Had a chance to stop by and see the new culinary team at Fish and Farm, Charlie Kleinman and Jake Des Voignes. You might remember that these two were the old culinary team that cooked a memorable meal last year back at the Fifth Floor. I was glad to see that the two had returned with such flair at a small downtown restaurant that bustles with an animated energy, yet preserves a sense of intimacy and discretion.
Charlie and Jake's food was typically flavorful. Particularly memorable were the various apps, replete with super flavorful grilled baby squid, rabbit rillete, some fried oysters, and (my favorite) some delicious marrow bones topped with a deep and mellow clove of garlic confit. Some excellent courses followed (salmon, sable fish), as the guys just simply know how to get the flavors out of things. No doubt the restaurant’s mission to use only the most local, naturally raised, and high quality fish and meat make their job easier. While the food was uniformly lovely, I still got the feeling that the boys were just figuring things out. That they've yet to hit full stride. When they do, watch out.
Of particular interest as well are the cocktails invented by bar manager Brian Livesay. We tasted a handful of his creations--including one with huckleberry-infused Square One (organic) vodka, a julep with mint and tarragon, and a tremendous after-dinner warm apple toddy with cinnamon stick aromatics. It was a delicious and wonderful way to end a tasty and very encouraging meal.
