Greg Collier Lifts Up Loft & Cellar

Background:
Loft & Cellar opened in July 2017 under co-owners Jerry Mercer and Nicholas Daniels, the latter of whom served as Executive Chef. In September of this year, Daniels moved on, and Chef Greg Collier began his stint as the restaurant’s new Executive Chef. Collier is beloved in town for his popular Rock Hill restaurant, The Yolk. According to our lord and savior Kathleen Purvis, Collier plans to stay at Loft & Cellar for several months to get the restaurant on the right track. In that same article, Collier told Purvis that The Yolk would stay open while he was at Loft & Cellar, but since then, The Yolk has closed temporarily, until November 18th. We aren’t 100% clear, but it seems likely that it’s due to his stint downtown and his plans to open The Yolk at 7th Street Market.

Scallionpancake visited Loft & Cellar in January, and, sadly, we were less than impressed. We found the layout of the restaurant awkward and uninviting. Jason also couldn’t get over the restaurant’s name, which was unfortunately opened around the same time as Merchant & Trade. Why, he wondered, was there a rash of new restaurants that just joined up two related words? It’s a fair argument (let us know if you can think of more restaurants that follow this pattern), and we then started calling Loft & Cellar by its new made up name, Table & Lamp. You’re welcome for that glimpse into our strange world.

Recently, Collier and his team reached out to invite us to brunch to check out the restaurant’s new direction, and we were excited to try it out, as we are huge fans of The Yolk and Collier’s culinary talents. Read on to see a nearly complete sampling of Loft & Cellar’s new weekend brunch menu. Some items we got pictures of but didn’t get to try, so we will only comment on what we tasted.

Eat This:

Hot Chicken Benedict

Hot fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, poached eggs, herb hollandaise, zucchini pickles

Fabulously spicy and flavorful. A great twist on a traditional Benedict.

Southern Shorty

Short rib hash, winter green pesto, fried eggs, carrot chow chow

Guinea Flint Cornmeal Hoecakes

Sorghum butter, ham hock jam

I think this dish is pretty brilliant, and I’ve never seen anything like it on any menu around town. I love the simplicity, and the sorghum butter and ham hock jam tasted like heaven.

Fish & Grits

Salmon cakes, Guinea Flint grits, scrambled eggs, herbs

Loft Omelette

Salmon, crab, arugula, goat cheese, romesco

Love the bang for your buck you get with the seafood. The eggs could have used a bit more seasoning, however.

Go-To

Cocoa biscuits, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese grits, apple butter

We didn’t try this one, but cocoa biscuits sound and look amazing. We are definitely going back to try these.

Lamb Burger

Lamb, peanut ketchup, arugula, cucumber salad

Dessert:

Pan Dame

Citrus-scented French toast, white chocolate whipped cream, jalapeño syrup, toasted almonds

This was hands down my favorite dish of brunch. I don’t usually order French toast because it’s often dry and lacking dimension, but this french toast had multiple flavor profiles happening with the citrus, jalapeño, and white chocolate. The almonds provided a great texture.

This typically comes with a side of breakfast meat, so it’s a complete meal. We will definitely be back for this one!

Grandma’s Hands

Sweet potato pancakes, apple caramel, curry whipped cream

Another favorite. the curry whipped cream was delightfully unusual and gave the dish a subtle kick.

Overall, we really liked everything we tried, and it was most assuredly a huge improvement from our pre-Collier visit. We’re excited to get back in soon and try the full menu. We saw many people eating chicken skins with buttermilk chive dip, and that’s going to be our number one priority next time we’re in.

Brunch is offered from 10am-3pm on Saturday and Sunday. It’s $25 for three courses, which we think is a pretty great bargain for all the food you’ll get.

Drink:
We only had coffee on our recent visit, but they offer mimosas and Bloody Marys for brunch. On our previous dinner visit, we tried a banana bourbon shot that Jason loved. Not sure if that’s still available, but if it is, it’s worth trying.

