Last night I had dinner with my friend Anna at the new dining hot spot in town: Roost. It's been months since we've seen one another, in fact the last time we saw each other was over cocktails discussing my new adventure to Oregon for harvest. We had lots to catch up on. New job (for her), no job (for me) and on and on. I've been saying for months that Greenville needs something new and different to its dining scene, so could this be it? Well, let me start off by saying that the restaurant is beautiful. You know, one of those new contemporary restaurants with lots of wood, funky retro lighting, open kitchen with stainless steel and of course a list of all of the local purveyors they buy from on a chalkboard. Great. "Soil to City" is their tag line instead of "Farm to Table". Ok. Anything new? No. Friends of mine who have had restaurants for years have already been doing this....well all of this for years. It's important.
The menu is, for the most part, new takes on classics. The "Yardbird" and Dumplings and Pasta Carbonara, and Pork Shank "Bucco" are some examples of these new takes on classics. Both the fish and "Yardbird" came highly recommended from our sweet server. I, being the skeptic I am, chose the Pasta Carbonara and Anna chose the fish of the day: golden tilefish with butternut squash risotto and sauteed wilted greens. I thought about getting the fish as well, but I mean, how can a girl resist pasta with eggs and bacon?
I had high hopes. The pasta is thin homemade noodles with pea meal bacon, lima beans, Tomme, and a 64 degree egg. Not sure what pea meal bacon is but I see that Benton's bacon is one of their purveyors. Allen Benton is a master at bacon and country ham making, so I can't go wrong, right? Tomme, being a small round semi-firm to semi-soft cheese (depending on where it's from) typically made from cow's milk (again depending on where it's from) with buttery, earthy tanginess that makes for a delicious and complex cheese. The 64 degree egg done in a sous vide bath, would come out with a firm white and runny yolk. Love the sound of that. One of the most wonderful things on this earth is a runny egg yolk on pasta, or a runny yolk on, well, anything for that matter.
The dishes come out and are placed before us. Anna's looks as it should and mine looks like a sloppy grey and white mess. Do I even want to really eat this now? I try it, and it's well...underwhelming. Virtually tasteless. How can this be? No seasoning. None. I salt and pepper my dish, which helps a little. The homemade noodles are ok, but pea meal bacon what? The 64 degree egg I had been salivating over unfortunately was just the opposite of the description of firm white and runny yolk, it was runny white and firm yolk. The pasta had a small grating of the Tomme on top and a generous peppering of lima beans throughout. The lima beans were the best thing on the plate. Anna's was good. The tilefish was nice and the sauteed greens were very tasty. The greens were the best thing on her plate. The butternut squash risotto suffered from the same seasoning problem my dish suffered from.
Harsh? Yes. Honest? Yes. Will I go back? Yes, but not for a while. They are still new and as any new restaurant, kinks have to be worked out. Seasoning and all.
This experience had me thinking of the diverse cuisine of Portland as well as other cities around the country. I've been thinking a lot since I have been back about what I want from life, in regards to job and lifestyle. I've had lots of time to think. This often has me thinking about Oregon. I miss it. I miss the culture, the fresh air, interesting restaurants with obscure wines and cocktails, but most of all the I miss the people. Today, I will be able to sate my Oregon void by visiting my friend Trish. We will have the chance to catch up on life over many drinks and what will hopefully be a fine meal.
No comments:
Post a Comment