What a nice evening! Tuesday, June 23, 2009 @ 7:00. Sycamore was slammed. I really felt for the staff. Because of the crowd, things got a little noisy, but that's just Sycamore, from my experience. There were a few moments early on when I got worried that service would suffer - seemed to take a while to get started with the meal (and of course, as the menu was fixed, there were no opening preliminaries). But after the first flight of wine came out, followed several minutes later by the scallop, and I found the food so good, I settled down. Once the crab salad appeared, service just suddenly snapped to, and the rest of the evening was great. DH objected to receiving the wines so far ahead of the accompanying dish (the bar was pouring and serving, trying to coordinate with food service), but that's probably because he couldn't resist sipping at the latest glass to arrive and ended up with very little wine left to drink with that course.
Portions were just perfect, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. No further ado: Here's what I had and what I thought about it.
Bacon-wrapped scallop
Jumbo dry-pack scallop wrapped in house-cured bacon served on country ham & barley pilaf with pea purée and pea shoots
Ballast Stone Riesling - Light, tart. Not my favorite of the evening, but good pairing.
This might have been the best dish in the lineup. Here's why: Bacon. The house-cured bacon was just outstanding in flavor. But here's the kicker: the taste of the perfectly-crisped bacon permeated the scallop, and the scallop was not - repeat - was NOT overdone. So you had this crispy, smoky crunch, and a smoky bite of tender seafood goodness, exactly complimenting each other. I mean, I know Chef knows what he's doing and all, but still - that's hard to do, and I admire it when I taste it. The barley pilaf was nicely seasoned, had a nice texture, and the pea puree set all the savory tastes off with its green sweetness. Very very nice.
Crab salad
Crab and avocado salad with local baby greens served with grapefruit and sesame vinaigrette
Ernst & Company Sauvignon Blanc - Slight sweetness that bounced off the sweetness in the vinaigrette and tartness of the grapefruit. Smooth feel that complemented the smoothness of the crab and avocado.
This one ran a close second to the opener, at the risk of sounding somewhat obvious. The quality of crab in the middle of Missouri is always an open question. This was good, and had been handled gently, so nice chunks of crabmeat were still evident. Avocado does something really smooth and nice with seafood, and it added its smooth note here, too. Greens were a romaine-type lettuce below and what could have been alfalfa sprouts (or similar sized sprouts) on top. The vinaigrette had a sweet note that was a counterpoint to the grapefruit supremes. Again, the balance of flavors was the notable feature.
Wild boar ravioli
House-made pasta stuffed with overnight-braised wild boar and Parmigiano-Reggiano, served in red wine broth with asparagus and morels
Chateau de Segries Cotes du Rhone - Nice body to hold up to the boar and hearty flavors in the broth. Spicy notes also played off the robustness of the dish.
There's always a danger in long braising, even of game or tougher cuts, and that's mushiness. Some of the boar was just about there ... saved only by a judicious hand in the chopping. Can't say enough good things about the pasta; tooth and warmth and flavor were all remarkable. The broth was so good, I was sorry that the bread had already been removed from the table! (I think it was Uprise Bakery batard - sure looked and tasted like what I'd just bought over the weekend.) I had a little scrap of bread left, and it was divine soaked in the broth. A few nice-sized dried morels, and some perfectly tender-crisp asparagus spears finished this dish off. Again, Chef Odette knows how to play flavors off each other in a dish, and this was a winner in that regard.
Cheese plate
Selection of fresh and aged Goatsbeard Farm goat cheeses
Ventisquero Carmenere - All fruits and spices, and went well with the saltiness of the cheeses and the sweet-tart compote.
The cheeses were a fresh chevre, Prairie Bloom, and Walloon. The Prairie Bloom had the white rind of a Brie or Camembert, with the smooth features of both those cheeses, but saltier. I liked the flavor of the Walloon quite a bit; it had the character of a Gruyere, firm, nutty, a little crumbly in the chew. The fresh chevre lacked the "doggy" taste that I dislike in goat cheese, and had a creamy texture that reminded me both of ricotta and cream cheese. I'm not much of a cheese eater, but these were all pleasing to me. The cheeses came with a rhubarb-strawberry compote on the side, just a small spoonful, and that was a nice compliment to all three cheeses.
Cherry turnover
Local tart cherries in flaky pastry crust served warm with house-made vanilla bean ice cream
Quady Elysium - Elysium = Heaven? Sweet and cherries and dark and yummy. Heavenly.
Did I mention that Chef knows how to balance flavors? The cherries were nice and tart - no oversugaring here (hallelujah!). The perfect foil to a creamy, but not over-the-top sweet, ice cream. Plus, the portion was reasonable. A nice square, about four inches on the side, folded into a nice triangle (I'll let you figure out how long that hypotenuse was). Just enough. The accompanying wine with its cherry-berry notes was absolutely spot-on. I couldn't resist, and poured a little on top of my ice cream. Wow! That'd be a dessert of note just by itself. Nice finish.
Final comment: I can't wait to eat again at Sycamore. Remind me to tell you about our experience there in May, when we had to wait 45 minutes for a reserved table. And it's a GOOD story that will make you want to only ever eat there forever.
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