Atmosphere:
We still find the layout awkward. The booths are oddly placed, there’s little decor, and the whole effect is rather barren. However, during brunch, there was a solo guitar player who made the ambiance much more welcoming. We’ve never been upstairs to the “loft,” and we’re curious about what’s going on up there. Apparently this space gets a big bar crowd on the weekends, and we aren’t sure if upstairs is overflow seating, or some kind of magical dance floor that we’ll never be cool enough to see.

Chrissie Beth & AJ sighting!

Table & Lamp Hospitality:
We are going to reserve judgment on service until we visit one more time under Collier’s watch, as it can be difficult to gauge when dining at a media event. The first time we went, pre-Collier, the service was lackluster, and our waitress argued over a dish someone in our party (justifiably) wanted to send back, which left a pretty terrible taste in our mouths, pun intended. The staff seemed to be entirely new on this visit, so we have high hopes that the service snafus have been rectified.

Frankie’s Notes:
Opening up a restaurant called “Frankie & Ollie” seems like the obvious choice for us, right?; When you go to The Yolk, make sure you get the Tennessee fries, which are home fries dusted with straight crack cocaine; Jk, but the home fries are the best we’ve ever had, and we aren’t sure what the heck makes them so good, except for undoubtedly some kind of devil magic; What is in the loft?! Is it a portal to another dimension where you can eat French toast with white chocolate whipped cream all day long and not get fat? We hope so.

Disclaimer: This meal was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are our own, and we were not compensated for this review.

 

Behind the Lens with Scoop Charlotte & Scallionpancake

Hello, fellow eaters!

If you’ve ever wondered what made us start blogging, what it’s like to podcast with your spouse, or who has the weirdest art in Charlotte (hint: it’s us), then you should check out our write up on Scoop Charlotte, written by the fabulous Allie of Eat Drink CLT!

Read the full article here.

The Experience of Taste

Sanpietrino from Gelateria Fassi in Rome, Italy

People often ask us, “Why food”? Why do we spend the money we spend traveling the world going to fancy restaurants, or why on earth do we drive three hours to try a hole-in-the-wall BBQ joint? The answer is both complex and simple. First and foremost, we love food. We love discovering new flavors, making connections with things we’ve tasted to dishes we’ve had in the past, and we love going to restaurants and feeling the vibe of the place.

But more than that, we love the experience of food. We love going to a restaurant and knowing that on that night, we’re one of the lucky people who are able to taste the food a chef prepares. It’s a completely unique sensory experience that can only be had in that place and time. We believe that food is one of the last, if not the last, great sensory experience in modern culture.

Humans long for experiences. Whether Greek Theatre in Athens or modern sports complexes and concert halls, people throughout history love to gather together at events. There is a certain badge of honor to say that you were at the Stanford Band Football Game or saw the Beatles at Shea Stadium, just as it was back in Roman times when you saw a great gladiator fight.

Sipping bees wax broth with pollen at Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark

All of these events happened before the advent of social media, high definition TVs, or the internet, and the truth is that the traditional forms of entertainment have lost a unique aura about them. There is nothing unique that can happen now that isn’t shared on Twitter in fewer than two minutes, whether it’s a highlight dunk in a basketball game, or a crazy set by Kanye West. Is the experience we have watching on our phones the same as in person? No. But sometimes, the experience on the phone can be just as good, if not better. If you go to a basketball or football game, you’ll see a lot of people watching the big screen instead of the actual players. Big concerts focus more now on the visual effects than the music themselves. It’s a hard argument to make that what you experience at the Super Bowl in the upper deck is better than watching it on an 82-inch plasma TV.

Modern society has led to the democratization of sight and sound. These senses can be shared, liked, and retweeted, with the consumption being not vastly different than if the experience was happening live and in person. Yet, as humans, we still strive to find that unique, unequivocal experience that makes us feel special. This is where taste and food have come to the forefront for the millennial generation.

