I’ve rarely been as proud as I was the day I stumbled on the combination of crunchy peanut butter and Filipino banana ketchup on toast. On paper, I don’t expect everyone to immediately understand the synergistic genius of this pairing, but I’ll wager few would fail to stop short and ponder it if it were listed on a menu somewhere.
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These tersely described, oddly fascinating juxtapositions are like magnets for the novelty-obsessed diner desperate to have her eyes opened wide by something new. Conceptually the brothers have created dishes that practically sell themselves. Should they not, the servers are prepared to endure vigorous interrogation from diners.
Take the sepia noodles. This appetizer is not some old-timey-colored pasta but thick, snappy, fettuccine-like ribbons of cuttlefish, tangled in a deep bowl lined with an avocado puree that contributes a creamy fattiness—one that’s broken up by puffed garlic chips and chunks of pickled, compressed watermelon. The use of the Latin name for the cephalopod lends the dish a sense of mystery—one that gives way to joy upon discovering the terrific textural variety in this little bowl.
Curiosities abound in the glass and bottle too, with wines as interesting as a cloudy unfiltered chenin blanc that drinks more like a French saison ale, and short-poured cocktails from beverage director Tona Palomino (who worked with Mike Sheerin at New York’s modernist temple wd-50) including a celery-infused gin and tonic and the Desperate Vesper: a gin, Lillet, and wormwood potion whose lingering bitterness never overstays its welcome. It’s one of the best and most balanced Malort cocktails since Brad Bolt’s Hard Sell. These cocktails go down fast, if only for the unconventional choice of drinking vessel—they’re like juice glasses. And they’re not inexpensive at $12 apiece.
2039 W. North 773-661-1540trenchermen.com
