Gotham Gal

Choptank

Choptank is the latest restaurant in the space that most recently housed the now defunct Bar Q.  I saw the restaurant open didn't feel like running in.  Maybe that was a sign.  I happen to know a few people connected to the restaurant so at one point I felt compelled to give it a try.  Sam Sifton of the NYTimes reviewed Choptank a few weeks ago which piqued my interest. 

Last night at 830, the place was packed but by 1015, there were just a few stragglers left.  I thought about that this morning.  The concept, the vibe, the interior almost feels like it is out of its element on Bleeker Street in the West Village and might have do better on Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side. 

I like the couple of bars where you can eat and watch oysters being shelled.  In the front bar area all the tables are high tops.  The menu is simple with a variety of selections I would have tried.  The execution isn't so good.

We started with some oysters on the half shell.  After seeing them being shucked on the way back to our table, how could we not.  The oysters come with the classic cocktail sauce and a mignonette.  It is hard to go wrong there.  They also brought over for us the house made potato chips and dip.  The chips are quite tasty, deep fried, thin and crispy with a nice kick of Old Bay seasoning.  The dip was a rich mayonnaise laden crab dip.  Someone could easily go through a batch of those chips in no time.   My favorite was probably the Peel 'n Eat shrimp.  Perfectly cooked shrimp that has been steamed in Old Bay.  Yet, like all the food, there was something missing.  It was good, it was tasty but I just felt it could have been better.  Like the octopus dish.  Braised octopus, sliced into pieces served with a mixture of thinly sliced red and yellow peppers sauteed with half sliced potatoes.  Looked good but there was no punch to the dish.  It tasted bland.

For dinner, Fred had the oyster po-boy which I did not taste but he said it was just okay.  Our friend had the Cod.  A nice piece of fish served with tiny clams and a clam broth.  I had the crab cake.  More filling  than crab.  Tasty but again just missing the boat.  It was good not great.  On the side was a hunk of iceberg letter with a dreadful French dressing over the top and a few pickled green beans. 

I grew up on tables covered with newspaper and boiled Maryland crabs soaked with Old Bay seasoning.  That is what Choptank is supposed to represent.  Some of the items of the menu you wouldn't find in an old style Maryland crab house.  Regardless, the restaurant just doesn't hit the high notes.  Besides the decor, nothing delicious enough to make me want to come back.  It is if they are almost there but can't get to the other side.  They need to play with each dish and balance the flavors better.  Maybe a new chef?

Matsugen

There are those three words that ring loud and clear in many instances, "location, location, location".  That might be one of the major problems behind Matsugen, a Jean-George restaurant. 

We were there on Friday night.  It was empty.  Located on Church Street, outside of the busier areas of Tribeca.  The restaurant itself is serene.  Beautifully designed.  A long communal table in the first room with an open kitchen behind it.  The other spaces are chopped up into smaller intimate settings which is so smart.  The place flows elegantly.  The food is quite good too, expensive but delicious.  The service, well they could let you sit there for eternity but why not, nobody else is around.

We followed the instructions on how to dive into the menu.  We shared everything.  Started off with a few appetizers, then had something from the grill menu, some sushi, a few soba soups and dessert. 

Kampachi sashimi with a spicy radish, wasabi and ponzu sauce.  A nice mixture, crunchy too.  All the fish was fantastic and fresh.

We had two tatakis which is sliced raw fish lightly salted and and charred on the ends sitting in a sauce.  The toro was like butter. 

The salmon was outrageous.  I could go back and order 10 pieces just for myself.  Intense flavor with the soy rice vinegar.

We also had the asparagus which was blanched, sliced and served with a sesame paste over the top. 

For the grill, we went with the miso cod.  Almost fell apart when you sliced into it, charred on the outside and full of flavor. The sushi was excellent. 

The soba soups are their signature.  We had one hot and one cold.  Hot duck broth with snake like noodles that fall apart when you eat them.  Absolutely delicious.  The cold, I really liked best.  Special of the house.  Scallion, bonito, yam, sesame, soft boiled egg that made the dish sticky when you mixed it up, okra, wasabi, cucumber, myogi, sushi and nori.  Awesome.

Dessert was the gooey chocolate cake with green tea ice cream, similar to the one they serve at JoJo and then a green tea creme brulee.

I will definitely go back.  No need for reservations, the place is empty.  Maybe the cost, maybe the location but I hope for the neighborhood, they remain open.