Taste is the last great sense that cannot be replicated by technology. Sure, you can see an Instagram picture of food, but you can’t taste the food through social media—at least not yet. It’s our senses that can still provide us an experience that is unique, yet sharable among friends. The best and most famous food destinations, whether they’re restaurants, stands, shacks, or carts, provide a person with a one-time-only taste of a particular food served on a particular day that is best shared communally. This experience cannot be replicated or duplicated, because each “performance” of a meal is different. Even if a dish is the same, the ingredients might be slightly different, the chef preparing it might be in a different mood, the weather outside could be different, the restaurant could have a new oven, etc. Not to mention that the eater could be in a different mood, their taste buds have changed, their palate widened, etc. That’s why you can go to the same restaurant two weeks in a row, order the same dishes, and have two different experiences.

Piranha from Central in Lima, Peru

Food requires time. Each meal is unique, yet what makes the meal different than a concert or sporting event is that the taste cannot be replicated or written down. Taste cannot be shared. And that’s what makes food and the restaurant experience magical and amazing. Our taste is the one thing that truly still relies on our own imagination and memory. It’s no longer necessary to remember a play, sporting event, or concert, because you can just watch or listen to it over and over again. Taste only lives in our mind, which makes the experience of tasting and connecting the dots of a taste memory that much richer and more rewarding. This is why some of our strongest and earliest memories are of food and meals, because our other memories have been replaced with pictures or video of the moment, and we remember those pictures and videos more than the events themselves.

Food also requires place. You have to go to a particular location to get the food you’re looking for, whether it’s grandma’s house or a backstreet in Tokyo. You can’t just order the duck from Eleven Madison Park in NYC and have it get delivered to your door, or if you did, it certainly isn’t going to taste good two days later. In this way, food is one of the great joys of travel that truly has to be experienced in the moment and cannot be brought back as a souvenir (yes, you can bring back that box of Belgian chocolates, but they are not going to last forever!).

When an activity requires time and place, you have the opportunity for a “wow” experience. Going to a fancy restaurant is always a crap shoot, because there are so many variables. However, when the timing is right, there is nothing more magical and exciting than a great meal.

Spread at Franklin BBQ in Austin, TX

littleSpoon: A Tale of Inconsistency & Pork Belly

Background:
Oh, littleSpoon. You let us down time and time again, yet we keep coming back for more. Back in the early days of littleSpoon’s Myers Park tenure, the food was inventive, fun, and—most importantly—delicious. It even made our Best Restaurants list back in the summer of 2016. Lately, however, it’s been a different story.

The food is often inconsistent, and the service disappoints a majority of the time (that’s been true from day one, unfortunately). But when littleSpoon’s food shines, it really shines. The house-cured pork belly slab bacon will make you close your eyes in non-Kosher ecstasy. I regularly crave their steel cut oat porridge with coconut milk. But then their turkey sandwich is dry, or their avocado toast lacks any seasoning or flavor. Ordering has become a game of Russian Roulette, but we keep coming back for their moments of greatness and the hipster “Are we in Charlotte?” ambiance.

In April of this year, littleSpoon made room to merge with its little sister, Comida (check out our review of Comida in its original location here). Since Comida’s move, I think I have heard even less about it than I did when it was in Plaza Midwood. Maybe it’s doing well and flying under the radar? That’’s another review for another time, however. The main change for littleSpoon in housing Comida is that the bar area changed to a different side of the restaurant, and they added some faux-grass flare.

