Evoke at Le Meridien

Citrus pinwheels = it's time to party

Background:
It’s spring, so that means it must be time for a new tasting menu at Evoke! Scallionpancake feels so lucky to be invited back to Evoke again (see our previous reviews here and here)--this time to test out the delicious stylings of new chef Rodrigo Velazco.

Chef Rodrigo is originally from Caracas, Venezuela, and he worked for many years on the Miami food scene. After getting a few years in fine dining under his belt, he wanted to gain training in “old school” cooking techniques, so he traveled Europe extensively so he could learn from classically trained chefs. In the kitchen at Evoke, Rodrigo sees himself as a “bridge” between classical techniques and the modern leanings of his young staff--he is close to their age, so he understands their new school mentality, but he has the background of the “old guard” way of cooking. Rodrigo blends these two mindsets seamlessly on the menu at Evoke--classical preparations with unexpected twists are his specialty. Rodrigo takes the input of his team of chefs seriously-- “the biggest mistake a chef can make” he says “is to only trust his own taste.” So, Rodrigo says, he is notorious for chasing his staff down with a little spoon, asking them to taste this and that in order to ensure that everything tastes just right.

Evoke is located in the recently updated Le Meridien hotel, which is a lovely space to grab coffee, a drink, a meal, or a popsicle dunked in prosecco on their rooftop bar (City Lights--which opens for the season on April 1st). Rodrigo says that Evoke must do double duty as a hotel restaurant and an upscale destination restaurant for locals. Rodrigo wants Evoke to function as a “deep breath” kind of place for his customers--he hopes that when you come in, you get a drink, feel relaxed, and really settle in for an evening of fine dining surrounded by your friends and family.

Eat This:
We started with a light tuna ceviche course which was bursting with bright spring flavors. My favorite here was the crispy onion. 

Yellowfin Tuna
Sea beans, saffron pickled fennel, arugula, crispy onion, lemon oil

Ain't no spring chicken (because it's fish) 

What are sea beans? So glad you asked! They are a type of succulent that grows in marshes--Chef Rodrigo likened them to tiny asparagus. Delicious! This course was one of my favorites. 

Burrata Salad
Heirloom tomato, brioche, black olive vinaigrette, basil

I say tomato, you say burrata; tomato/burrata, tomato/burrata--let's call the whole thing off 

You can never go wrong with a little caprese salad, and this dish took that simple and beloved dish to a new level--the sweet, crispy brioche and the tart sweetness of the tomatoes paired perfectly. This course was my absolute favorite of the night. It was light yet satisfying, and I loved the richness of the burrata rather than the usual mozzarella. 

Lobster & Sweetbreads
Peas, mint, lemon, tarragon jus vinaigrette

Book title: Sweetbreads are made from bread, and other lies your French chef told you 

Like the last dish, this one threw some of my dining companions off (burrata is cheese and sweetbreads are the glands of animals...glad we've got that out of the way!) Not bread, to be sure, but a little sweet, actually! After some fun table googling and everyone deciding to be adventurous, all of my dining companions agreed we loved this dish. Although combined from heavier elements (lobster and, well...glands) this dish was bursting with the pleasant earthiness of spring, and it was not at all overbearing. Chef Rodrigo treats these ingredients gently, and the flavors are bright and the dish is satisfyingly filling. And yay! We tried new things. 

If you can get over what you are eating (which is never hard for me, I guess I am a monster/vampire hybrid) then this is a great dish to cut your gland teeth on, and a good foray into the exciting world of the thymus! 

Pimenton Rigatoni
Braised rabbit, fava beans, morels, mint gremolata

Little bunny foo foo/hoppin' through the forrest/pickin' up the field mice/and boppin' 'em on the head 

Wascally wabbit! This dish was also bursting with spring deliciousness. I especially loved the morel mushrooms--they just soak up all of the goodness of any dish, and I love their chewy texture. My dining neighbor and I agreed that sometimes we think it's sad to eat rabbit, just because they are so darn cute. However, suffice to say, we ate it anyway and loved it. This dish put me over the edge of fullness--it was so satisfying with the rabbit and the pasta. Evoke makes all of their pastas in house, and it had phenomenal texture and smokey flavor from the pimenton (AKA paprika). 

Sturgeon
White aspargus, fennel, pearl onion, grapes, Di Vitello jus

Fun fact: Sturgeon is low in mercury!

