November 28, 2018

First Look at Root Wild Kombucha

My sister once described kombucha to her husband as "vinegar soda," which, you're either here for or hard pass (my brother-in-law being in that second category). I came to my current (high) levels of consumption after my attempt at the Whole30 last year. I found kombucha to be a good substitute for alcohol, with its carbonation and tart flavor. Put it in a wine glass at the end of the day, apply some suspension of disbelief, and you're all set. 

During that time, I started my habit of filling growlers from Urban Farm Fermentory, where they make different flavors of kombucha, infused with seasonal fruit, herbs, and foraged products. I love going and seeing the different flavors available and trying new flavors and blends. I still make sure to have a growler (OK, two) of the stuff in the fridge, even if none of the other Whole30 habits stuck. 


Enter Root Wild Kombucha, a new kombucha brewery on Washington Ave. in Portland. The brewery's tasting room and production facility opened in the former home of the Sahara Club, ironically where AA used to meet. Root Wild is run by Reid Emmerich, who helped to start the Urban Farm Fermentory with Eli Cayer. So there are definitely similarities between the two facilities, and comparison is unavoidable. The other owners, Tom Madden and John Paul, run Lone Pine Brewing, so you know the beers are going to be good too. 

Root Wild has three flagship kombucha flavors: lemon cayenne ginger, blueberry lemon thyme echinacea, and vanilla rooibos white oak. The seasonal flavors on the day I was in were purple shiso, hopped, strawberry, rhubarb, and beach rose. There were also three beers: a maté IPA, orange juniper DIPA, and a stout with chaga and toasted oak. 


My friend G. and I tried several 2 oz. samples of the different flavors, and I was really pleased by them all. The hopped tasted a bit more beer-like than UFF's version does, and the fruit flavors are bright and pleasantly balanced. I was impressed by how thoroughly the added flavors came through. 

Just like at UFF, you can fill growlers, so I happily took home a strawberry fill. Root Wild has just started canning its lemon, blueberry, and vanilla rooibos flavors in 12 oz. cans. 


The tasting room is a pleasant space, sure to become homier with time. It has a beachy, surfer vibe, so perhaps that is more your style than the foraging hippie vibe down at UFF. Personally, I'm happy to have two local options to satisfy my kombucha habit. The more the merrier! 

October 2, 2018

First Look at Forage Market



I've been stalling on writing this post. It has nothing to do with the lovely, newly opened Forage Market in Portland, but more because I'm not ready to wade into the bagel fray. I'm not trying to publicly declare who makes the Best Bagel in Portland. Or Why Your Favorite Bagel is Inferior. 

You see, there are now as many bagel places in the Greater Portland area as there are opinions about bagels. There's *takes a deep breath* Mr. Bagel, Scratch Baking Co., 158 Pickett Street, Union Bagel, The Purple House, Rover Bagel, Rose Foods, and now Forage Market. Professor A. of Portland Food Map called 2017 the Year of the Bagel, and the bagel madness continues into 2018. 


I love most bagels in the Portland area. I have always loved bagels—I grew up eating frozen Lenders onion bagels in the suburbs, so you can form your own opinion about my authority on the subject. Lately I have very few qualms about eating a Scratch salt bagel smeared high with herb cream cheese for breakfast several times a week. While some are certainly better than others, I've yet to meet a bagel I didn't enjoy. 

Forage bills itself as a market, but really it's a bagel place. Broadturn Farm shares a small corner of the new space on Washington Ave. in Portland, so you can buy some fresh flowers with your bagel. But Forage's menu is largely bagels. Some lunchtime sandwiches are available on baguettes. But we're here for the bagels. 

The space is large and industrial, with high ceilings and large windows. A wood-fired oven faces the seating area, so you can watch bagels being fired while you enjoy your meal. This would be a large place to spend a morning working, although I don't know about the existence of Wifi or not.


Because I like strong flavors, I got an everything bagel with a Kalamata olive cream cheese. This is one of the few places in Portland that services Kalamata olive cream cheese, which is my absolute favorite. (Some places serve olive cream cheese, but it features the inferior green olive.) 


The bagel itself is crunchy, thin, and airy, with big holes in the baked dough, in the Montreal style of bagels. But really the minute I saw the black olive cream cheese, I was won over. Forage Market's bagels moved to the top of my personal leaderboard of bagels. 

Did I just say they're the best bagels in Portland? You'll have to stop in and see for yourself. 