Below is a collection of dishes we have tried over our many, many visits over the years. Seriously, the meals below span 2014-2018: we go often, to say the least. Note that many of the dishes pictured were daily specials, or feature items that are no longer on the menu. On that note, we certainly give littleSpoon kudos for regularly switching up their menu offerings. This post is essentially our ask is for littleSpoon to be its best self most of the time, so we can go back to loving it and having our go-to, hip brunch spot back again

Eat This:

Slab bacon

House-cured, Carolina Heritage Farms pork belly

This right here is a huge reason why we keep coming back to littleSpoon. It’s flavorful and perfectly-textured, and it makes you wish all bacon was pork belly bacon.

farro bowl

Radish, goat cheese, edible flowers

One of my all-time favorites from their late spring/early summer menu in 2015. I wish I could recreate this as well at home, and I’ve tried. Didn’t come close.

Avocado Toast

Sourdough Toast, charred avocado, radish, grapefruit, jalapeño, micro green salad

As beautiful as this was, it tasted like nothing. I didn’t get any of the grapefruit or spice. The bread was not toasted enough, and the whole experience was bland and mushy. It’s not easy to screw up avocado toast, but it’s apparently possible.

chicken biscuit

LS biscuits, crispy fried chicken, house pickles, garlic aioli

This is a classic, and I would imagine it’s among their most popular menu items. Not terribly offensive, but the biscuits are often dry.

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

A special from May 2017. The grilled cheese was good, but the tomato soup lacked seasoning. Are you seeing a pattern?

Caesar Salad

With duck egg

Also on the menu in May 2017, and I wish it had stuck around. A good one.

Chicken Wings

With Gochujang sauce

These wings were excellent. We wish these were back on the menu, too.

Omelette

With lox

Omelettes are not ever a favorite of ours at littleSpoon. They typically lack salt and pepper, though they are cooked beautifully—light and fluffy. What a shame, because typically cooking an omelette properly is the hardest part, and they’ve got that down.

LS Turkey Sandwich

brioche, LS roasted turkey breast, tomato & Bibb lettuce, garlic aioli

Ah, there’s that dry turkey sandwich from the introduction. It’s a shame, because the individual ingredients are spot on. They just need to cook the turkey differently and slice it more thinly.

Granola

Yogurt, honey, strawberries

Nothing to not like about this classic combo. A special from May 2016.

Omeltte

With greens

See our comments above re: littleSpoon’s omelette game. :/

Mini Cheddar jalapeño biscuits

With bacon fat butter

These were one of our biggest disappointments. The biscuits did not taste at all of cheddar or jalapeños, and they could have functioned as stand-in pucks at a Checkers’ game. Sadness, especially when there is bacon fat butter involved.

Egg White Raft

Sourdough, whipped goat cheese, egg whites, local greens, salsa verde

I love this dish, and it has been on their menu from the beginning. I only wish you could substitute for whole eggs, but the egg white is a pre-baked frittata. I should get this more often, as it’s consistent.

Korean Brussels Sprouts

Fried brussels sprouts, gochujang vinaigrette

Another solid staple. We’ve never been let down by these bad boys.

#BEC

Bacon, egg, and cheese

It’s good, but a hashtag in the name doesn’t make it anything special. Your average bacon, egg, and cheese, that you could get cheaper and better at Laurel Market, or another breakfast spot.

French Dip

With au jus

Another special from May 2016. Just okay.

Crispy RIce

Puffed rice, LS kimchi, pickled mushrooms, sesame wilted Mizuna, poached egg

We were so excited to see this on the menu last April, and it just didn’t work for us. The crispy rice was a few notches too crispy, and the flavors were very one note, and didn’t meld well together. This one could have been awesome, and we hope they have since perfected it, as it’s still on the menu.

Dessert:
littleSpoon has some nice “breakfast dessert” options, like 8-minute s’mores cookies, scones, and the aforementioned cinnamon toast brûlée.

Cinnamon Roll

This one from January 2016 is not sticking out in my memory, but it looks pretty good in this picture, eh? We’ll give it a pass.

Pop Tart

An oft-featured special, years ago. Haven’t seen it on the menu much lately. We always enjoyed these, in every flavor. Can’t remember what was in this one…wish I could teleport back and take a bite.