Bistro de la Gare

Bistro de la Gare is the latest addition to the West Village neighborhood.  One of the chefs/owners behind this new restaurant basically moved around the corner from Jarnac which closed this past year after a serious long run.

The restaurant is quite simple.  Long with banquettes down the side creating seating for 2-4 and a small bar with 4 seats in the back.  There is also a large table in the back.  Unfortunately the door opens right down the middle which isn't so easy for the first few tables.

There is no doubt that Bistro de la Gare is the locals spot.  The chefs were making their away around the tables and greeting many guests as long lost friends.  A nice neighborhood vibe.  This is what I love about NYC.  Restaurants like this provide a dining room for many of the locals.  They come a few times a week or at least once a week and eat here.  It becomes their kitchen.  That is exactly who the restaurant is for because the food isn't that great. 

The menu is certainly well thought out and hits the seasons high notes, it doesn't quite make the grade.  Heavy handed.  Not an omigod on the menu.  Not even a wow this is yummy.  The pasta is so heavy it could sit in your stomach for days.  The seafood salad is mostly frisee, light on the seafood and way too lemony.  The warm mushroom salad is pretty basic.  The octopus came out a tad cold and laden with butter.  It isn't that anything tasted bad, it just is that nothing tasted that good. 

Great for the neighborhood.  There was no doubt that after the closing of Jarnac and now the opening of Bistro de la Gare alot of the locals are thrilled.  That is what makes NYC.  My guess is the Bistro will be around for a very long time and that is a very good thing. 

Keep in mind they do not have their beer and wine license yet but it is coming so BYOA.

Southern Indian Brunch

Our friends, who happen to be from Southern India but live in NYC, invited us to have brunch at Saravanaa.  They say it is the closest thing in NYC to the real deal Indian brunch.  We went early and the place was almost packed by the time we left. 

Aside from the food, I always love getting together with these friends because not only are they incredibly bright, it is interesting to hear them talk about India today.  Certainly you have to always talk about history in order to figure out how India got to where it is today.  How the country runs, the different dialects, the differences between the North and the South and the booming economy that is pulling many people back home were just a few of the conversations.

We started off with 2 different dishes.  Each had the same dipping sauces but the item you dip with is different.  The first one is called Iddly which is basically a steamed rice puff.  Interesting in texture almost like a dry barely baked bread.  The sauces are fantastic.  The white one is coconut but has the consistency of a chunky yogurt.  The biggest dip is a spicy lentil sauce which you can mix with all the others.  The green one had a Thai flavoring to it maybe had a green chili base.  The red one definitely had a red chili base to it.  Nothing too spicy.  All vegetarian. 

This particular bread is called Vadda.  Deep fried flour that is like a dry plain donut with pieces of black pepper running through it. 

We also had some lassas.  The mango was sweet and rich like a delicious thin ice cream shake.  The other was buttermilk based and salty.   I preferred the mango. 

Next round were dosas.  I know dosas from Hampton Chutney which is definitely one of my favorite summer haunts in Amagansett.  The dosas here are beautiful.  A semolina flour mixed in a batter and then prepared like a crepe.  The dosa had nothing in it with the dipping sauces on the side.  It was so big that I couldn't even capture the entire thing in the picture.

 

The other dosa was stuffed with a mashed potato, pea and vegetable mixture.  Probably some tumeric in it. 

Last out was the coffee.  Delicious.  The coffee comes in a small cup, super hot, and placed inside a bowl.   You take the coffee from the cup and pour it in the bowl and then continue to go back and forth, over and over until the coffee has cooled to your liking.  Yum.

So glad we went.  A total treat.  Right down the street from one of my favorite stores, Kalustyans where you can find pretty much anything for your pantry including foods from a variety of different countries that nobody else carries. 

The Meatball Shop

Rick and I got together on Saturday morning for a download.  2010 appears to be on the right track. I got to taste the newest product that should hit the stands sometime this Spring.  Had a bite of the new and improved, crisper S'mokra.  All good.

We opted for lunch at the nearby The Meatball Shop that recently opened on Stanton.

Great space.  Nice wrap around bar, lots of tables, open kitchen.  Simple new Italian vibe.  The owner,  Michael, was behind the bar.

Rick and I did a smorgasbord of meatballs.  There are a variety of ways to have them.  In a bowl, on a slider, mashed up or in a hero. You can also pick the sauces you want to pair with your meatballs.  I love options.  Since we were really just interested in the meatballs more than anything we went mostly with the classic bowl that comes with a sauce and small piece of focaccia on top.