August 25, 2018

Crown Jewel, Great Diamond Island

There's a new dining experience on Casco Bay's islands: Crown Jewel on Great Diamond Island. Our visit two weeks ago was a great, casual island experience with some fantastic food. I love escaping to the islands, and Crown Jewel adds an exciting facet to Portland's already dynamic food scene.


I paid my first visit to Crown Jewel with my aunt, uncle, and husband on a beautiful night—under a sunny sky filled with clouds that created a beautiful sunset on our way back. We took the early-ish ferry (at 4:15pm), which gave us plenty of time to enjoy dinner without getting back too late. We walked around Diamond Cove a bit and saw the former military barracks turned summer residences. 


Crown Jewel is in a space that was formerly a small general store and has been rennovated to be a hip restaurant space, still with a little market in the back. I love the on-trend decor: lots of brass, palm leaves, rattan, and neon pink flamingos. I'm sure it will look dated soon, but hey, we're here for a good time, not a long time, right? 

We started our meal off with Hemingway daiquiris ($12), a rum daiquiri with a bit of grapefruit juice. I was also tempted by the strawberry mezcal smash ($12) and the Crown Jewel rum punch ($13). My friend A., the owner of East End Cupcakes, is the manager at Crown Jewel and I was so thrilled to have her whipping up these delicious drinks for us. After our round of cocktails, we ordered a bottle of the Lambrusco ($36), a chilled, slightly sparkling red, to enjoy with our meal. 


The menu, like most these days, has a large selection of starters/small plates and salads and only a few entrees. There wasn't much on the menu I didn't want to order, and we knocked out a fair amount during this meal (I'll hit the rest on my next visit!). 

We started with a half dozen of both raw ($18) and grilled ($19) oysters—the grilled ones topped with butter, yuzu pearls, and pickled mustard seeds. The oysters were lightly grilled and the toppings unobtrusive, so the oyster flavor still took center stage. 


Next up was the Fried Green Things ($8) a heaping bowl of fried Brussels sprouts, kale, and maybe also zucchini? The selection of vegetables may change, but it's always served with apricot harissa and slivered almonds. I've yet to meet fried Brussels sprouts I didn't enjoy. 


The summer lettuces salad ($12) might have been my favorite—a take on a Caesar, with fried white anchovies, fried lemon wheels, and crispy pieces of fried Parm. With a lemon-y dressing and lots of black pepper, this salad had tons of flavor. 


After salads, we each had a larger plate—I went with the gnocchi verde ($18). I am generally suspicious of gnocchi in restaurants (so much of it is bad), but I trusted the chef at Crown Jewel to make delicious ones. 

The soft, potato dumplings were covered in a pea puree, with asparagus, jicama, and Pecorino. A decidedly spring-y dish, but the perfect balance of comforting and light, even enjoyed in late August. 


A. had a fantastic hamburger ($14) with a soft Brioche bun and an impeccably flavored burger patty. 


We opted to skip an earlier ferry back to the mainland, giving us an additional hour to enjoy dessert and another slow walk back to the ferry. We were all pretty full by this point, but Alysia insisted we had to try the brown bread ($10), so we happily acquiesced. And it was incredible—warm and gooey, with crispy, bruleed edges. 


I knew Crown Jewel was right up my alley, so it's no surprise that I absolutely loved everything about it. Its island location makes it feel like a special escape, even one that can happen on a weeknight. 

Don't let the location or the weather stop you from enjoying one of Portland's most unique dining experiences. Crown Jewel is open daily, except Tuesdays, for lunch and dinner until Columbus Day. 

July 20, 2018

Dinner at Chebeague Island Inn

My husband and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary out on Chebeague Island this year with a stay at the Chebeague Island Inn. We were married on Peaks Island, so it seemed appropriate to spend the night on another island in Casco Bay a year later, fortunately with the same gorgeous weather we had on our wedding day. 


And while the meal and the stay were lovely, honestly, my favorite part was cozying up during a brief thundershower in the inn's living room with a book and a cocktail. I enjoyed a Hardshore gin and tonic with Orphan Train, in an overstuffed armchair, and felt like I'd died and gone to heaven. Fortunately for you, the public is also welcome to order drinks from the bar and enjoy them on the covered, wrap-around porch of the inn. 