Drink:
littleSpoon is known for their giant, handle-less coffee mugs (essentially bowls). Their coffee is Pure Intentions, and I never have any complaints about it. They also offer freshly-squeezed orange, apple, and grapefruit juice, and the full bar can be enjoyed day and night.

Iced Coffee

Coffee in any form at littleSpoon is always great. Two thumbs up.

Cappuccino

In a classic littleSpoon mug. Delicious and comforting.

Atmosphere:
The rap music is fun, but considering the inconsistency of the food, it makes you wonder if littleSpoon relies on the ambiance to cover up their rough patches. The decor itself is decidedly fine, nothing standout. Except for the tile at their new bar—we are not sure what’s going on there. It is white and orange with text, but all of the text is cut off so you can’t tell what it says. If you know whether that tile has some special meaning, please let us know.

littleHospitality:
We mentioned it earlier, but it bears repeating: littleSpoon’s service is a real disappointment. Even when the servers are attentive, which they often are, they always serve up major attitude to accompany those giant coffee cups, and it makes us sad. The waitstaff basically makes you feel as though your presence is an imposition. Seriously, when we leave here, we often laugh that we keep coming back in the face of such disinterested service—it’s like being unable to quit an abusive boyfriend.

This is us leaving, filled with pork belly and confusion: “Why do we keep coming back here!?” Never again!”

This is us two months later, when the pain has worn off: “Let’s go to brunch at littleSpoon! I want bacon and brûléed cinnamon toast.”

Frankie’s Notes:
What is it about Biggie and Tupac that lulls us into a stupor and makes us forget dismissive service?; littleSpoon’s bigCoffee cups are one of the top five best things about the restaurant; Is there an Illuminati message hidden in the orange bar tile?; Pork belly makes us have amnesia; Taking your parents here is always a wide-eyed adventure, and they will definitely question the lack of handles on the coffee cups and the music; Why can’t we quit you, littleSpoon?

Rating: 2 out of 5

 

The Case for Atelier Crenn

Dominique Crenn reposted this photo of ours on Instagram, and we can basically die happy now.

Background: 
Here’s the deal:

• Atelier Crenn has two Michelin Stars. It should have three.

• It was left off of this year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, and it should have placed in the top ten (we have eaten at four of the top ten—including number one—so we are not speaking from ignorance).

The world of fine dining is still in many respects a “boy’s club,” and we believe Dominique Crenn’s culinary artistry has not yet received the recognition it deserves. Scallionpancake is here to change that.

We are going to go a step further, in fact: Crenn’s dishes are more inventive, more flavorful, and, most importantly, more reflective of her passion than those we tasted at EMP and The French Laundry. At the aforementioned restaurants, we felt that the chefs were resting on their laurels and relying on their famous names in many respects. Perhaps because Crenn’s reputation does not yet precede her, she is making food that keeps diners on their toes and showcases a cuisine that blends creativity and taste in a way that places her quite firmly in our top five restaurants (she is still below Noma, but not far below).

Soooo excited. And perhaps a bit underdressed. But San Francisco is a walking town, and we definitely walked to dinner. Hence the sneaks.

If you’ve seen the Netflix Chef’s Table episode on Atelier Crenn, you know that Crenn created her Marina District San Francisco restaurant as a tribute to her father, Allain. Together with her mother, he introduced Crenn to a wide variety of cuisines at a young age. In her 20s, Crenn moved from France to San Francisco to begin her restaurant career.  In 2011, she opened Atelier Crenn and received two Michelin Stars that same year. In 2015, she opened the smaller, slightly more casual Petit Crenn, and this year she opened Bar Crenn right next door to Atelier Crenn, which serves wine, cocktails, and small plates. In 2018, Crenn won the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Western Region of the United States.

We dined at Atelier Crenn in May 2018 and enjoyed the spring tasting menu. We didn’t see Crenn on our visit, as she was on vacation, but she is in the restaurant most nights of the week, so you are likely to catch a glimpse of her in action when you go.

