Supper restaurant

[shacke]

Mitch Prensky of Globaldish catering opened this restaurant recently and I was wondering if anyone had a skinny on it. A quick eG search came up empty.

His catered food was pretty good as I remember it way back. Then as a part of some traveling food show where he cooked at different locations, I was completely unimpressed with the food and outrageous pricing (dinner at Saks IIRC).

I plan on going in a couple of weeks. A friend really liked it but I get my scoops in here, thank you very much.

[townsend]

I know the food is under the supervision of an experienced, quality culinarian. I look forward to crisp food executed with good technique after they get up and running.

[dagordon]

We went for dinner last night, their first night being open to the public. They were very nice in squeezing us in without a reservation.

The menu looks awesome and is pretty extensive. There are I think 5 hors d'oeuvres, 5 tartines, 15 or so "Plates" described as intermediate in size between a regular appetizer and a regular entree, and 2 Larger Plates.

We started with potatoes cooked in aromatic salt (potatoes cooked and served with a sort of five-spicey salt), boneless Moroccan spiced wings with a yogurt dipping sauce, and three tartines, rabbit rillette, mackerel, and duck. These were all quite good, though the rabbit tartine was oddly reminiscent of whitefish salad to us (still delicious though).

For plates we had tasmanian trout with brussles sprouts, octopus with escarole and mushrooms and miso, "scampi" (shrimp) with poached stuffed figs and kinda Indian spices, pork belly, and wagyu beef with all sorts of things I can't remember.

Trout and octopus and shrimp were nice (the octopus might have been the hit of the night -- a pleasingly unusual combo). The pork belly was dry. Get a circulator, folks. The beef was tough and somewhat fatty. It was disappointing to end the meal with these two dishes, particularly as together they were almost $50.

Wine was also disappointing. We got a bottle of German riesling that was described as dry but that was fairly sweet, and more to the point lacking much else. A quartino of the Super Tuscan was just plain bad, hot, no body, no finish. Don't remember producers. I should say that they were nice enough to take the Super Tuscan off the bill when we replaced it with the Malbec.

This was, again, their first night being open, so take all of this for what it's worth, which may not be all that much.

Oh, and I was expecting langoustines with the "scampi", but they were large shrimp. I find this usage of "scampi" pretty annoying. Why not just say shrimp?

Edited October 20, 2007 by dagordon (log)

[shacke]

Went to supper last night. The service for us was abysmal but that is likely 95% the fault of our specific server, although our water was never refilled the 2 hours we were there. Inattentive would be an understatement.

Mitch Prensky was not there - catering a Saturday night affair - which has got to hurt - splitting your responsibilities - go ask David Ansill.

Anyway, beyond the service issues, we thought the food was good with some things being much better than others.

The bread, baked on premises, was a very welcome touch and good quality.

There is a limited wine list but many bottles are reasonably priced and there is a varietal for everyone. We ordered a bottle of 05 Jovino PN. I have never had it before but I have yet to go wrong with a Williamette Valley Pinot from Oregon. More restrained in style than much the over the top Cali Pinot - still bargains abound in the Northwest.

The menu is composed of scattered tiny starter plates, a larger cadre of plates described as larger than apps and smaller than entrees, followed by 2 choices of larger sized plates.

For starters we opted for the boneless chicken wings (very good), cauliflower fritters (what you would expect - very basic but tasty), poached stuffed figs (fair), mushroom-garrotxa mini sandwich (boring).

I ordered an autumn salad, a mixture of raw and cooked veggies along with mixed greens and a poached egg. I thought this was very good. For my second plate I got a red drum filet with clams, ginger and potatoes. I liked it and would recommend it.

Also ordered was the squash gnochhi with guanciale which was also really good, especially on a crisp fall night.

The other couple we were with had the larger plate of a braised Jamison lamb shank but I did not taste it. They liked it - seemed very much in the style of comfort food - nothing complex.

Dessert for me was an apple "crisp" which was a deconstructed dish of sauteed apples and raisins topped with a cookie and creme fraiche ice cream. Boring.

They forgot to bring our coffee and tea with dessert. That cut me - real deep.

So the food is good but not great. A lot of foam flying around which is a bit yesterday IMO. Service issues for us, although it didn't sound like that was the case with dagordon. Without alcohol (and coffee) , dinner for (4) was $200.

Mitch - come back dude. The mice were at play last night.

Edited November 4, 2007 by shacke (log)

[KatieLoeb]

My impression from the folks I've known that have checked out this new spot is that the food is good and the service and wine list are abysmal at best. Hostess was described to me as being of the Nazi-esque sort: "You vill sit at the bar now and have a drink before we seat you!!", even though the restaurant was virtually empty when this happened. WTF is up with that?

Sounds like they need someone ordering the wines that knows a little something. Just sayin', is all...

Edited November 5, 2007 by KatieLoeb (log)

[jm chen]

Anyone been recently? Trying to decide whether to get a reservation here or take our chances standing in line at Mercato on a Friday night.

[jm chen]

Answering my own question, since we did end up giving it a try, and were overall pretty pleased with the experience.

Good bread, good service, good space. The only thing that really tripped us up was the "we recommend three plates" thing, since many of those smaller-than-an-entree-larger-than-an-app plates run $18-23. Hors d'oeuvres and tartines run closer to $4-8.

We got a couple things apiece and shared around, and got out for $120 before tax & tip for three people including drinks (though the beers are much cheaper than the wines by the glass). I have the feeling you can accidentally spend a lot there if you don't keep an eye on your ordering, though I guess that's the case wherever small plates are found.