The owner ordered for us so I assumed he created the combo that he likes best.  We missed out on the experience where you take a sharpie and check what you want on the laminated menu to give your server.  Very clever.  Next time.

We tried four different meals balls and two sides. 



Spicy pork with mushroom sauce.  This was good but my least favorite.  A nice bite on the meatball but the mushroom sauce was a tad overwhelming.  Made me think of Thanksgiving. 



The classic beef was quite delicious.  Flavorful and served in a nice tomato sauce.



Lamb meatballs were the special of the day.  You could taste a little bit of mint in them.  Excellent.  They came in a tomato sauce with the Parmesan sauce on the side (Ricks request). 



The last we tried was the chicken.  We had them as sliders with the Parmesan sauce over the top.  Yum.  Different and a nice kick too.  Probably my fave.



For the sides we had the sauteed kale which was nice and simple. 


We also had the roasted butternut squash with shaved ricotta salata cheese and walnuts.  Nice side but a bit heavy handed on the salt. 


We also had the mashed potatoes which are rich and heavenly.


The place was packed by the time we left.  Loved the place.  Great concept.  The small plates that they serve everything in is perfect.  The meatballs are the perfect texture.  You can cut through them with a fork and they stay together but they are still light and not too dense.  A really clever concept.  I know there is garlic in the food because I saw food being delivered to the kitchen but you can't taste it and it doesn't come back to kick you in the ass as the day progresses.  That alone, for me, is HUGE.  It means the recipes are good and the chefs know how to cook.  Garlic is used to enhance not to be used as a flavor.


Michael treated us to dessert.  His wife makes the ice cream.  Obviously a family business.  He has a partner but if he was there, we didn't meet him.  Brownie sandwich filled with serious mint ice cream.  The cookie, perhaps a signature, is a meringue walnut chocolate chip.  Tiny tiny chocolate chips in a very light crispy cookie that is perfect for dipping in coffee.  There coffee is very good.  That is key in my book.


Will I be back, you betcha.  

Gramercy Tavern

For the many restaurants that I have eaten in NYC, I must confess that Gramercy Tavern is still one of my all time faves.  If I have eaten in the front room 50 times, I have eaten there 100 times.  I have been a patron since the day the door opened.  For as many times that I have eaten in the front room, I have only eaten in the back room 3 times.  As of this week, I can make that 4.  For the future, there will be many more.

The room in the back is warm and inviting.  I love the decor.  Big heavy curtains, great acoustics and comfy seating.  Where ever you are sitting there seems to be so many angles that you are part of the entire room while being in your own separate space.  Very smart. 

I went with the newly formed Board for Curbed.  The good news is that the chefs knew we were there, as Curbed is the umbrella of Eater, so we were treated to a variety of extra goodies.  The bad news is that we were treated to a variety of extra goodies.  I literally rolled out of there.  A bit of a shoveling event.

You will have to give me a little rope here because there is no way I can recall everything we ate.  Could be the quantity of food but more than likely the alcohol. 

We began with 3 tiny tastes from the chef.  All delicious.  Then the food really begins.  I began with a crab dish.  A light fluffy egg crepe folded over and stuffed with pieces of warm crab sitting over a light sauce.  Different, very French.  After that appetizer, we had 5 appetizers delivered to the table.  We each took a bite and passed to the right.  One thing that stood out was the butternut squash.  A small custard of butternut squash with small pieces of pear inside and topped with roasted pine nuts.  Rich and creamy and like the crab, creative.

After that our main courses came.  I had the duck.  Thinly sliced medium-rare duck breast over a grilled piece of endive that has a sherry vinaigrette on it.  On the side is a sweet potato mixture.  I believe we might have had another course of something else in between but I honestly can't remember.

Last and certainly not least were the desserts.  First thing was in a small bowl sat 2 tiny sweet buttermilk shortcakes with sauteed apples and a dot of whipped cream.  2 bites was all you got and it was perfect.  Sweet, buttery and yummy apples. It would have been enough to call the meal over at that point.  But no, then out comes 5 desserts, one different for each of us.  So overwhelming including the small plates of truffles and candies.  There were a few highlights.  The pineapple upside down with frozen yogurt was not only beautiful it was delicious.  The butterscotch sundae was also a treat.  The last plate that came my way was the peanut butter semifreddo.  A creamy chocolate peanut butter mixture with a bunch of salty nuts running through it.  It was so unbelievably divine but there was no way I could do more than take a few bites.  I did consider finishing it off but thought I might explode.