I cannot recall ever having Sturgeon before, but my table neighbor and I decided it reminded us of Catfish, which, to be honest, was a comparison neither of us were crazy about. I find that Catfish is a very divisive fish, and while some people love its distinctive flavor, I am in the other camp. Therefore, this dish was not my favorite due to the flavor profile of the fish itself, but I did love the sauce, grapes, and asparagus. 

Dessert: Evoke has a new Pastry Chef, Chelsea Ecdao. Chef Rodrigo had nothing but awesome things to say about her and her delicious concoctions. I did not try this dish, as longtime readers will know about my fake and made up (and yet very, very real in my mind) corn allergy/fear, but everyone at the table was dying over this corn cheesecake: 

Corn Cheesecake
Bourbon mousse, rosemary, blueberry

"There's corn in this, and that seems very bad indeed" - my brain

Look at how gorgeous it is! I struggled not to eat this lovely. I did go home and eat Trader Joe's chocolate covered coconut almonds as a consolation prize. And don't worry--my portion was happily eaten by my new blog friends at the table. 

Drink:
Evoke has a lovely wine and cocktail list, though I stuck to mezcal on the rocks. What kind? I'm not sure--I didn't specify or check, but it was fab. I am not picky about my drinks on Thursday night after a long week. My dining companions enjoyed wine and cocktails, and everyone seemed pleased with their selection. L'chaim! 

Atmosphere:
Evoke is simply lovely--soft lighting, candles, and a very upscale vibe. Like Stoke, this is a hotel where I would be delighted to stay if I were traveling in Charlotte. I cannot wait to check out the rooftop bar, City Lights. Last year was its first year open, but I never got a chance to check it out. They open for the season on April 1st, and Jason and I will definitely be making a post-tax season stop here as soon as April 18th rolls around. 

Photo courtesy of the always fab Charlotte Agenda

Hospitality:
Chef Rodrigo and his staff could not have been more gracious and kind. Chef came out to ask us our opinions on the dishes, and the entire service experience was very attentive, which has been my experience even on previous visits that were not blog events. 

Frankie’s Notes:
Evoke has the unique distinction of having a triple Scallionpancake review! Hats off to you, Evoke; Many have tried, few have succeeded in getting us to return a whopping three times to their establishment; Just kidding--we have been to Seoul Food Meat Company 17 times without ever being asked, not even one time; When I have to go to blog events without Jason I get nervous and start shouting at strangers that burrata is cheese; But for real, it's cheese and you should know that; Frankie likes tomatoes and he doesn't like Catfish; Just kidding--tomatoes are toxic to dogs and do not say we told you to feed your dogs tomato products; I made new friends at this dinner! Yay, friends! Shout out to Jess at Slice of Jess. She is super cool and is going to teach me her mom's recipe for ricotta! Go read her awesome blog. 

Disclaimer: This meal was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

 

Haberdish

The cocktail that launched a thousand yuppies

Background:
AHHHHHH Haberdish. That’s how this restaurant makes us feel right now.

I see the lights, I see the party lights 

Haberdish is owned by Jeff Tonidandel, who also owns Growler’s Pourhouse and The Crepe Cellar--sooo, he basically owns an entire block of NoDa. While Scallionpancake likes Growler’s, and is so-so on The Crepe Cellar, we were blown away by Haberdish. Haberdish was poppin’ on our first visit on a Friday night, right around two months after their opening in December. Like many others that night, we were drawn like moths to a flame to a Charlotte Agenda instagram picture floating about of a gorgeous pink cocktail adorned with one of their signature flower ice cubes. We saw the picture, we made plans to go--just like the rest of Charlotte on one fine Friday night (cue two and a half hour wait). Read on to see why this place is our new jam--we have been back once more since our first visit, and it’s one of our new go-to spots.

Rose gold silverware and flowers in my drink: is this heaven?

Our second visit was during the thick of tax season--it’s possible Jason and I bickered like everyone’s favorite married Jewish couple, and it’s also possible he fell asleep at the table. Yay, March! The best part? My dad was in town! Yeah, Wayne!

Wayney is here!

Eat This:

Brined Smoked Chicken
Tossed in Alabama white sauce

Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish? 

Fried Chicken
Brined, battered, fried

You know I like my chicken fried

Sweet Potato Dumplings
Hand-spooned with brown butter, sage, parm

The dumplings are so good your camera hand shakes 

Mac & Cheese
with optional spicy crispy chicken skin--not included in this picture

Better than the blue box

Tater Tots
Housemade tater tots

Are those housemade tater tots, or are you just happy to see me? 

