Heirloom Endive, Roasted Cauliflower and Croznes w/ Fried Soft-Boiled Egg, Kabocha Squash Purée

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
November 24, 2007

THE TASTING ROOM [CLOSED]
264 Elizabeth St
(Houston & Prince Sts)
New York, NY 10012
212-358-7831

Brunch, in theory, should be a fun meal, but over the years I’ve stopped enjoying it and pretty much stopped eating it all together. I prefer just to have regular lunch, mainly because few restaurants come up with original brunch menus, and one can only have so many eggs, no matter what the variation or twist…or so I thought.

Imagine my surprise to find The Tasting Room’s brunch menu to be a breath of fresh air. We’re not talking crazy innovation, but rather good ol’ home-style cooking with a lot of heart, soul, and fresh, local ingredients.

Everything my companion and I ordered was good. I started with the Cock and Bull Bloody Mary made with chicken and beef stock and garnished with a pickled egg. For me, no weekend is complete without a Bloody Mary, and this one was the perfect way to start the day. For fear of getting bombed before my friend arrived, I decided to munch on a buttermilk biscuit and corn bread. The order includes one of each accompanied by homemade elderberry jam, chocolate ganache and sweet butter. I tend to go for jams rather than chocolate spreads, for fear the spread will be too sweet and overpowering, but the chocolate ganache was as light and pleasant as the elderberry jam. The buttermilk biscuit was light and flaky and, with the corn bread, it really hit the spot.

After my friend arrived, we decided to share three dishes: mizuna and butterhead lettuce salad; fried soft-boiled egg with kobacha squash purée; and the buttermilk-battered and fried duck leg. The salad, tossed with miso dressing and popcorn, was surprisingly unusual as the popcorn added a unique texture to the dish, making it fun to eat.

Both entrées were outstanding! I’m still savoring the taste of the fried soft-boiled egg with kabocha squash purée. I didn’t think there was a variation on the egg that could still impress me, but the idea of combining these two egg-cooking techniques, both of which I love, is brilliant. The egg is deep fried after being soft boiled, which makes the yolk solid though not hard, and the outcome is beautiful, like a pouch holding the yolk and a tail of egg white, crispy from being fried. It’s served over a sweet kabocha squash purée that’s made from cooking kabocha with herbs and maple syrup then the skins are removed and the squash is puréed. To add some greens to the mix, cooked heirloom endive, coznes — a strain of mint — and roasted cauliflower completed the dish and offset the sweetness of the purée. This egg-related brunch dish is unarguably unique, healthy and delicious!

Our last dish, the buttermilk-battered and fried duck leg was another knockout. The duck leg itself, topped with chili vinegar, honey, molasses and chili paste, was perfectly deep fried with a crispy skin that we gnawed on until it was all gone. Like all ingredients at The Tasting Room, the chili vinegar is no ordinary off-the-shelf sauce. It’s made by taking all of the ribs and seeds from the chilies brought in at the end of summer and adding them to champagne vinegar. Each time a little is used, more vinegar is added to the bottle. Fried duck leg cannot be complete without a potato accompaniment, and, in this case, it was a salad made with Japanese sweet potato, diced carrots, roasted shallots and crème fraîche — a subtle and refreshing mix to balance the fried duck.

Our brunch was delightful, a combination of stellar and original food, friendly service and relaxing atmosphere. My faith in brunch has been restored, which is no small feat and a testament to Chef ’ talent!

Also in American, Brunch, Eggs, NoLIta