Juniper & Ivy’s powerful flavors pack a one-note punch

Last minute dinner changes on Thursday night – we were going to do a return trip to TRUST, but decided to try out something new (and constantly recommended) and walked into Richard Blais’s (a Top Chef All-Star winner) Juniper & Ivy in Little Italy. It was pretty crowded for a Thursday night; we weren’t able to score a table, but we managed to get a few seats at the lounge. The boisterously drunk ladies seated to our right on the same table added a little bit to the atmosphere (and, after bugging one of our dining partners to take multiple photos, generously compensated his drink). The place was definitely swanky to the max – I was dressed way too comfortably (I may or may not have taken a shower that day) considering everyone was wearing sports coats and dresses.

The interior is swanky to the swank-th degree. It’s a pleasant mix of industrial steel and rustic dark wood with a grey concrete floor and just enough atmospheric lights to make it seem like you’re in an hottest, most exclusive spot. The open kitchen covers the entire back of the building, and the restroom features a confusing door labelled “YES” which then leads to the communal sinks and gender-separated toilets. More than one guest knocked on the “YES” door while I was taking a leak. Different? Yes. Practical? Eh.

Wagyu short rib with romesco sauce, mushrooms, and greens

Maybe that’s the theme for the food as well. Instead of letting the ingredients speak for themselves, it seems as though Blais is attempting to wow with bold flavors, but they make each dish seem one-dimensional rather than have depth. The wagyu short rib was tender and moist, but the flavor of the meat was completely covered by the acidic, almost Indian-like spicy romesco sauce that was generously spread everywhere. It was the same story with the lamb leg (drowning in veggies and a bright vinaigrette) and agnolotti (filled with a powerfully sweet and lemon-y ricotta meant to cut the smokyness of side of morels). The technique and seasonality of these ingredients are lost somehow in the acidic bursts and buttery punches. The one dish that was executed well was the NY strip steak, cooked perfectly to our order with a crispy crust and sitting on top a bed of savory spinach and mushrooms with roasted sunchokes, a clever twist to the normal steak accompaniment of potatoes.

Lamb leg with wild rice, cabbage and other greens, and vinaigrette

It’s clear that Blais is an incredible chef and perhaps my snobby-ass palate doesn’t suit his culinary vision – but even with the bold flavors I couldn’t help but feel a bit… underwhelmed. The meal was excellent, our server was polite, our meals came out delayed but hey – we arrived at the last second and it was packed. I’m not gonna hold it against them. But while every dish was delicious, I felt as though some of the food was lost in the flavor madness. What’s the point of spending all this time on cooking extra-fatty wagyu short rib if you’re going to overpower it with a tangy sauce? I still plan to return in the future, but I hope the ever-changing menu can bring out a bit more flavor complexity to match the technical skills.

P.S. – One of my dinner companions had a minty whiskey cocktail that was quite refreshing, but I enjoyed a delicious Pinot Noir from the Finger Lakes. It was fruit forward, but not too sweet, but also didn’t have as much of an acidic bite like typical Pinot Noirs from Burgundy. It ended up being a delicious pairing with our food choices. I’ve never had a wine from NY and it was a great first try! If only I remembered to note down the name of the winery…

TRUST, an experience worthy of its name

All photos are courtesy of Taylor Sandate (@and_her_dog_too)

Lobster risotto with wild mushrooms, poached egg, pancetta, kale, and dill garnish

Right on the edge of Hillcrest and North Park on an awkward three-way intersection sits TRUST, an independent restaurant opened in 2015 and currently run by chef/co-owner Brad Wise and GM/co-owner Steve Shwob. I was a bit hesitant about eating out again after a few bad experiences at other, unassociated restaurants, especially those that boasts top notch hospitality and service (*cough* Whisknladle: the disappointing one-night stand and abusive ex all in one), but you can’t live in the past for too long! It was a quiet Sunday night when my lovely dining partner and I arrived and with so few people dining at the tables and bar, it was easy to score a table. I’d expect we wouldn’t be so lucky if it was a Friday or Saturday night. The decor is a rustic mixed with swanky; the light is dim but just bright enough to clearly see the elegant dishes and while the menu has a variety of wood fired dishes, the walls are either covered in a sleek modern tile or windowed to bring in natural light. What’s curious is the restroom; it was decorated like a college bar with a “Renaissance”-style painting of girls laughing at your man parts while you pee in the urinal and a framed “WT(fork).” Huh? Why? I guess whatever floats your boat, man. Maybe I’m too old to get it.

Some peculiar flair for the restroom experience

As for the hospitality, there was no need to worry – TRUST does have great service. In fact, they might be a bit too polite. We were welcomed in with kind words: “of course!” “no problem!” “first of all, thank you for choosing to dine with us!” The exuberant enthusiasm made it seem a bit disingenuous at first, but once we started ordering it was clear the wait staff wasn’t putting on airs. Our server immediately recommending not getting both the charcuterie + cheese board and the chicken liver with toast, since the board included toasted bread spread with andouille sausage. Good to know you’re on my side, not the owner’s pockets. Wine suggestions, however, were maybe not so great – I was interested in a glass of the Von Winning Dry Riesling 2015 since I’m not a fan of sweet, but it still ended up being a bit too sugary for me (I guess I should have known since it’s from Pfalz, instead of Alsace where the Rieslings are dryer?). My dining partner had a delicious lemonade-based mocktail which delivered a small burst of lemon tartness at the beginning that quickly gave way to a sweet aftertaste.