When it came time for dinner, I reluctantly tore myself away from my cozy chair and took my spot at a table on the screened-in porch. Since I last ate at the inn in 2015, the Prentice Group has taken over, meaning Chef Matt Ginn of EVO oversees the kitchen now. I was looking forward to the traditional menu of the inn now updated with some modern touches. 


We started our meal off with some housemade biscuits and a bowl of steamed Bangs Island mussels ($17). The mussels were big and in a bowl of spicy, garlicky broth with bits of chorizo. The last time I'd had the mussels here, they were smoked and not served in a broth, so we loved the change to the more classic preparation. 

A. ordered the pan-seared chicken breast with potato salad, cippolini onions, and a blueberry glaze ($27). I had a small bite and found the chicken was perfectly cooked, with a nice sweetness from the blueberry sauce. The sauce erred on the side of savory, which I appreciated. 


The squash rollatini with hazelnut, grain salad, and burrata ($28) called to me, but I went with the scallops, served with pistachio, shishito peppers, and cucumber. The scallops were seared just right—crispy on the outside and rare inside. But the dish never came together in a coherent way. The peppers, cucumber, and hazelnut sauce all seemed like separate ingredients that didn't really go together. I really enjoyed the shape of the little scoops of cucumber though. 


Our meal with two glasses of wine came to $108 before tip. Since we were staying at the inn, we signed the meal to our room and decided to take the inn's bikes to the Slow Bell Café for ice cream. Just like any time on the island, it felt like we'd escaped on vacation in this idyllic place. 


The Chebeague Island Inn is accessible by the Casco Bay Lines from Portland. There is no car ferry, so call to arrange a ride from the ferry dock to the inn (about 3 miles). Otherwise, drive to Yarmouth to take the Chebeague Transportation Company's ferry and you can walk to the inn from the ferry dock. 

May 16, 2018

Food Round-Up: Mami, Local 188

It's been quiet around these parts—I haven't been eating out much and haven't even had a recent restaurant opening to bring you! But there's still a few tidbits to share, so here's what I've been up to lately in food.

Weekday Lunch at Mami


I always think of Mami on Fore Street as a lunch spot. Maybe it's due to its origins as a food truck, but since I don't work in Portland, I don't go out to for lunch often. But when I was passing through town after a program, I stopped in and grabbed A. from East End Cupcakes and we checked Mami out. 


She had a salmon poké bowl ($13) (but Big Fin Poké still has our hearts) and I had pork buns ($5) and okonomiyake ($12). Both dishes were rich and contained mayonnaise—I should have skipped the savory pancake and ordered some shishito peppers. But I loved Mami's counter service, making it a quick option for lunch or a great happy hour where you won't have to wait for a beer refill. 


Brunch at Local 188

Original Roomie A. and I went to the farmers' market bright and early on a Saturday for some plants, then found ourselves considering "brunch" (meaning we wanted a sit-down experience) options at the decidedly non-brunch hour of 9 am. We thought of Local 188 and it was a stroke of genius. 


We had the place to ourselves, our bartender was so friendly and attentive, and the food came out quickly and was perfect. I've experienced some lackluster brunches at Local, probably due to the fact that they were slammed, and so going early was a fantastic experience. A. and I both had the scramble ($11), which that day was with mushrooms, herbs, and goat cheese. We shared a fruit plate ($6), and I really felt like I'd reached peak adulting. 


And we are due for a flurry of summer openings, so stay tuned for some previews! 

May 1, 2018

The Next Big Thing: Pop-Ups and Hidden Gems


This article was originally published in Lark Hotels' magazine in May 2018.

Today’s diners looking for a restaurant recommendation in a new city often want—and even expect—a novel experience, a quirky environment, or something that makes them feel clued in to the next big thing—and sometimes all three at once. Many of Lark’s destinations deliver just that.

Things that pop-up in the night

Salem, Massachusetts, is known for its pop-ups and their offshoots. On the savory side, for example, we just can’t resist the open secret that is Back Alley Bacon with its pork-centric street food (look on Facebook for its Wednesday night menu).

Feel the need for sweets instead? On weekend nights, get directions to Goodnight Fatty and snack on what some consider the best type of cookies around—ones with crispy edges and gooey centers fresh from the oven—aka “fatties.” Owners Erik and Jennifer Sayce say the idea for their business was born out of their own craving for warm cookies on their walk home from dinner one night. Flavors change each week and range from fruity to decadent, with the signature flavor Midnight Fatty, a chocolate cookie with chocolate chips, pecans, and toffee bits, always a bestseller. And naturally, a bottomless glass of milk is available. Goodnight Fatty began popping up in coffee shops and breweries in 2016, while Erik and Jennifer got a feel for consumer demand and searched for retail space. In 2017, they found their own space. The unexpected and somewhat hard-to-find location—an unassuming conference room rented from a media company in a building down an alley behind Rockafellas and Ledge restaurants— maintains the in-the-know pop-up vibe.

