Dinner: Monday, August 16, 2010

Park Kitchen

Small plates:

• Watermelon and beets, bbq watermelon vinaigrette
• Flank steak with blue cheese, parsley and sherried onions
• Corn and zucchini papardelle, duck confit, and goat cheese
• Grilled octopus, sea beans and new potatoes
• House cured tesa, long cooked zucchini, basil pesto

Mario and I were determined to fight our tendency to choose an existing favorite restaurant in favor of something new this evening while Rachel was staying with my mom. A few years ago, I had an excellent meal here with a group of folks celebrating Qualcomm anniversaries, but it's been such a long time, it might as well have been new to me, and it was to Mario.

We got an al fresco table across from a bocce game on the Park Blocks as the evening breeze cooled the air, and sampled two of their "classic" cocktails. Mario commented that even the the Sazerac is a NOLA drink, their version "tasted redolent of Portland." My G&T featured house-made tonic water--I believe it had some tamarind.

The small plates were all terrific, two stood out as "wow, I'd never have thought of doing that, and it's really great"--the watermelon and beet salad, in which the watermelon had been lightly salted and the small julienne of pickled watermelon gave it some snap; and the papardelle, which included a garnish of popcorn cooked in duck fat and seasoned with smoked paprika.

Tesa, in case you didn't know (we didn't), is flat cured pork belly. It was just on the borderline of too salty, but the smoky, with the long stewed zucchini and pesto was luscious and put an end to any thought of having dessert. Phew!