Standouts for us were the squash gnocchi and the charcuterie, particularly the duck proscuitto. Mmmmm, melty fat.

Definitely curious about their once-a-month family-style Sunday suppers, which are $35 for three courses, and BYOB or half-price wine.

[philadining]

Dropped in for dinner at Supper, and overall had a good meal. There were a couple of small issues, but nothing tragic.

Started with a Tartine: Smoked Duck with membrillo

This was delicious. The duck was tender and smoky, nicely brightened by the sweetness of the quince. The bread was excellent.

Hamachi, blood orange, parsnip, polenta

There was a pleasing contrast between the savory seared side, spiced with peppery Grains of Paradise, and the sweeter rare side. The tangy blood orange sauce lent a pleasing acid edge. The dish as a whole was good, yet somehow kind-of plain tasting. Nothing bad about it, just blander than it seemed like it would be.

Smoked Sweetbreads, Pancetta, Licorice

Creamy, crusty, lightly-smoked, the sweetbreads were very good, and improved by the accompaniments. The only quibble I might make is that the sweetbreads were presented as one very large piece. There's nothing wrong with that, but I generally like a little more crispy surface-area. But I realize that's a personal preference, not a universal truth.

Pork Belly with lentil cassoulet and red wine miso poached pear

This actually looked a little unappealing as it arrived at the table, as you might be able to tell from the photo, the meat itself was kind of pale and flabby-looking. At first taste, we were pleasantly surprised, the pork actually had a pleasing texture and flavor. But it still wasn't all that exciting until combining the meat with the other elements on the plate. Tasted with the lentils, or the pear, or both, the pork sparked to life and was dramatically more delicious than by itself. This would prove to be a theme for many of the plates: that the individual elements were of good quality, but it wasn't until they blended together that the full potential of the dish was realized. One needed a few elements on the fork at the same time for the flavors to fully blossom.

Veal Shortrib and loin, black trumpet mushrooms

Another one that looked a little odd, the loin was so pale and pink and uniform, it was a little hard to recognize. I might have liked a little sear to contrast with the luxuriously tender, subtle meat, but the consistently soft texture had an unusual appeal. Once again, each element was almost too subtle, but combined together, a little veal, a mushroom, a drizzle of jus, it was quite satisfying.

Hot Chocolate, warm cookies

Almost too charming, and almost too chocolately, but I'll admit it: I powered through it, and would do it again.

Complimentary Petit Fours: Chocolate with fruit and nuts, Sambuca-infused marshmallows with espresso powder, cookies.

The chocolate had good flavor, but was literally liquifying in my fingers, making it actually hard to hold. I don't think I recognized the name given for the cookies, but they were essentially delicate little butter cookies. The marshmallows were the surprise hit. The sambuca flavor was subtle, but the espresso was not, and the whole thing was really interesting.

So, all in all, it was a good meal, with elements ranging from good to very good. I especially liked the tartine, the sweetbreads and the pork belly. The hamachi and veal were both fine, but I'm not sure I'd get them again. A the same time I don't think I'd dissuade anyone from getting them...

Several other things on the main menu, and among the desserts looked appealing, so I'd certainly like to try some more. A special of foie gras with carrot mousse landed on a nearby table, and looked pretty awesome.

We had a decently-priced quartino of decent verdelho to start, then moved on to a decently-priced quartino of blah carmenere.

Service was friendly, helpful and prompt, with the glaring exception that we were never offered any bread. This might not have been that big a deal, except that the bread looked fantastic.

As jmchen noted above, it's not hard to end up spending some serious change without really noticing. We got up to about $140 for 5 dishes, 2 desserts, 2 quartinos of wine and one coffee (before tip.) Admittedly, only one of those 5 savory dishes was from the smaller, cheaper, starter section, so if we'd done 2 or 3 starters and 2 or 3 larger plates we might have come in a little cheaper. it didn't feel like a bad value though, the plates didn't seem especially small or sparse, as some critics have noted. Well, the tartine was gone in about a bite and a half, but it was relatively cheap!

So, not every dish was a hit right out of the park, but it was all at least good, and often more that that. I'm looking forward to trying more of the menu.

Or just sitting at the bar and ordering 37 tartines...

Edited March 24, 2008 by philadining (log)

[mattohara]

I don't understand why this place isn't packed. I've been twice now and have had some amazing dishes.

Last (a Thursday) night Karen and I stopped in after going to a Tria beer event. There were about 5 tables. We sat at the bar and had Plates (the largest size of dish). I had short ribs with creamy polenta (best polenta I've ever had), little teeny mushrooms, and caramelized pearl onions. The texture of the shortribs ran the gamut from crispy and smoky to lusciously soft and tender. Perfect portion, killer dish. Some bitter greens were also on the plate.

Karen got smoked duck that came with raisins and....something else. It was very good as well.

Karen's former co-worker from Caribou waits tables there now and he recommended the (I think smoked?) butternut squash soup. This soup is a must-have. It's incredible and actually made for a perfect dessert. It has diced apple and sage leaves in the soup. The side is schmeared with a cinnamon marshmallow. The bowl was completely Hoovered.

I'm going to be going back here a bunch. I totally understand what people are saying about price, but I think the pinch is with the alcohol. The food prices are really right on par with other places in town if not below what they are at places like Amada.

We ventured upstairs and there is a really cool little lounge area where I plan on chilling with a bottle of wine some weekend afternoon. There's also a whole 'nother bar up there that they open up on the weekends. But this place should be seriously packed every night.