Herm’s 8/1/14

Cucumber ribbons, cherry and watermelon tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, and the most delicious oregano vinaigrette composed this simple salad that was utterly delicious.  But I’m prone to love anything with feta cheese, cucumbers, and vinaigrette.

A perfectly seasoned and crusted pork belly with pickled snap peas and sunflower seeds.  Ok, I need to just tell you, pork belly is a gift to us all. It’s where bacon comes from and we can all agree bacon is wonderful and what life is all about.  The peas were nice and tangy, the seeds provided crunch, but I just wanted more pork belly.  Still do.

I’m uncertain how to describe the disc-shaped mound of pressed chicken that was breaded and fried along with local corn risotto and marinated tomatoes. First off, when I saw fried chicken on the menu, I was thrilled.  I eat fried chicken once every year or three.  If it’s around, I generally pull the crispy skin off and eat the meat.  I know, I know, calm down, crispy skin is the best part, but health-wise, it’s not a great option for me.  But I planned to enjoy it tonight. And I did.  Now, while I expected the chicken to be the part that made me the most excited, it turns out it was the local corn risotto.  Creamy and full of vibrantly sweet corn.  I want a plate of it and the pork belly if I ever find myself needing a death row final meal…and some of his onion soubise from last time.

Steak cooked perfectly to medium-rare over a potato puree and asparagus topped with crab and hollandaise.  The hollandaise was delicious, but two types of fat coming together usually is delicious.  The potato puree was fantastic.  The steak was cooked exactly how I love it, just on this side of mooing. The crab was soft and most delicate on the palate.  When my plate was served, all I could smell was the odorous seafood smell; a smell that has never been particularly welcome to my senses.  But I like crab was excited for this combination.  Once I took the first bite, composed of all the elements of this dish sans the asparagus, I ceased to smell the fishy smell and was left with a wonderful plate of food.

Apricot cobbler with fresh whipped cream and plum compote.  Now cobblers and I have a serious thing going.  I know that the topping determines if it is cobbler, crumble, and so on.  This had a crumble on the top, had a cobbler in the middle and then the fruit on the bottom.  Crumble good.  Fruit good.  Cobbler, EXACTLY the type I love, part cakeish, part doughy, part heaven.  Sadly, by this point I was already full. I had consumed more food than was in my best interest.  But once my spoon made its way past the plum compote (divine), beyond the whipped cream (perfectly flavored), and through the crumble (Oh yes!!!) into the cobbler, well let’s just say while I displayed perfect table manners and all types of etiquette, I was a pig! I didn’t stop eating it.  I couldn’t, I was compelled by to eat my way to discomfort.  And I did.  But I regret nothing.