Hushpuppies
Fried cornmeal dough with sweet tea butter

Photographers were not quick enough for how fast this dish went

Biscuits & Bacon Jam
Snowflake flour, lard & butter/served with homemade bacon jam

My favorite 

Pickled Candied Striped Beets

Wayne's favorite 

Dessert:
We have yet to try dessert here, because PopBar is right across the street. Have you guys been to PopBar?! It’s the freaking best. We are hoping to get sponsored by them, considering we go two-three times a week.

#fulldip

Drink:
UGGGHHH the cocktails. Colleen Hughes is the mixologist with the mostest--she also is in charge of cocktails at Tonidandel’s other restaurants, but she has outdone herself here. The cocktail menu had changed from one visit to the next, but some amazing staples remained, like Daniela’s favorite, the house mint julep, aka “the adult slushie.” The drinks are fabulously strong and the flavors are inventive--no basic sweet concoctions to be found. Two and a half hour wait? No worries, we will be posted up at the bar!

Ransom Old Tom Gin Smash

Bartender's Best Friend 

Atmosphere:
With its tall ceilings, exposed brick, and steel beams Haberdish nods to NoDa’s history and aims to call to mind the textile mills of the 1800s. The lighting is soft and romantic, and it’s the kind of place you want to linger (much to the chagrin of others waiting hours for a table).

These two lovebirds certainly up the atmosphere quotient! 

Southern Hipster Hospitality:
The servers and bartenders are nice, but they certainly seem harried--which makes sense considering how slammed they have been lately. You do get the feeling they want to rush you out the door a bit, and on our first visit our server forgot a dish (and still charged us for it). She was super sweet and took it off right away, but it feels like they still need some time to adjust to just how popular this place is going to be on Friday and Saturday nights.

The beast emerges from his tax-season lair. Do not approach or look directly in the eye!

Apologies on behalf of my dad (The Wayner) who simply cannot understand the fast-talking youth of today, and asked our waitress if she was speaking Polish. We laughed; she didn’t.

Frankie’s Notes:
When Charlotte Agenda posts, the whole of Charlotte responds like lemmings; If Jason will wait more than once for two hours for a restaurant during tax season, you know it is legit; It’s way better to be in a faux-textile mill in 2017 eating fried chicken than working in a real mill in 1887, worried about losing a digit; I am sure Wayne would hate Gilmore Girls; Wayne lost his life alert; Wayne drank several glasses of fifteen-year-old bourbon; Are the last two things related?

Rating:  
4 out of 5

 

Good Food on Montford

I don't want none unless you got pork buns

Background: 
Good Food on Montford is owned by Bruce Moffett, who also owns Barrington’s and Stagioni. The concept is seasonally and locally sourced tapas in a funky and relaxed setting. Good Food consistently runs a long wait, especially on weekends, even eight years after their opening. Even as the landscape of Montford has changed around them, Good Food continues to bring a touch of class to this well-known drag and bro-heavy hangout.

Eat This:
The visit featured was not our first to Good Food, but it was noteworthy as we dined with our lovely friends Tamara and Zander when they were expecting their little one, who has now arrived! Welcome to the world, little Dalton! Here is what we ate on this particular visit:

Falafel
Hummus, cucumber & greek yogurt

Hummus among us 

Carnitas

Lot of corn happening here. 

Heirloom Tomatoes

Summer on a plate

Steamed Bun
Five spiced rubbed pork belly, hoisin, & pickled vegetables

Somebody told me that you had a pork bun that I had February of last year 

Korean Beef
Crispy rice, scallion kimchi & gochujang

Meat & carbs = together forever 

Prince Edward Island Mussels
Green curry, coconut milk & cilantro

Mussels, Muscles, Mollusks

Tempura Vegetables
Assorted

Working on the summer bod

Gnocchi
Braised duck, greens, toasted pecans & roasted squash puree

It's possible we dug into this one before the picture was taken? Shh, don't tell 

Garganelli
House-made Italian sausage, toasted garlic & tomato

That's a spicy meatball...or sausage

Overall, we feel Good Food is just that: good. Not great, and a bit overrated. It would be worth it if the parking was not a full-on nightmare and the wait a bit more manageable. Although the menu is supposed to be seasonal, it doesn’t rotate out all that much, and the offerings feel like they need a fresh dose of innovation.

Dessert:

Cannoli Cheesecake

Eh 

Brownie Sundae

Brb, going for PopBar

Both of the desserts were Applebee’s quality. D+ at best.

Drink:
Good Food bartenders make a mean cocktail! We didn’t indulge on this visit (we were all in solidarity with pregnant Tamara), but all past samplings were delicious.