Eat This: 
Once seated, each diner is presented with a poem that is a menu in disguise. Each line is a coded lyrical verse that hints at the dish to come. We had so much fun trying to figure out what type of dish was coming based on the poem, though we only guessed correctly for a couple (we knew the “Royal Lady’s fruitful labor” was referencing a honey bee. That’s about it).

Let us take you through our poetic and awe-inspiring meal at Atelier Crenn, in the form of Crenn’s verse and culinary prowess:

Kombucha

Okay, okay, The first course doesn’t correspond to the poem. But the kombucha apertif was a delight. Delicious, cool, and refreshing.

Spring has come with its cool breeze

Kir Breton

The first course that corresponds with the poem. If you’ve seen the Chef’s Table episode on Crenn, this dish features prominently. The ingredients in a Kir Breton cocktail (crème de cassis and dry cider) are enrobed in white chocolate. You pop this in your mouth all at once, and the cool and sweet flavors explode. Such a strong start, and it deserves its place as Crenn’s signature dish.

See this most adored gift from Neptune, an aureate bloom

Geoduck, Sea Urchin, & Citrus

Have you ever had geoduck? We hadn’t. It’s a large clam, portioned here along with the sea urchin to look like a beautiful flower of sorts. The texture of the clam and sea urchin on the rice cracker was divine.

This came out in a cloche filled with dry ice, so the presentation was as exciting as the taste.

Warriors ashore bathe in a rosy glow as luminous as its gilded crown

Prawn, Seaweed, & Whey

The most exciting thing about Crenn’s food is the way she plays with textures and flavors. Each bite feels unexpected, and there are approximately 35 experiences happening at once inside of your mouth. That’s what she said?

The circle of consommé and the inner circle of whey each added layers of flavor to this dish.

To bury in fallen leaves my treasures of the earth and sea

Seed & Grain

Smoked buckwheat, quinoa soil, smoked trout roe (bottarga), and smoked sturgeon pearls with a warm bonito dashi broth. This course was rich and comforting.

From the wintry mist, tender specks on the meadow begin to stir

English Pea & Mint

One of our favorite dishes. Early spring peas were mixed with beads of frozen crème fraîche. Tableside, ham broth was stirred in. This was spring in a bowl—the flavors were bursting with freshness and the mix of crunchy textures made every bite a revelation.

As if awoken by shimmering pearls and ashen cloud

Caviar, Buckwheat, & Koji

Caviar and gold leaf: how could this be bad? Served with lacy buckwheat crackers, this course was fun to eat and the flavors were perfectly rich.

Brioche & House-made butter

No verse for bread?! We shall write one:

“Oh bread, for you my heart beats”

Alternate verse: Brioche with butter? Enough said.

Butter-dipped radishes

Another one that is not part of the poem, but wow, wow, wow. I love the radish, butter, and salt combo, but Crenn took it to a new level by enrobing the entire radish in the slightly sweet butter. Every other butter/radish duo will pale in comparison to this.

Hidden beneath the bluffs an armored gent listens

Abalone, Cabbage & Smoked Crème

This was one of the only dishes we weren’t floored by. We liked it, but it wasn’t super memorable. Moving along.

To the snowy stillness of soft swimming creatures

Striped bass, Boudin Noir, & Morel

The best part of this course was that you got to choose your knife from a box of assorted knives a waiter brought around. I always loved '“choose your own adventure” books, but choose your own cutlery was nearly as fun.

You may have noticed that there is no meat on this menu. Once we had this course, I wasn’t missing it at all. The sea bass was meaty and so rich. I felt very satisfied, but Jason wouldn’t have hated a bit of red meat.

While the ephemeral beauty born of jade effervescence sang

Matcha Tea Service

Matcha mixed with bone broth. Could Crenn get any more au courant with this course? I dug it. A more creative palate cleanser than stodgy old sorbet, thats’s for sure.

