I’ll get strait to the point: foie on a stick!

 

 

Actually it’s not just foie – there is also a duck heart and mushroom on there too.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s go back to the beginning.  This week, MSF played host to Jordan Grosser and Ted Fleury, the toques in the kitchen at Alembic. Working with Anthony and Emma in the kitchen, they knocked out a menu of rich indulgent ingredients, prepared with a steady technical hand, and plated with the usual MSF populist food attitude.

After being greeted at the door with spiced popcorn, we waited for a whiskey-soaked hour at Beauty Bar across the street. Once seated, the food came quickly from the kitchen. 

 

Pickled Quail Eggs

You’d have to be a cold, heartless bastard not to enjoy the perfectly prepared quail eggs. Creamy yolks and a delicate pickled infused white – we were off to a good start. 

 

 
Corn Salad: fennel, edamame, red onion, serrano, cilantro

Because it’s important to have your veggies. 

 

 
Bay Scallop Ceviche: charred shishito, pickled ramps, grape, ajo blanco

The ceviche was dominated by the ajo blanco, which gave it a twangy, yogurt like texture.  The peppers on top were a particular treat.

And now, a lesson on how to construct a Soft Shell Crab Po’ Boy Slider with sunomono slaw, old bay aoili, salt and vinegar chips.

 

  

  

  

 

The finished sandwich was appropriately briny, but tamed by the aioli inside. 

 

 
Lamb Loin Tataki: lentils, olives, idiazabal, piquillo

 

The lamb was tasty, but was overshadowed by what came out next:

 

  

Duck Heart, Foie Gras on a Stick: royal trumpet, creamy polenta, cherry

Let’s pause for a moment to contemplate this magnificent dish.  It’s a dish loaded to the brim with contradictions, and finds balance as a result. The heart, a hard-working lean muscle, is sandwiched onto the skewer with indulgent foie.  It is sauced with cherries, which is classic, but then served on polenta, a modern twist.  It is at once down home food on a stick, and high class indulgence. Finally, it’s playful plating belies the technical preparation of the course. We had to order a second one.  Then, while sitting in stunned silence of this dish, our other favorite for the night was dropped at the table. 

 

 

Grilled Kobe Beef Tongue: burdock-soy glaze, frisee, radish

This is not your jewish grandmother’s beef tongue. The soy sauce provided a nice counter point to the rich fatty meat, and was offset by the touch of salad on top. It was exactly what I look for in a small plate dish: rich, balanced, and left me wanting just one more bite of it. If anyone is scared of trying tongue (the cut of beef that tastes you back!) this is exactly the introduction they need, since as soon as you taste it, any offal queasiness is overridden by the taste and texture. 

For those less meat inclined, there was also a king trumpet flatbread on the menu:

 

 

 

 

Back in the kitchen, since the Alembic boys had taken over the main kitchen, Anthony was plating salads and desserts.

 

  

 
Mango Sticky Rice: with chilled young coconut soup and cilantro sauce 

 

Strawberry Napoleon: crisp filo, fresh strawberries, whipped creme fraiche, sorrel 

 

Both of the desserts (as well as the HS ice cream) were nice ways to finish off such a big dinner – the sticky rice was simple, but refreshing, and the strawberries in the napoleon screamed summertime. 

All in all, a pretty stellar meal. I brought in a bottle of The Bruery’s Saison de Lente, which has a great farmhouse aroma, and a clean golden Belgian ale finish.  After that we broke into an Alesmith’s X Pale Ale, a clean IPA with a great citrusy hop nose on it. I’m told there was wine on our table as well. 

It’s also especially exciting to see executive chefs, who already run a kitchen, coming into Mission Street Food.  It provides a great avenue for them to stretch a little, try new ideas, and put offal on a stick. 

Tags: alembic, foie, mission street food, MSF, offal

This entry was posted on Friday, May 22nd, 2009 at 5:46 pm and is filed under Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.