would come back for it, or anything else we had unfortunately...

joe’s bacon and beets

orange, goat cheese, toasted pecans, spicy greens, burnt honey vinaigrette

I am a rebel. Eating oysters all over July, which has no R!

Finally:

organic mushroom cheesecake

pecan crust, arugula salad, smoked creme fraiche

Sadly, nothing was great. Nothing was bad, but nothing was great.

The best thing was probably our drinks - Pimm's cups.

I have heard brunch is their best, so I would try it again. But just not wowed.

Empire State South

On our monthly dinner out MBD and I finally made a point to try Hugh Acheson's restaurant, Empire State South. Hugh has been on Top Chef Masters, and as such, has celebrity status. Even without that I would still have been excited to check out this restaurant.

It has a distinctly beachy feel to me, I loved the ambiance of the restaurant and outdoor seating with Bocce. The wine list is above-par and the service was great. And, we got to meet Hugh:)

First drink: The Delores: Blume Marillen Apricot Eau de Vie, Elderflower, Black Pepper, Lemon Juice, Soda

We started with the oysters. Very fresh, and the presentation ws adorable. House made hotsauce, celery mignonette and cocktail sauce in tiny corked bottles with delish benne crackers.



Next we shared the crispy pork belly with creamed kimchi rice grits, pickled daikon and crushed peanuts. It was in a little skillet and I could have eaten two servings easily.

At this point I couldn't stop with just one more thing, so I decided to forgo the entree special and on our server's recommendation had the summer bean salad with pickled shrimp, ESS whipped lardo, grapefruit confit and amaranth. Not an overdone combo...very very good. Couldn't get a good picture in the lighting. I need a flash on my next phone.

Then the soft poached farm egg with crisp rice, corn, maitake mushrooms, housemade bologna, and bourbon mustard. The dish came out with a ceramic lid which he lifted and the aroma was delish. I love the details of the service and plating here. It's little stuff, not too gimmicky, and memorable.

Cynthia Wong, formerly of Cakes and Ale, is their newly acquired pastry chef, so of course we had to try dessert. I can't remember the specifics, and MB has the pics, but it was ouzo soaked blueberries with buttermilk ice cream on these cookies. YUM. I also tried the "rasentin" - an Italian specialty, wherein your "rinse" the foam and dregs from your coffee cup with grappa to release the aroma and clean your palate. MB thought it smelled like a hobo wine - it was overwhelming, but good. Flamboyant end to a great meal.