Rabbit Boudin with Pounded Loin
| Wit and Wisdom | |
|---|---|
| Food Quality |   |
| Drinks | |
| There's some really pricey wine on this list! | |
| Environment | |
| Just a beautiful space through and through. | |
| Price |  |
| Super expensive. Not pricey like the new tasting bar craze pricey, but expensive nonetheless. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
It all started perfectly innocently with a suggestion of “Let’s go out to dinner tonight, haven’t seen you in ages.” KoKo has a habit of disappearing into the suburbs and so we don’t see so much of him, and I had wanderlust after last week’s Thanksgiving trip into the North Carolina Outer Banks with Sarah, Wendy, Georges, Kooki, and crew.
So a Friday morning phone call turned into a 90-minute rushhour drive in stopped traffic heading north to make a 8:30 reservation. We were off to meet up with the magic of Michael Mina–the guy is sporting tons of restaurants at this point from Vegas to New York, so it felt like it was time. Well actually, it was to determine if executive chef Benjamin Lambert had it in him to bring the “tavern”-styled menu by Lincoln Carson, the corporate pastry chef, to life. I thought that his being a pastry chef was peculiar, but a little careful ordering made the experience worthwhile.
“Wit and Wisdom, a Tavern by Michael Mina” had been open two weeks (since November 14, 2011) when we arrived, and the staff was so gracious and accommodating with us. Well, we had used Open Table, so I find generally, that they usually read the notes you put in there. Most folks don’t seem to use the notes section, so if you have seating preferences, state them in the online reservation, it’s a great help. They’ll usually seat you according to your whims. They did for us: the area was warm and not drafty or located underneath a vent!
Well, “wit and wisdom” comes in many forms as me and those seated nearby us were about to find out. KoKo had been dying to talk about his wild day since we’d plunked ourselves down in the car for the twenty minute drive to Harbor East, Baltimore. Thanksfully, he held on until we were seated.
Today, KoKo was called out to a meningitis outbreak at a local construction site–epidemiology provides such outings, apparently. There he had to go in and explain to the guys that they needn’t be worried about their co-workers meningitis death because it would have required kissing him to get it from him. This resulted in jocular ribbing, he assured me. This same explanation was also explained in Spanish and was met with quizzical looks. Turns out the guy who contracted it on Tuesday, died on Friday. Bam, dead in 4 days. Wow.
Well, as KoKo was telling the story to the construction workers, it came to pass that the co-workers began to raise their hands.
“Did you know he had a mistress? Have you guys checked her out?” Public health investigations being what they are, this was a particularly helpful question.
Another Joe piped up, “Uh, did you know his wife had taken a life insurance policy out on him three months ago?” Hmmmm…the plot thickened.
Turns out that on his death bed on Thursday, the mistress strolled in to say goodbye. The wife was a little uncertain who she was and why she was so distraught. The mistress’ emotional outburst was met with cold anger. The scene got ugly. And all the boys at the construction site knew the story already note for note.
We didn’t mean to howl, but the story had the makings of a hilariously over-the-top Lifetime or Oprah-channel television special. “Danny Glover, Alfre Woodard, and Halle Berry, in a story that will make you cry…make you smile…and change your world forever.” Oh my, well, the only thing missing from the Department of Health visit was one of the construction workers announcing to all that he and the deceased had been lovers.
At any rate, we get to Wit and Wisdom, A Tavern by Michael Mina (perhaps they should think about shortening the name of the place?) and they wedge us between this chic pair of ex-Londonites and a guy in a Prada suit with his very quiet girlfriend/wife. It was a bit much.
KoKo and I really brought the tone of the place down a notch or two with how we were dressed. Frankly, there isn’t really anything taverny about the place–and I felt like I was the only one dressed for a tavern. It’s completely high-end, inside the Four Seasons hotel, (Anyone besides me wondering what Baltimore is doing with a Four Seasons?)., and stunningly beautiful with a seriously cool bar straight out of Fassbinder’s “Welt am Draht.” From the city that brought you Divine and John Waters, well, I expected a tavern. W&WATBMM is not so much.
Nevertheless, our fears were dispelled, when we found that we immediately liked the vibe of the wait staff, and the sommelier–all really knowledgable folks who could tell you about every ingredient. Given that I love that sort of info, it was great for me. Not so great for those who just hate that kinda environment.