Customers love pop-ups partly because of that feeling of being in on a secret, according to Jennifer. “They also know that they are supporting a fledgling business and getting a unique experience,” she adds.

Another popular pop-up, Rover Bagel outgrew borrowed spaces in Salem as well and found a permanent home in Biddeford, Maine. The bakery is known for its crackly Montreal-style bagels, which are baked in wood-fired ovens. Before moving, the owners had used Bambolina’s ovens in the mornings when the restaurant wasn’t open.

What will the next pop-up sensation be? Check in at Notch Brewery, the Far From The Tree Cider tasting room, and Deacon Giles Distillery, which often host new pop-ups, and you might be one of the first to discover it.

Back Alley Bacon
Goodnight Fatty: 18 Higginson Square, Salem, MA
Rover Bagel: 111 Elm Street, Biddeford, ME

The world at your fingertips

You might think it’s hard to execute food from all over the world well, but Street does just that. This casual eatery’s menu of global street fare reflects influences ranging from Thai and Korean, to Italian and Mexican, served up as what Chef Joshua Lanahan describes as “simple food of the people.”
To find this hidden gem, don’t worry when your GPS guides you to the back of a nondescript strip mall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Inside, owners Joshua and his wife, Michelle Lozuaway, who handles the front of the house, have transformed the space into a cozy bar and restaurant with spray-painted graffiti and colorful murals.

With crispy, sticky sweet Korean fried chicken, lacquered Thai ribs, spicy pork dumplings, and a cast-iron skillet of crispy rice bibimbap, Street nails these popular Asian street food dishes. Empanadas, tacos, and yucca fries represent the Southern hemisphere, with the cemita—an overstuffed Mexican sandwich with a slab of fried cheese and your choice of a fried chicken thigh or a veggie burger—frequently stealing the show.

On the inventive cocktails menu, the Unbeetable is a customer favorite: beet infused vodka with muddled cucumber and mint, chili simple syrup, and lemon, topped with ginger beer. In short, the perfect combination of earthy and spicy.

And don’t skip dessert—the Italian zeppole are expertly fried, dusted with powdered sugar, and served in a brown paper bag.

Street: 801 Islington Street, Portsmouth, NH

Keep on truckin'

Metzy’s Taqueria—the first food truck in Newburyport, Massachusetts—was an instant hit when the truck parked near the beach on Plum Island in 2014. (The route is expanding to include the nearby beaches of Salisbury and Amesbury.) Owner Erik Metzdorf quickly realized he needed to expand his commissary kitchen space to handle the demand for Chef Brad DeLibero’s take on Mexican street food.

Metzdorf found space at the town’s train station and launched Metzy’s Cantina, which allowed for year-round dining. This is not some quaint historical train station turned hipster hangout—this is an active, commuter rail station. Metzdorf has worked hard to transform the industrial space into a bright and warm cantina. “We took a blighted piece of public property and turned it into something the community can be proud of,” says Metzdorf. “We created an engaging gateway to the city.”

The cantina’s ample kitchen space allows the restaurant to augment tacos and burritos with soups, salads, and daily specials. Start with sweet potato and black bean hush puppies served with chipotle sour cream or the slow-cooked pork belly ribs finished with maple bourbon sauce and served with sweet potato fries. Wash down a pork belly taco, lined with shredded cabbage and piled high with crispy cubes of fried meat and a mango habanero salsa, with Melt Away Session IPA from Newburyport Brewing Co.

Metzy’s Cantina: 4067, 5 Boston Way, Newburyport, MA

This will float your boat

Everyone who visits Kennebunk, Maine, expects two things: lobster and a good view of the ocean. While many restaurants serve up both, one in particular takes waterfront dining to the next level—The Spirit of Massachusetts Restaurant, a historical schooner turned floating restaurant. Once an educational nonprofit’s training vessel, The Spirit of Massachusetts languished in Portland, Maine for a few years until it was discovered by Dwight Raymond, the owner of The Pilot House, a local favorite in Kennebunk’s Lower Village. Dwight acquired the dilapidated schooner and worked with his son, Nick, to retrofit into a restaurant, which took about a year and a half. Docked behind The Pilot House and next to First Chance Whale Watch, The Spirit opened in the summer of 2016. Its tall masts rise above all others, a beacon for thirsty sailors and hungry travelers alike.