Atmosphere:
Good Food is small and popular, so naturally it can feel rather cramped. The decor itself is modern and simple, but it is very easy to feel suffocated in here on a busy Friday or Saturday night.

Bro City Hospitality:
Our service on this visit was fine. Nothing to write home about, and our server forgot a few items and had to be reminded.

Frankie’s Notes:
Montford can be a scary place on a Saturday night; RIP Andrew Blair’s; Johnny (aka Jonathan) says Moosehead has the best wings in the city; RIP Maverick Rock Taco; When one friend is pregnant we are all pregnant, i.e., we all ate for two; If I had to put the word “Applebee’s” in this review, you know that automatically knocked it down a star.

Rating: A bit overrated and only worth a <30 wait...4 out of 5

 

Nomad.pdx

The prettiest dessert of the decade! And yes, those are beans on the side.

Background:
Nomad has been true to its name over the past several years--it started as a pop-up, and then had several temporary homes around Portland to serve its inventive 15-course tasting menu. However, as of February 2017, Nomad has a full brick and mortar to call their own on NE 24th Avenue.

Owner and Executive Chef Ryan Fox and his partner (in the kitchen and in real life, it would seem per their social media accounts) and Sous Chef Ali Matteis deliver a dining experience that is fancy, playful, and utterly delicious.

Our faces when we found out the boys surprised us with a trip to Portland (they told us we were going to Asheville until the night before). Swoon!

Eat This:

The menu goes right to an English teacher’s heart--the staff pairs each course with a quote that connects to the dish in some way. You may have already seen some of these dishes on our Best of 2016 Roundup

Amuse Bouche

carrots and crackers with butter

We started with an amuse bouche of carrots and crackers meant to be dipped into the most delicious butter. Operation Bouche: Amused

buttermilk meringue, cipollini onion

“A Squirrel is like buttermilk, once it’s out of the churn; the more you shake it, the more sour it grows.” - Irish Proverb

scallop, compressed cucumber, coconut kafir foam

“Two two basic items necessary to sustain life are sunshine and coconut milk.” -Dustin Hoffman

green garlic yogurt, trout roe, garden greens

“You can never have enough garlic. With enough garlic, you can eat The New York Times.” -Morley Safer

summer squash custard, walla walla onion

“A woman always has half an onion left over, no matter what the size of the onion, the dish, or the woman.” -Terry Pratchett.

wagyu beef tartare, smoked shallot

“Eat it raw before all else, then grill it, and boil it last of all.” -Japanese Proverb

sourdough rye roll, smoked beef fat, nutritional yeast butter

“Give me Yesterday’s bread, this Day’s Flesh, and last Year’s Cyder.” Benjamin Franklin

albacore ceviche, red currants, sorrel, lime

“Ceviche is an acquired taste, a phrase which means ‘something you don’t like the first few times you eat it’...” -Lemony Snicket

albacore, boysenberries, seaweed

“The cure for anything is saltwater: sweat, tears, or the sea.” -Isak Dinesen

morel mushroom, charred onion jus, agastache

“The sudden appearance of mushrooms after a summer rain is one of the more impressive spectacles of the plant world.” -John Bonner

beef, chimichurri, nasturtium

“Give them great meals of beef and iron and steel, they will eat like wolves and fight like devils.” -William Shakespeare, King Henry V

Dessert:

carrot bread, fresh ricotta

“Once upon a time there were four little rabbits and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter.” -Beatrix Potter

Oregon berry sorbet, granola, coriander

“”Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup.” -Wendell Barry

padron pepper ice cream, brown butter solids

“Destructions lead to a very rough road, but it also breeds creation.” -Red Hot Chili Peppers

chocolate brownie, almond ice cream, brooks cherries

“What use are cartridges in battle? I always carry chocolate instead.” -George Bernard Shaw

Rich Chocolate Covered Cherries

A bonus dessert of rich chocolate covered cherries

Drink:
When we visited, Nomad was in one of their temporary locations, so the drinks were limited to wine & beer. We enjoyed wines all around. Now they offer cocktails, which are no doubt divine!

Nanco enjoying some rosé and this tiny flower!

Atmosphere:
Well, as where we dined was their temporary spot and no longer where they operate, this is rather a moot point. However, the location where we ate was awesome because it was not only open to the kitchen, but about five paces from our seats to where the food was being prepared. You actually needed to walk through the kitchen to get to the restrooms--it was so cool to get an up close view of the magic.