First of all, having a Board dinner before the meeting the next day has many pros.  We all got to know each other better and talk a little business.  Then there is always the concern the next morning, did everyone else drink and eat as much as me?  That was confirmed the next day, we all did.

Always a pleasure to go to Gramercy Tavern.  Also, very excited about the variety of things in the works for Curbed and all the other properties.  2010 will be a very good year for this company.  I can just feel it. 

Marea

It was a big effort but I finally made my way uptown to try Marea.  All four of us, casually dressed, decided we might be a tad out of our element the second we saw each other.  The restaurant is beautiful, elegant and very adult.  Men were wearing jackets and a few ties, Fred was wearing a sweater.  Men were wearing nice slacks, Fred was wearing jeans.  It is nice to see how the other half dines. 

We had all read the same reviews on Marea.  The first few courses are fantastic but the main courses are not as wow.  So, in keeping with our tradition when we dine with our friends, we split everything.  It makes for great conversation. 

As we started looking through the menu, I took out a pen and marked up the menu and pulled it out of its folder.  Didn't realize it was glued in but figured they had an ample supply.  Poor manners on my part but watching all the waiters gape at me might have been worth it.  It did help us when the courses came. 

The first courses came from the Crudo al Taglio section of the menu.  Sliced raw fish and shellfish.  Sushi, Italian style.  Each plate comes out on small square different colored resin plates.  We each were served a plate, we'd take a bite or two and then pass to our right.

Lancia is sliced Hawaiian blue marlin with a dollop of sturgeon caviar over the top with a mussel vinaigrette drizzled across the plate.  Everybody voted this as number one.  The combination of the flavors and textures just hit a seriously high note.  Amazing.  My apologies for some poor picture quality.

Seppia was also a winner.  Cuttlefish cut into the shape of tagliatelle (a thin spaghetti) mixed with a soffrito and bottarga de muggine.  The mound of fish was laid over thinly sliced cucumbers.  Nice touch. 

Dentice is sliced pacific snapper that sits over whole wheat bread croutons.  This was not my favorite.  It was simple but it was clever and tasty but not as layered in flavor as the other crudos.

Polipo is simple but I really enjoyed it.  Sliced pieces of octopus with chili oil, lemon and parsley over the top.  I love the texture of octopus and the chili oil gave it a real spicy bite.  Yum.

This course was fantastic.  I not only loved the creativity of each dish but how each taste stood out even when there were 3 - 4 different flavors.  Every flavor complimented each other and although you were tasting a bunch of flavors at once, each taste individually stood out. 

Our next course was from the Antipasti section of the menu.  This consists of seasonal appetizers.  This was my least favorite course.  Although everything was exquisitely prepared, the flavors of the crudo were more powerful.

Astice is small pieces of poached lobster sitting over a creamy burrata and small pieces of eggplant and a sprig of basil.  The strange mixture totally worked.  The burrata was phenomenal.  Creamy and just delicious.

Ricciola is cured pieces of yellowtail sliced into a mound with meyer lemon, horseradish and piece of pistachio to compliment. 

Coppa di Testa is beautiful in presentation.  Whole anchovies wrapped around a spiced braised pork with tiny caramelized onions on the side.  Genius.  My only criticism of the dish is that the pork didn't have that much kick, it had no depth.

Calamari is squid stuffed with spicy sausage and sauteed kale and pieces of sunchoke on the the side.  This was really good, different and the presentation was pretty amazing.

Our last round was the pastas which have been praised by everyone who has eaten at Marea.  This is the part of the meal that we were all looking forward to. 

I Cotechino is a risotto made with spiced pork, cod belly and red wine.  This was so incredibly rich that it was almost too much.  A small dollop of this is plenty.  A whole plate kind of kills it.

  Funghi is wild mushrooms and shaved parmigiano.  Classic and fantastic.

 

Ferratini is manilla clams, pieces of calamari and hot chilies.  This pasta was divine.  Seriously out of this world.  Light spicy flavorful and perfectly cooked.  I loved loved loved this pasta.