You enter the restaurant via the metal gangway, sometimes a steep descent when the tide is low. The boat’s masts, booms, and rigging are all still in place but now support a tent that provides shade. Sloped to follow the curve of the boat’s deck, a polished wood bar runs the length of the deck. Descend a wooden staircase to the main cabin, which serves as the dining room. Choose from cushioned banquette or wooden bench seating around tables that are bolted to the floor. The aft cabin is a fully functional kitchen, with steamed lobsters passed up through the hatch when an order’s up.

The Spirit’s menu is primarily seafood, with a raw bar selection of local oysters and clams on the half shell, shrimp cocktail, and chilled lobster tails. Some diners go casual with a pound of peel and eat shrimp, liberally dusted with Old Bay, and slices of Andouille sausage. Others channel Kennebunk chic with ahi tuna poke and seaweed salad.

Maine craft beers, like Sebago Simmer Down Session Ale, are on tap, and the cocktail menu sports beachy options like Painkillers and Dark and Stormys. Owner Kylie Raymond says, “There’s really nothing like sitting on the deck of a boat in the summer—the sea breeze, having a cocktail. It’s the number-one reason people visit us.”

The Spirit of Massachusetts Restaurant: 4 Western Avenue, Kennebunk, ME

April 12, 2018

BBF Travels: NOLA Eats

I ended up being a Spring Breaker this year—taking advantage of a week off from my grad school course to vacation in New Orleans for a long weekend. Between Spring Break and St. Paddy's Day, it ended up being quite the festive time in The Big Easy, although from what I understand, the city's residents find something to celebrate every weekend. 

While there were parades, music, and cemeteries to check out, you know I was scouting out the food options. And despite only being in town for three full days, we managed to enjoy a little bit of all the NOLA classics, from the old school institutions to James Beard foodie spots. 



We stayed in an Airbnb in the Central City neighborhood, a few blocks north of St. Charles Street. I'd recommend the area, as it was centrally located and close to the streetcar line that runs the length of St. Charles. We loved our shotgun house with its porches and architectural character. Plus, I love staying in a neighborhood, especially one that regularly hosts a second line. 



From snowballs and beignets to muffalettas and po'boys, we ate most of the classic New Orleans foods. Hansen's makes the best snowballs and I was delighted to visit another area that celebrates this unique style of shaved iced. Baltimore and New Orleans are the two places in the country that serve snowballs, and despite not having my favorite flavor egg custard, Hansen's made me happy. 


We sat outside under an old tree and dug into big platters of crawfish, sausage, potatoes, and corn at Bevi Seafood Co. And of course we had delicious, powdered sugar-dusted beignets at Cafe Du Monde (and maaaaybe definitely inadvertently cut the long line for a table). 



We had lunch at Cochon Butcher, which was perfect for our group with a menu that pleased everyone, local beer on tap, and lots of Star Wars ephemera to entertain my nephew. The muffaletta was killer, even though I was too full from beignets to eat more than a quarter of it. 


Po'boys at Domilise's were recommended as the best, so we stopped in before hitting up Hansen's nearby. Protip: if it's too busy inside with a wait to order, snag a number and wait outside for yours to be called. I went with fried shrimp, my faves. 


Our one foodie dinner was at Shaya, modern Israeli cuisine. We went early to snag a seat before the dinner reservations filled up the restaurant and scored a table on the patio (more like a courtyard). 

My favorite dish was the hummus with lamb ragu and crispy chickpeas. It might not look like much, but between the soft, warm pillowy pita and the crispy chickpeas, it was outstanding. 

 



The fried halloumi over strawberries (it was strawberry season) and roasted cabbage with harissa and tahini were both amazing too. I wish I had the ability to eat through the menu, as there were so many other tempting things on the menu. 

After dinner, we walked through Audubon Park as the sun set. Then we were off to hear live music on Frenchman Street. A wonderful last evening in New Orleans, and I already can't wait to go back.

