Executive Chef/Owner Kevin Gillespie
While visiting Atlanta, we were lucky enough to go to Woodfire Grill. Kevin Gillespie a recent contestant and finalist on Top Chef Las Vegas (along with the two Voltaggio brothers and eventual winner Michael Voltaggio) is the Executive Chef/Owner and he was one of our favorite chefs on Top Chef Season 6. Kevin is a goofy, shaggy bearded, tattooed, red-haired character of a chef who has a warm personality and loves to cook pork. Kevin and Woodfire Grill are known for incorporating local farms produce and proteins into a seasonal menu. For the night, we sat at the bar and were kept entertained by the fun, engaging, and equally important, knowledegable staff.
There were two options, a la carte or a chef's 5 course tasting menu. We felt the tasting menu would give us the best feel for the restaurant, so here we go!
Amuse - confit navel orange, green olive, compressed cucumber
Clean, Cool, Refreshing. We've heard before that citrus fruits or more tart fruits or flavors help to open up an appetite and prepare a palette and this is what this amuse was going for. A small bite, not too strongly flavored, very simple.
GG- loved the saltiness of the olive that cut right through the acidity of the citrus.
First Course - poached laughing bird shrimp, pickled ramps, lemon emulsion, black olive, rye crisp
The rye crisps provided a crunchy texture to the shrimps that were cooked perfectly. This savory and mouth watering blend of spices did the "laughing bird" justice. More importantly, the lemon emulsion added a hint of acid to the dish, emphasizing the shrimp flavor even more.
Second Course - pan seared bramlett farms trout, roasted brussel sprout leaves, hen of the woods mushrooms, lemon-olive oil emulsion
We loved the crunchy skin from the pan seared trout. The earthiness from the fresh mushrooms complemented the savoriness of the fish which was more dense thank flaky. Brussel sprouts are one of my favorites when cooked well, and provided a crunchy, buttery and nutty texture to the dish overall.
Taste - english pea soup, micro shiso
Neither I nor Andrew really liked this dish too much, so I guess it's a good thing we didn't order it from the menu. It sounded good, but emulsified peas remind me too much of baby food and the smell didn't do anything to help either. Maybe it doesn't help that I don't like baby food.
Fourth Course - wood grilled salami crusted wild sturgeon, polenta mousseline, sicilian tomato and caper sauce, bitter greens, herb salad.
This one makes my mouth water just thinking about it. The sturgeon was firm to the touch, yet light and flaky enough so that it was able to be scooped up with the creamy polenta and greens in one delicate bite. The polenta made me want to lick the plate and was permeated with a hint of savory tomato flavor that was so pungent and distinct. This was a masterpiece from a true Top Chef.
Main Course - wood grilled lamb loin, mushroom and veal sweetbread fricassee, crushed english peas, potato sauce, pomegranate brown butter.
While Gillespie is a great chef and both A & I have the utmost respect for him, I have to ask...what's up with the peas? We didn't really care for them in this dish either- but wish there were more potatoes. The creaminess of the potatoes had that distinct mashed potato flavor with just the perfect amount to complement a tender lamb. The pomegranate brown butter hit the dish with a bit of acidity give a final touch. B+ - good effort, but not memorable. We wished we got the pork!!
Dessert - strawberry shortcake, sour cream pound cake, rhubarb jam, strawberry whip, pickled rhubarb, macerated strawberries.
Andrew loves strawberries, so I couldn't have picked a better dessert for his birthday dinner. The macerated strawberries were sweet and full of sugar, and I didn't really care for the bland rhubarbs (although I've never really cared for rhubarbs) - Most of the dish was tangy and didn't really satisfy for dessert. Note to Kevin- is that all you've got in the dessert field? We're in the south for crying out loud! Take a page from Paula Deen and use some butter. Or better yet, serve us pork!
A great dinner and more importantly. a great experience. It was surprising what a light meal Kevin prepared considering that we expected more of a southern heaviness and heartiness to the food. Our only complaint was that pork was not included in the tasting menu as this is Kevin's specialty and personal favorite among the proteins. At the end of our meal, we even asked if we could meet Kevin and waited 15 minutes. Unfortunately Kevin was on an important conference call, which is understandable, so the slight disappointment did not ruin what was a great dinner.
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