She took the leftovers from the roasted chicken and vegetables from the other day and put them into a new form. The broccolini and Swiss chard were chopped up and sliced Brussels sprouts were added. She took the chicken thigh and sliced it up. The whole collection was sautéed and then rigatoni noodles were added. A fresh grate of cheese finished the dish and an old meal was new again.
8.9/10
This is just a little photo memory of the rabbit pie we did this winter. I don't remember the recipe details at all. What I do remember is that it was delicious.
9.6/10
I decided to go after the rolled up chicken from the other day but this time with just thighs. I also wanted to attack it with some intent to the process and idea as I wasn't using random leftover parts from the freezer. An intentional trip to the store for dinner ingredients with a plan to take on inspiration from the ingredients took me to chicken part deux. We de-boned the thighs and pounded them out, should have gone thinner, and then covered the insides in salt and pepper. A generous amount of rosemary, sage, and thyme was added and they were rolled up into the same mini "roasts". This time, rather than the oven, it was the center of a ring of coals on the grill for some great color and flavor.
We filled out the plate with grilled swiss chard, dandelion greens, broccolini, and enoki mushrooms garnished with smoked pine nuts.
If not better than the first version, it was definitely more refined.
8.8/10
Amuse Gueule of mushrooms
Ebi Shiso Age - Shiso-wrapped crispy Blue Prawn
Bambo shoots
Nukazuke - House fermented Japanese pickles
Tofu Salad - Silken tofu with sweet beets and baby greens
Sautéed beef
Just a beautiful presentation of the house soy sauce
Osusume - Featured ten piece Nigiri flight
Yaki Wagyu - 4oz grilled A4 Wagyu, potatoes, shishito peppers
Kado No Mise has a beautiful space with large windows out to the sidewalk and comfortably intimate tables that allow easy conversations without having to either bump into each other or shout. Our dinner was an opportunity to catch up with some friends and try someplace new. The staff were lovely and attentive and had a great knowledge of the food and drinks.
The food was, for the most part, excellent. The only slightly sour note was the nigiri. We both felt that the flavors were flat and that the different fish lacked definition. In the same way that things that have been in the freezer too long start to pick up each other’s flavors. I didn’t take a photo, but the Salmon Roe nigiri lacked the briny ocean flavor I would have expected and was actually a little seet. All that said, though, the Wagyu was excellent - tender, juicy, and with a delightful beefiness. The potatoes were perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and the peppers were charred to the ideal smoky flavor. The piece of ribeye I was able to pry away from my friend confirmed that mine wasn’t a fluke.
After dinner we retired to the bar upstairs for a Japanese whiskey and conversation. The bar is comfortable with a few nooks that are great for talking and sharing and the chairs are comfortable. The only critique I might have is that the walls and furniture are quite dark and the light is very low making for a slightly disorienting darkness that pervades. That aside, the bartender was very knowledgeable and helpful and the drinks were excellent.
9/10
The question was “what should we do with the chicken breast and thigh in the freezer?” She questioned if chicken two days in a row was a bad idea but I persisted and this was the result.
The chicken were both bone in and skin on so I started by pulling out the bones. I pressed the thigh out flat and laid the tender out on the breast. Next was a liberal season with salt and pepper and the addition of four large garlic cloves that were cleaned and sliced. A large bunch of fennel top was cleaned and all of it was laid on the chicken, rolled up, and tied into small “roasts”.
In a screaming hot pan with some veg oil the outsides were browned. While browning golden beets and carrots were sliced and spread out in a pan with salt, pepper, and oive oil. The chicken was placed on the beets and carrots and was placed in a 400F oven for 30 minutes.
While roasting brussel sprouts and cauliflower were cleaned and sliced. At 30 minutes they were added to the pan and all was continued for 15 more minutes.
The finishing touch was a dressing she made from the pan drippings, dry vermouth, and basil.
Teamwork makes the dream work! - 8.5/10
Killed it this afternoon with a midnight inspiration. While laying awake I was pondering my first salad course and came up with the above. A salad bite consisting of: butter lettuce (though endive would be good too), topped with cucumber, onion, red bell pepper, cauliflower, mushroom, fennel frond, and grated parmesan. The dressing was a drizzle of lemon and lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. A dressing that has been serving us tastilly for about a week now.
Needs some work but - 8.9/10
Met some friends for dinner and to try Book Club. Had a lovely evening at one of the Kim Bartmann empire. Normally this would give me pause, I’ve not been particularly impressed with other offerings, but in this case it’s being run by Chef and Ower Asher Miller. If that doesn’t mean anything to you don’t worry, all it says to me is “not Kim”.
The space is nicely done with some changes from its earlier life as Cafe Maude. The most notable, to me anyway, difference being the removal of a quiet seating nook in the back. In the end this has the effect of opening the room but also amping the noise level.
We tried several items from across the menu:
Appetizers were:
Fried Oysters - crispy kale, sweet chili mayo, lemon
Green Curry Mussels & Dumplings - green curry coconut broth, chive dumplings, ginger, lemongrass, kefir, Thai basil
Crispy Fried Tofu - sweet ginger marinade, chili mayo
Korean Steak Satay - miso, tamarind, Fresno chili, ginger
Mains were:
Balinese Half Chicken - broccolini, lemongrass pickled vegetables, brown jasmine rice
Pork and Beans - 3-day porchetta, cannelloni beans, kale, rosemary, honey mustard sauce
Whole Fried Sea Bass - Nuoc Cham, lettuce cups, lemongrass pickles, brown jasmine rice
Fried Chicken Sandwich - lettuce, sweet pickle chips, white vinegar BBQ sauce
Dessert was:
Warm Chocolate Cake - Stuffed with raspberry preserve, vanilla ice cream
All of the appetizers were done to perfection:
The oysters still firm in their crispy shells, and accompanied a nice little mayo. The mussels just opened up and dripping with the curry while nestled in with little cloud like pillows of dumplings. The satay’s marinade was delightful and the steak done perfectly. And, finally, the tofu were clouds in an idyllic crunchy shell.
Thes mains were a mixed bag. The Sea Bass was tasty and beautifully presented. It was flaky and flavorful. The chicken sandwich was, perhaps not surprisingly, bland and chicken like. I didn’t find anything good or bad to say about it. The best thing to be said about the Balinese Chicken was the next day, when it was eaten as leftovers. Sometimes things need time to round out their flavors. The Pork and Beans were the standout here. The porchetta was zingy with spices and perfectly tender with a delightful little crust. I imagine the heal of this gem to be a delight that only the chef gets to enjoy.
Can’t go wrong on a night out with good friends. - 10/10
Book Club - 6.2/10
In the ongoing quest for the perfect sourdough she presents this lovely. It has the perfect crackle when pressed lightly and lovely enormous air pockets. It carried the butter well and was a perfect accompaniment to the roast chicken we had Sunday night.
12/10 - A new high. May need to recalibrate the scale.