Fusilli is the pasta that everyone raves about.  Believe the hype.  Fusilli mixed with red wine braised octopus and bone marrow.  Honestly, it renders me speechless.  Deep in color, rich in flavor, different than any other sauce I have ever had over perfectly made pasta.  Awesome.

Last we did go for dessert, of course.  A creamy chocolate dessert like a torte with whole hazelnuts and a milk gelato on the side.  I think we got one more thing but honestly can't remember.  At this point, many glasses of wine, full bellies and still dreaming about the pastas, I was done.

Worth the journey.  There happens to be a private room downstairs.  Could be a great place for an intimate party.  Just a FYI.  I'm still dreaming about the fusilli, the ferratini and the lancia.  Seriously sublime. 

Yerba Buena Perry Street

Slowly but surely Greenwich Avenue between 7th and 6th has changed.   From the stores to the restaurants.  Yerba Buena Perry, although located on Perry, is right on the corner of Greenwich and Perry.  This is the latest addition to the block. 

This is not the first restaurant from the group.  Yerba Buena is also located in the East Village and with the success of that restaurant, they opened another. 

It does drive me insane when the noise level is really hard to hear the other people at the table speak.  It is something that can easily be taken care of in construction with the right fabrications.  It is a tad noisy in there and the restaurant was not filled to capacity.  Can't imagine the din if the place was full.  Service was spotty.  Although very nice, not too attentive to timing such as getting the check or getting the drinks.  Also, the appetizers came out when the main courses came out which I thought was strange.  Regardless, the food was mixed.  Somethings were really delicious and others were just okay.

We had dinner with a woman that I had met this past December who is a reader of both mine and Fred's blogs.  Her boyfriend is Jay Jay French of Twisted Sister.  How could I turn down a dinner to meet the man behind Twisted Sister?  My brother-in-law would have killed me. 

Jay Jay not only tells great stories, he is a walking historian of slice of NYC that most of have never heard of.  From the education system, before Stuyvesant was co-ed to his mother's involvement in Kennedy campaign in New York.  Even the stories of the band, how they were formed, how it ended and how they got back together.  Heavy Metal music is a world completely onto its own....and Jay Jay has seen it all including some epic shows.

On to the meal.  We all shared 2 appetizers to start.  The empanadas stuffed with sauteed spinach, corn and manchego cheese sat over a dried fig vinaigrette which fantastic.  Having just been in Buenos Aires, and eating my share of empanadas, these were the real deal.  Good crust with a melding of tasty flavors inside.  Delicious.  The other appetizer was the hamachi tacos.  4 small tacos stuffed with raw hamachi (yellow tail) covered with thinly sliced radishes and a spicy habernero salsa.  It was different but I didn't love it.

For the main courses, Fred and I split 2 things.  I went with the pork.  Shredded suckling pig set over a puree of yucca root sitting in a habernero salsa.  The salsa is really rich brown sauce.  I didn't love this.  Almost too heavy on the flavors.  Although really well prepared in both cooking and presentation, it was overwhelming. 

Fred went with the Rib Eye.  I don't know where they get their steaks but it was rich, tasty, flavorful and just delicious.   Over the steak was a salad of sliced cherry tomatoes, pieces of avocado and onions.  Steak Latin style.  Totally worked for me.  There were 5 sauces on the plate too.  The one that I really liked was the chopped cilantro and olive oil mixture.  The others were good but I just gave them a quick taste.  We also ordered a side of mixed fries.  Really clever and different.  French fry in cut but watermelon, avocado and hearts of palm deep fried in a spicy panko mixture. 

Had to try dessert.  We all split the crepe.  A sliced brown crepe stuffed with dulce de leche topped with spicy pumpkin seeds and scoop of pistachio ice cream on the side.  Simple and quite good.

Latin is not something that I eat on a regular basis but the food was different and quite good.  Not consistent but that is okay.  The steak was top.  What was amazing, more than anything, is that they didn't use any garlic in the food.  The food was full of flavor with lots of different spices but no garlic.  Love that.

Glad I went.  As I said, it isn't something I eat regularly.  In general, I don't gravitate towards food with Latin Mexican influences but a nice change of pace.  Interesting company which is always a huge bonus and another new addition to Greenwich Avenue.  All good.

return to colicchio and sons

I went back to Colicchio and Sons last night and ate in the tap room.  The tap room is the front room, no reservations, and a smaller menu.  Actually, not only is the menu smaller, it is much less expensive.  They continue to change the menu in the tap room too.  The difference is big. 