For the verdant bounty of the gatherer’s harvest in caring hands

Onion Royal & Comté

A very satisfying and warming cheese course. Not a standout when looking back at the entire meal, however.

Dessert: 

From the Royal Lady’s fruitful labor a dulcet offering

Honey, Sapote, & Pollen

The verse we guessed! Honey! The bee pollen magic shell on the honey ice cream was super fun and majorly tasty.

As the drifter rests, in reverie of days ahead

Coconut & Pineapple

A rich, creamy, dreamy, coconut pineapple mousse inside of a chocolate shell.

In Scallionpancake’s opinion, the dessert course is a major weakness at many fine dining restaurants (we’re looking at you, EMP), and Atelier Crenn’s offerings blew us away. This coconut had so many lovely texture and flavor elements (chunks of pineapple are hiding inside of the mousse), and the portion was large enough to leave us satisfied. This dessert was the absolute best we’ve had anywhere.

Spring has come and is full of sweet surprises

Mignardises

A real cacao pod! What could possibly be inside?!

Sweetness, bounty, thanks

An assortment of fabulous chocolates, that’s what!

My favorite was the peanut butter one on the right—it was essentially a next level PB Crisp (PS-sign the petition to bring back PB Crisp! It’s my life’s cause).

Drink: 
Neither of us did the beverage pairing, but we each got two drinks. Jason enjoyed mocktails, while I indulged in the most glorious champagne. Cheers!

Non-Alcoholic Gin & Tonic

Tasted just like a real G & T. Seriously amazing. Stocked by the Seedlip brand.

Atmosphere: 
Crenn’s father’s paintings adorn the walls, along with sticks and other natural elements. The entire effect is that you are dining in a cozy bird’s nest. Cozy, indeed—there are only eight tables, making this the smallest fine dining restaurant we’ve ever experienced.

Bird's Nest Hospitality: 
The service throughout the night was flawless, and the servers were very patient and when we asked them to repeat explanations for each dish. Because you know we did.

There was only one snafu, and perhaps this reflects poorly on us, but we feel that Scallionpancake readers deserve to know our truth: we are pen stealers. Gulp. When we dine in fancy, Michelin-starred establishments, we hope and pray that we get a branded pen with our bill (note: even when you pay ahead of time with Tock, you still must pay for drinks the night of), and when we do, well…we take that pen and put it in a v. special faux marble jar from The Container Store. Like ya do, right? Well, Atelier Crenn is the only time we have been called out. When the waiter came back to get our bill after we had signed, he looked inside the envelope and asked if we had the pen! Yikes. We owned up, and said that we were pen collectors (read: thieves), and laughed it off. He wasn’t laughing, but he let us leave with out absconded pen nonetheless. Though we should perhaps feel shamed, we only feel that for a $700+ meal, it really shouldn’t have been mentioned.

Since we are talking cash money, let’s get into the details. Like Eleven Madison Park, Atelier Crenn uses the Tock booking system, which means that diners pay for their meals in advance. We love this feature, as paying for the meal on the night of can be a bit of a downer, so it’s nice to get that pesky part out of the way ahead of time. At the time of publication, each tasting meal is $335 per person, with the tip included. Beverage pairings begin at $220 per person.

Okay, so this is not the outside of Atelier Crenn. But this amazing house nearby caught my eye. It’s a hindu temple with a very cool history. The more you know!

Frankie's Notes: 
Don’t worry, the fabled pen is resting safely on our kitchen counter in its faux-marble home; We will let you come see the pen for $335 per person; We are writing sternly-worded letters to the folks behind the 50 Best Restaurants List, and we are going to sign them all “#MeToo""; Our friend Miriam, who is a mourning dove, dined in a nest every night until she was scared off by a giant raven who ate her bird children; I am currently writing a “choose your own adventure” book that is all about choosing the knife that will ultimately decide your destiny and success fighting against large, chocolate-shell coconut.

Rating: 5 out of 5 + 3 Michigan Pugs