Quick Bites: Back To Gwynnett Street

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  August 28, 2012]

I enjoyed my first dinner at Gwynnett Street back in March, and was resolved to return.  Spring and summer sped past, and finally I nabbed a random Open Table opportunity and went back for dinner.

The menu seemed shorter and simpler, but service and food was agreeable again.  Less so the music, which was unnecessarily pumped up at the beginning of the evening.  It became more muted towards the end; but curious to be finishing dinner with the Sex Pistols piping away softly in the background.

I rarely order soup, but this is the kind of kitchen you trust with market-fresh ingredients.  A cool gem lettuce soup actually had all kinds of green herbs, from chervil to parsley, blended into the liquid.  In the bottom of the bowl, just a little crème fraîche, some fish roe, and allegedly a cured egg yolk -- although I think that must have dissolved into the soup.

A nice, smooth texture.  Mild, refreshing, kinda healthy-feeling.

There had been much discussion of the Gwynnett Street duck among online foodies.  I missed it first time around, so decided to see for myself.  It's brined, apparently, and it was a little on the firm side of tender.  The flavor was nicely gamy.  The farro, in a savory stock, was great -- studded with little pieces of pecan.  Chunks of peach too.

The vegetable dish on the menu was found to be good, but it was very strangely proportioned.  I'd been wrestling with the best part of a large duck breast: this black bean plate would have made a light appetizer.  The black beans are formed into spongy cakes and garnished with corn, celtuce (really -- Google it), radish, and tomatillo.  It was strange that this was so much more minimalist than the meat entrée.

The experience wasn't as exciting as the tasting menu, which at $85 is worth trying.