There is more of a casual feel in the front room that just seem to work better.  The grown up stuffy feel in the back room, imho, is not what people are looking for these days.  The space is so big but perhaps Colicchio should think about turning 80% of the space into a tap room and leave 20% for a fancier menu.  Flip what is happening in there now.

We shared everything.  Starting with a whipped ricotta served with a few roasted vegetables that had just a hint of honey.  With that we had a roasted onion pizza made in the wood fired oven.  Really delicious pizza, crusty on the sides and soft and thin in the middle.  The restaurant does pizza night on Sundays.  Might have to check it out.

For our second course we split a scrumptious baked pasta dish.  Zitti loaded with a rich gooey cheese and pieces of crispy sausage and black kale.  Excellent.  We also had a piece of branzino.  Crispy skin, a tad undercooked but the right size portion with a little bit of a spicy red sauce on the side.

Dessert was fun.  Tubular deep fried cream filled donuts sprinkled with sugar and served hot.  On the side was a gelato ( can't remember the flavor ) but we also had a scoop of caramel butterscotch gelato which was really delicious.  But the best was the rosemary gelato.  The intense flavor of the rosemary was really different and fantastic.

A really nice evening.  Good food.  Not the easiest location, 15th and 10th but I do like the atmosphere...particularly the tap room. 

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• Collichio and sons (gothamgal.com)

Collichio and sons

I was never a fan of Craft Steak.  The food just wasn't that good.  Also, the space is so overwhelmingly huge that there was no intimacy at all.  The fact that Collichio decided Craft Steak wasn't working and changed the whole concept is pretty smart.  He gets high kudos for that.  It is now called Colicchio & Sons.

The space has been given some minor changes that definitely create a more intimate feel.  The wood log wall around the bar area (called the tap room) with tables makes that area into a small cafe.  Smart.  My guess is this area is for the walk in customers.  We sat in the back, and the changes, although not huge, make a difference.  The place is still quite large and unless it is filled, it is quite obvious how many patrons are or aren't there.  That is a challenge on to itself particularly now when people are acutely aware of which restaurants are filled and which ones aren't.

From what I understand, the concept is that every morning, based on the ingredients in the house, the menu is created.  Sort of sounds like Top Chef.  There is no doubt based on the menu that the creativity is there.  The issue is that nothing gets to be served night after night.  Perfecting a dish is kind of an important feature at a restaurant.  I am all for changing the menu seasonally but it is a challenge to change nightly to a restaurant with 100+ seats vs a restaurant with 34 seats. 

The first thing that arrived was the bread.  It appears that they kept the one thing that Craft Steak had going for it.  Their version of the Parker House rolls.  Nice.

We split everything.  In a small pan came 3 butter-poached oysters with a small mound of celery root shaved into a tagliatelle shape ( pasta ) with a dollop of American caviar on top.  The butter dripping in the pan.  A total MO (mouth orgasm).  Creamy, sublime and a tad decadent.  Delicious. 

Our other appetizer was braised white beans served with spicy chorizo, roasted pork belly and pieces of octopus.  Clever, a great combination, a Spanish edge.  Good, well cooked, and good.  Not an omigod but good.

For the main course we opted for one fish and one meat.  For the fish, pancetta wrapped slices of monkfish over finely chopped braised red cabbage with a little black truffle vinaigrette.  The monk fish sliced up like butter.  The dish was beautiful in presentation.  But, the dish was really salty, the cabbage had way too much bite and the vinaigrette was too vinegary.  It looked fantastic but it wasn't.  Great for the photos not for the mouth.

Our meat, not that great either.  2 large hunks of duck that were way too thick.  The duck was roasted and had a spicy kick.  This was served over a sauerkraut with a licorice root and kumquat chutney.  The flavors just mushed today. Also, the cabbage wrapped piece on the plate was inedible.  It just wasn't that interesting.

We did go for the dessert.  A tiny banana-pecan upside down cake infused with a rum caramel and banana sorbet on the side.  Nice, tasty.  They also gave us a treat of chocolate nut covered square pieces of toffee.  Well done.

To sum it up, the constant change is questionable.  Nice job on the reconfiguring the space.  Service is wonderful.  Great wine list.  There is a casual elegant feel which I really like.  I'd figure out the top dishes and stick with them.  The oysters were fabulous but I'd like to come back and see them on the menu.  It appears to be a work in progress.  I hope that they figure it out because I like it there.