it lived up to my expectations. First of all, they do a great job achieving the ambiance they’re striving for – a laid-back kind of place in which you can relax with a few buddies (or make new ones at the communal table) while sipping some good wine and nibbling on some great food. The whole menu (changes daily) looked great last night, and included a chard and branzino tart with mint (excellent, herby olive oil dressing and a rich pastry crust); grilled hanger steak (had to have been cooked over coals to achieve such a deliciously smoky flavor); a rich and melty black cod over ratitoullie (loved that the fish was NOT overcooked, but somehow the veggies were…); the delicious-sounding items on the chalk board that we didn’t sample included “cow and corn” – a slow braise of leg meat served over polenta, a lebanese semolina cake with carrots and ricotta, and a game hen dish. The highlight for me, however, was the cold cucumber and melon soup (with mint and interlaken grapes). This was not your standard nice, but boring, summer soup. The (pickled?) red onions, fresh herby mint flavor, and cracked black pepper, as well as the plentiful (and high quality) olive oil whisked into the soup just before serving added new dimmensions to a the kind of dish every restaurant is serving to be “hip” these days. That same delicious liquid gold was also featured on the desert menu (which, regretably we did not sample) in the form of olive oil gelatto drizzled with 13-year-aged balsamic. wow.

It was great talking with Chef Matt Dillon between courses, and he was happy to share some of his techniques and preparations as well as discuss where he shopped for produce. Just the fact the executive chef (who, by the way, used to reside at the Herbfarm), also delivered bread, entrees, and wiped down tables was refreshing and indicative of the kind of community S&S is trying to build here.

Looking forward to a lunch visit next week.

Delicious Lev Black Lion Czech beer