Portlandia Hospitality:
Well, as this picture of us would indicate, we cozied up to the Nomad staff so well that within an hour we were trying to snag an invite to go foraging for mushrooms with Ryan and Ali that weekend. Needless to say, that invitation never really came through (though we did get as far as exchanging cell numbers), we appreciated Ryan and Ali’s brief foray into our delusion, and their prompting of the eternal question: “Does he like me, or does he like me, like me?”

Cause we're the fourteen best friends that anybody could have!

Frankie’s Notes:
You know dinner went well when you exchange numbers with the chefs afterward; But seriously though, why did they never call?; Maybe Nancy came on too strong; We are going to start adding quotes to everything we eat; What’s a good quote relating to the fact that Jason eats Chipotle 6 nights out of 7 during tax season?; We are going to inject Otto with beef fat; Otto is Ollie’s new name.

Rating: 5 out of 5 and Two Michigan Pugs

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” -Virginia Woolf

 

Stoke

In all her glory 

Background:
I can't imagine being a guest at the Marriott City Center and coming down to grab a bite to eat and seeing the grandeur that is Stoke. This beats the heck out of an airport HoJo’s, to say the least.

Stoke and the coffee shop CoCo and the Director are both a part of the Marriott’s recent renovation that included their guest rooms as well. And man, what a renovation! The head chef here is Chris Coleman, formerly of McNinch House and The Asbury. Even though The Dunhill is dead to us (due to their part in a major wedding snafu that I will not blast them on the internet for...well, anymore than I just did), that’s still a pretty impressive resume.

Eat This:
Stoke is true to their stated mission of changing their menu seasonally. I love this, as so many restaurants say they do this, but nothing ever seems to rotate out.  That said, here are a few of our favorites from visits throughout last summer, fall, and this winter. We personally can't wait for the mac and cheese to come back!

Pretzel Brioche with rotating trio of butters and spreads

You've gotta start here--don't argue!

Wood Roasted Avocado Toast
salsa verde, arugula

Oooh we're getting healthy now!

Pimento Cheese
buttercup & blue, wood-roasted chiles

Southern manna 

Beets
sunflower granola, orange-infused UAV ricotta

Beets by Dre

Chicken Liver Pate
Peanuts & muscadine jelly

Peanut butter liver time

Trout

Here fishy, fishy

Sticky Pork Shank
Chili-sorghum glaze, peanuts, benne

Don't forget to eat the leftover glaze like an animal!

BBQ Carrots
Carrot top pesto

Bunny food

NY Strip Steak

Simple & delicious 

Carolina Gold Rice Grits
63 degree egg, aged white cheddar

Put an egg on it!

Mac & Cheese

Jason's fave!

Dessert:
Um, let’s talk giant donut. If you haven’t been to Stoke yet, I have no doubt you have seen this beauty on Instagram. Behold: Giant Donut of Your Dreams. This baby is filled with one pound of diplomat cream and an entire heath bar. Favorite donut moment (of many)? When our party of four decimated this guy, and the party of four sitting next to us only managed to finish a meager quarter. Hah! Serious amateurs in the world of binge eating! Joke’s on them!

Great Big Donut Filled with Love
Filled with one pound of diplomat cream and a crumbled Heath bar

Oh, here you are again!

Drink:
The cocktails are my favorite thing about this place, and now that you have read the above, you know that’s saying something. The menu includes “pressed” cocktails, which are served in a coffee press! My favorites? The Barrio (El Jimador Anejo, dubonnet rouge, xocolatl bitters) and the Aged Green Point (Redemption Rye, yellow chartreuse, punt e mes, angostura bitters).

No drinks in this shot, but itsn't that the cutest couple you ever did see?

Atmosphere:
It is ridiculously cool it here--from the open concept kitchen to the hanging sculptures, it just feels very upscale without being at all stuffy. I love watching the wood fire oven and food prep while we eat. We never feel weird about going to a hotel to eat--nay, we feel fancy and footloose!

The atmosphere on the night we went during the riots and the SWAT team joined dinner. 

Hotelier Hospitality:
The service here is top notch, from the hostess stand to the servers. Sometimes they bring out the food all at once instead of pacing it with the starters and the main courses, but otherwise the staff is on point and super personable.

Frankie’s Notes:
Marriott > The Dunhill and I am not yet ready to talk about what happened at the latter; But seriously don’t stay there; People who try to go easy on a giant donut because they think it might negatively impact their cholesterol are big losers, okay?; OKAY?!!; I would like to order room service from Stoke while in a hotel bed watching Bravo; A french press ups sophistication quotient 47-54%; The airport HoJo’s: forever in our hearts.

Rating: 4 out of 5