Then came the wine choices. It was a monster wine list with bottles beginning at $52. Now for the record, I call “absurd” on that. Have I mentioned already that wines by the bottle should be a bargain, in comparison to the wines by the glass? Well they should be. I am completely flummoxed as to why they are gouging with the prices on the bottles. We were totally prepared to go bottle, but four glasses of either of our wines would have been cheaper than a full bottle of the wines we wanted.
And most of the wines by the glass are ridiculously priced! KoKo started with a Evening Land Pinot Noir, Oregon 2010. It was raspberries with vanilla creme in a glass, but the wine’s overall affect was forgettable, oddly. At $15 a glass, that’s nuts. My Stolpman Sauv Blanc, however, at $8 a glass was a steal by comparison, and my wine lady was a heavy pour. So the wine went well past the mid-mark not the glass, befitting of a place touting itself as a tavern. So I was pleased, pleased, pleased that they touched my glass with a little gauche Baltimore by filling me up with wine. Nice–a generous thanks to all on that account.
Housemade Ricotta
We started with the Trickling Springs Creamery Ricotta with ember roasted Chinese eggplant, black walnuts and whiskey barrel vinegar. This bowl of housemade bliss came with some rather peculiar bread. Thanks to my ShareOurStrength.org friend, Emily Byram, I found out that the bread that goes with the ricotta is Walter Grohs’ bread from Hamilton Bakery in the Baltimore area. This brown bread was made with wort from a local brewery–somehow they make it with the boil of grains leftover from the fermentation process. That explains the funky texture. Interesting, but not the crusty delicious white bread you would normally get.
Turns out the tight seating arrangements along the banquette was a blessing in disguise. Were it not for the awkwardly close seating, we never would have met the chic doctors next to us, Aneil and his wife Nisha. They had and were willing to share loads of culinary knowledge. They are regulars at the Woodbury Kitchen, and had a wealth of comparisons for the food we were eating. Neil had gotten the meatballs, which he pronounced, “nothing particularly memorable” and Nisha had a perfectly fine mac ‘n’ cheese with the ham hock removed (she’s a vegetarian). But neither were wowed with the results of their orders. KoKo and I were of a different mind: the house made ricotta was terrific. Served with Grohs’ brown bread, the curds sat oddly in a moderately deep white bowl with three Russian kale leaves and two oddly placed pieces of Chinese eggplants.
However inelegant, it’s a starter that tastes terrific. So who cares about presentation in the end? I think Aniel put it best when he said, “I could just eat a whole bowl of that.”
My favorite part about people like Aniel and Nisha–the kinds of people this place attracts–is that they know about things you just wouldn’t expect. For example, the subject of “farro” came up when I asked the waitress about the Caroline gold rice from Anson Mills that they were selling. Apparently, according to Aneil, the restaurant uses heirloom grains–farro in the meatballs, corn in the polenta and gold rice in the porridge. I suppose that’s why the farro used in the starter was discussed in such great detail by the waitress at the table with the Prada-wearing dude. Heirloom grains at a hotel restaurant? It’s not normal for a hotel. So, I supposed I cannot accuse it of being a typical hotel restaurant.
Well, the Four Seasons isn’t your “normal” hotel. Entering it reminded me of the Kimpton’s Hotel Epic in downtown Miami. Exotic Pottery Barn mixed with sparse, Japanese accents, Italian stone, and then all those mochas on the walls, in the large flat surfaces in the public spaces. A war of beiges juiced up with the flair for minimalism.
My my, I’m getting a bit off track. The ricotta went beautifully with the Stolpman Sauv Blanc. I’m looking forward to filling you in on the Santa Barbara wines soon. I’ll be travelling through there just before Christmas, so I’m hoping to bring you all some informed surprises soon. Perhaps New Years Wines or something. Santa Barbara are the hidden gem of California wines. You saw them profiled in Alexander Payne’s “Sideways”–but then after he made Pinot Noir the go-to for foodies, and gave Merlot a bad rep–no one followed up in the media or in the liquor stores. Paso Robles wines sort of exploded. Well, stay tuned. I’ll get back to you on this shortly.
Back to Mr. Mina, Lambert and Carson. By the time we got to the entrees, KoKo and I succeeded where others failed. Not only were Aneil and Nisha unhappy with theirs, “My vegetarian option was just terrible. I actually had to ask the waiter, where’s the polenta?”, but the Prada man and his woman were unhappy with theirs rotisserie porchettas! And the chef obviously intends to become known for his porchetta.