March 21, 2018

First Look at Black Cow


Everyone who mourned the closing of Sonny's, Jay Villani's Latin-themed restaurant on lower Exchange Street can breathe easy—Black Cow is now open, and the bar remains functionally the same. The food, however, is completely different with a focus on hamburgers, ice cream, and sodas. Those who enjoyed cozying up to Sonny's large bar and ordering a creative cocktail will be pleased to see Black Cow has a list that rivals Sonny's in its inventiveness.


Black Cow offers counter service, so you place your order at the register that greets you when you walk in. Other than a fresh paint job and some new stools, the decor hasn't changed dramatically, leaving the soaring ceilings and exposed brick of the former bank to speak for itself.

I ordered a hamburger and fries at the counter, then snagged a seat at the bar to enjoy the True Romance ($10) with Plantation pineapple rum, Chartreuse, lime and sugar. It was crushable, just as the menu said it would be.

Other drinks that caught my eye included the Hardshore gin fizz; When Doves Cry with chili-infused tequila, ginger syrup, Campari, and grapefruit; and the Shirley Temple of Doom with rum, lime, ginger, pineapple, and a housemade grenadine. The tap list has 12 beers, most of them Maine breweries from Bissell Brothers to Barreled Souls. There's a large number of housemade sodas like blood orange crush and Brooklyn egg cream.


LBK ordered the chicken sandwich ($8), with a chicken patty made with some dark meat that was juicy inside and crispy out. Just like the cheeseburger, it comes topped with shredduce, onions, pickles, and American cheese. It had that perfect hot meat/cool toppings contrast going on. 


The burger was small ($6), and I found it to be the perfect size. The server didn't ask for a temp on the burger as it's a thin patty, and it comes dressed with mustard and mayonnaise. The fries ($5 for a small or $20 for table fries) are shoestring-style, but on this night a little too crunchy. 


My total bill, including my cocktail, was $21, which was amazing—I figured I'd spend $50 going out to eat and drink. Black Cow will be a popular meet up spot, whether it's for a cheap burger or for the happenin' bar scene that Sonny's was so well-known for. 

February 28, 2018

Snacks at Chaval

Friday night I finally corrected the error that was not yet having made it into Chaval. This West End restaurant has been open for 7 months or so, but I'd yet to make it "alllll" the way over to the other side of the peninsula to try it. 

Chaval is the second restaurant from Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez, the chef couple that owns Piccolo. The duo purchased Caiola's and closed it to freshen up the space and reopen it with a new concept. The menu features Spanish and French dishes and seems to draw inspiration from tapas/pintxos with a selection of inexpensive snacks like tortilla, brandade (whipped salt cod), and house cured meats.


Anyone who frequented Caiola's will enjoying seeing the renovation of the bar and kitchen area—the restaurant now has an open feel, versus the cozy nooks created by the walls in its previous iteration. 

Due to the soggy weather we had the night I visited, there wasn't a wait even though it was 6 p.m. on a Friday night, and we found two seats at the bar (right next to the kitchen, where the heat lamps kept me warm). We caught the tail end of happy hour, where a rotating special features a few $5 snacks and sherry. 

To drink, I ordered a take on the Brown Derby, a bourbon, Benedictine, blood orange, and grapefruit cocktail. It was tasty, but I loved most of all that it was big. Even if it was mostly ice or juice, I just appreciated the volume of the drink. I'm tired of rationing 4 oz. cocktails with tiny sips. 


To start, we ordered the brandade ($6) and the tortilla ($4). The salt cod needed, well, a little salt, and then it was a delicious spread with pops of flavor from the pickled sweet peppers. The egg and potato tortilla was perfect, topped with flaky salt and served with a dollop of mayonnaise. 

The next round of snacks was the lettuce and nuts salad ($9), North Spore 'shrooms ($12), and beef tartar and bone marrow ($13).


The 'shrooms with duck egg and chorizo was hands down my favorite dish of the night. The mushrooms were full of flavor, and the chorizo gave it all a salty richness. The beef tartare and bone marrow wasn't for me—I just wasn't feelin' the bone marrow that night. But the beef tartare topping with zingy pickled onion and mustard seed was excellent on the griddled toast. And the salad with endive, pickled red onions, and bleu cheese was a fresh foil to the other dishes. 

Our meal was about $90, including tax and gratuity. One thing Damian, Ilma, and company excel at is making you feel welcome. We left feeling like we'd spend the evening hanging out with friends, sitting at the bar, and engaging in some witty banter (theirs, not mine 😉). With dishes that encouraging sharing, Chaval is the perfect place to catch up with friends over some snacks and drinks.