Assorted charcuterie and cheese board

But hell, forget all the decoration, drinks, vibes, and service – the food is really where it’s at. The charcuterie and cheese board had a healthy variety of in-house cured meats, dairy, jam, and mustard. The thinly-sliced duck ham’s mild flavor stood in contrast with the salty, thick slabs of salami.  The aformentioned toast with andouille sausage was topped with a mountain of chives and added a good bit of heat and spice from the Cajun seasoning. Additional spreads included a fatty pork butter (essentially leaf lard), a sweet and savory blueberry jam, and a whole host of spicy pickled veggies. The fact there were only two cheeses was a bit disappointing, though the two offerings were decent. The blue cheese was young and mellow with just a hint of funkiness. If more blue cheese was like this, I’d eat it more often! The hard cow’s milk cheese was standard – young with quiet flavors but not very memorable.

As for main courses, we were told the plates are small and designed to share so that rich and savory dishes won’t be too filling. How millennial! The hot dishes were absolutely delicious. The Italians use egg to make their carbonara more creamy – why not try the same for the lobster risotto whose poached egg gives the whole dish a pleasant mouthfeel (not to mention the wonderful accompanied wild mushrooms and delicious seafood flavor on every bite)? And why hasn’t everyone made braised oxtail ravioli? The sauce, punctuated with dots of ricotta, still had the acidity from the tomatoes, but had a depth of flavor that can only come from hours of braising. The raviolini wrappers were the perfect thickness and oxtail inside was tender and well-seasoned.

Braised oxtail raviolini (miniature raviolis) with pine nuts, carrots, oxtail ju, horseradish, and whipped ricotta

The seemingly simple and well-executed twists on known dishes and reasonable price points and portions make TRUST a worthy addition to any local top dining list. It’s a restaurant done right; it makes the diner feel comfortable, excited about the food, and (most of all) satisfied with the meal – all for a reasonable price. I’m planning to book another table soon. Maybe I should try their brunch or vegetarian options?

P.S. – The wood smoke from the kitchen fires were barely noticeable when dining, but when I finally got home my clothes had smelled like I had attended a joint bonfire, barbeque, and smoking convention. We were seated right by the kitchen, but still… You’ve been warned!

Trying Richard Blais’s “Bone Marrow”-nara Sauce with Spaghetti and Meatballs

Richard Blais seems like he has the cooking pedigree to teach me a thing or too: French Laundry alum, Top Chef winner, owns a bunch of restaurants, oddly handsome (I only take cooking advice from odd-looking people. They’re the ones who had to win love through cooking with their heart and soul instead of relying on their devilishly good looks). So when I stumbled upon his Spaghetti and Meatball with Bone Marrow recipe on Tasty’s Youtube channel, I figured I’d give it a shot. I’ve been craving a good spaghetti and meatballs since watching Matty Matheson’s cooking show and this recipe looked interesting since his meatballs were held together not by the traditional breadcrumbs, egg, and assorted goods but rather with ricotta cheese.

I ended up making a few modifications (as most deluded home cooks do). Richard starts out the recipe using olive oil. I went a little less traditional and used some leftover leaf lard I had in the fridge. Maybe I’m disgracing all the Italians in the world, but who ever said cooking stuff in pig fat was a bad idea? I couldn’t find unseasoned ground pork at the supermarket and I wasn’t about to spend the time trying to find it, so I picked up some mild Italian ground sausage instead.

After cooking the onions and garlic and reserving some for the meatballs, I also added chopped carrots and bell pepper and fried those off before adding tomato paste and red wine. I’ve always noticed that, when using canned San Marzano tomatoes, my sauces have a little too much of an acidic tomato flavor to them unless I add a pinch of sugar to cool it off. Instead of adding granulated sugar, I figured the carrots, bell pepper, and reduced red wine would bring it all together.

As for the wine, I had some leftover Petite Syrah from Paso Robles, CA under the Magistrate label. It wasn’t really my favorite wine in the world – it was definitely drinkable, but the alcohol seemed to overpower any interesting characteristics in the wine. I gave it a 2.5 out of 5 and dumped the last cup left in the sauce.

Here’s where I made a few mistakes. I added another can of water on top of the tomatoes. My initial thought is that there wouldn’t be enough sauce for the meatballs. Instead, after I had simmered the sauce and blended it together for consistency, the sauce ended up being a little too watery and fell off the noodles. I thought about adding pasta water, but I figured the sauce was already too liquidy. I didn’t think adding more water would help, even if it was starchy. I also formed the meatballs a little too loose. I thought I wanted a soft meatball I could sink my teeth into, but they ended up being more crumbly that I’d like. I also think I seared them a bit too much, but that didn’t really affect the flavor too much. The bone marrow I added also didn’t melt. It ended up creating a bunch of fatty byproducts that were floating around in the sauce. I had to filter them out manually! This was my first time cooking with bone marrow… I’m pretty sure I fucked it up somehow.

Even with all of these caveats, the final product was pretty dang delicious. I didn’t need to season the sauce once. The seasoning from the bone marrow and the meatballs gave the sauce a rich meaty flavor (and the tons of fat didn’t hurt either). The meatballs were delicious – you could definitely taste the Italian sausage, but the added herbs and beef made it a joy to eat. I think using ricotta also helped the texture. You know how sometimes meatballs just taste… bready? Not using breadcrumbs is a pretty easy and (looking back) obvious change to make.

Definitely would make again – although prep and dishes for this recipe was a nightmare. I used my cast iron skillet and dutch oven plus a stock pot to boil the pasta and a baking sheet to briefly bake the bones before removing the marrow. Add on top of that all the utensils, mixing bowls, cutting boards, and raw beef/pork and you got some deep sanitizing to do.

Thanks for the great recipe, Richard! I love Crack Shack and need to make a stop at Juniper and Ivy at some point.