Aniel was really demonstrative with his disappointment in Nisha’s plate, “Oh, I’ll tell you what she got. A plate with three turnip tops, four florettes of cauliflower and a drizzle of polenta. That is not an entree.” His flair for intonation and color in what he said made Aniel our favorite spontaneous dinner guest of the year. KoKo and I had to agree that Nisha was seriously the most attractive woman either of us had seen in ages. And smart! Internal medicine doctor at Mercy Hospital, really? With all her fantastic jewelry and expensive clothes, I would have said trophy wife before I said doctor.
I did notice that the women over by the window had really beautiful lamb shank dinners. Unabashed, I did a quick whip ’round and asked. They confirmed that they loved their entrees, and took the giant portions they couldn’t eat home with them. So, in fitting in with the theme of this blog, with a little careful ordering, and Wit and Wisdom can make lunch worthy leftovers.
We just couldn’t decide between the rabbit boudin blanc and pounded loin, green apples and sweet potato puree and the Amish baked chicken with spinach and country bread. The jus of both were awfully similar, and I know because in the end, we just shared each other’s meals. We were both super pleased with the results. The boudin sausage was made perfectly, and I would guess house-made like the ricotta. It was the highlight of all the dishes. KoKo also thought the loin pounded out, lightly breaded and pan fried was also a revelation. But I couldn’t make heads or tales of the sweet potato puree– with carmelized, perhaps preserved garlic cloves, however, KoKo loved it.
Baked Amish Chicken
He felt it tasted almost vinegary, and the umami flavor was great for him and I have to say, the uniqueness made it one of the best rabbit meals I’ve ever had. And, well, I eat as much rabbit as I can get my hands on. For me, I felt the chicken was a bit uninspired looking and felt it was sort of just sitting on the plate. But with the jus, you just didn’t care. They worked together with the spinach balancing on each bite–it seemed healthy and was delightful eating.
But that jus! It worked perfectly on the Amish Chicken as well as the rabbit. You can see from the pictures that the plates are nothing amazing in presentation, as I mentioned before, but taken together, it’s a great meal for $70 a person.
Well, oddly, after a great experience with the sommelier selecting the Stolpman, our waiter didn’t get my Corbieres order in on time and unfortunately, the wine came at the tale end of my entree.
Domaine St. Eugenie
Corbières 2009
40% Carignan, 30% Grenache, 30% Syrah
The Sommelier, John Filkins was superb and had really led me to the best elements of this particular bottling. It’s great to talk with folks who value all their wines, not just the high priced ones.
So, due to the late delivery, I ended up not being able to tell the story of the pairing of this very special southern French red (an actually quite cheap wine when you purchase it in the stores) with the chicken. But the glass drinks well on its own and was a nice way to end a meal.
The best part of the joint is the type of people this place attracts and the close proximity that they place you in the banquettes–makes meeting new people here easy and fun. Unlike Washington DC or San Francisco or even London, Baltimore, Philly and New York are great places to meet random people and inadvertently end up eating dinner with them. KoKo and I were all ready to go hang out with Aneil and Nisha by the time we’d finished our appetizer.
But they’d been sitting there forever, so they left well before we were ready to go. The Prada man next to us had great things to say in describing his meal after the doctors departed. The women by the windows were bubbly and fun and strolled out with us swinging their leftovers as if they were Carrie and the “Sex in the City” girls rushing home with their brand new shoes from Jimmy Choo. The whole place had a really good energy that way. maybe it’s that small open kitchen in the middle of the dining room and the beautiful big fire behind the grates in the sofa setting area behind the maitre d’ that makes the place so inviting and helps to create a “tavern” feel in the midst of heirloom grains and whiskey barrel vinegars.
But that beautiful Fassbinder spaceship-like bar! And then! Then! At the back of the bar is a new coffee shop with possibly the biggest door I’d ever seen anywhere, a very tall man comes out of nowhere to explain to me their lavish new coffee house hidden beyond. The door leads into a carefully transplanted Los Angeles coffee craze phenom from Silverlake called LAMill.
As Marlene would have said, "Let's see what the boys in the backroom will have!'
W&WATBMM is a wonderfully dramatic space worth the visit, even if all you do is go there for a $12 bowl of ricotta and bread with a glass of $8 wine. Once they get that coffee shop opened during the evening hours, it’ll be the ideal apres-dinner location to have a chic sip and Euro treat before bedtime with that terrifically tall mystery man behind the door.
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