Journeyman

          This past weekend I had the pleasure of dining at Journeyman, a restaurant that’s been at the top of my list to try for a few months. The location, sort of hidden in the back of a parking lot makes it a bit hard to find if you don’t know what you’re looking for. It’s also a tiny place, so make a reservation.

          The interior has a very industrial, NY feel. The menu changes weekly and includes five or seven course tasting options (each with a an omnivore or vegetarian alternative) for $65 or $85. After 8:30pm, there is also a $40 four-course chef’s choice menu. There are additional supplemental courses available like a cheese course or foie gras or steak for two. Drink pairings are available and include a mix of beer, wine, and cocktails. The two main Chef's are Asian and Russian, and you can definitely see the influences in the food.

          I went with a group of four, and we opted for the seven course tasting menu with two bottles of wine to share. The wine list had only a few selections by the glass, but an extensive selection by the bottle including several rare and unusual varietals. We shared one white (orange) a 2009 Monastero Suore Cistercensi "Coenobium Rusticum" Bianco, and a red NV Frank Cornelissen Etna MunJebel Rosso. The wines were amazing, and at the end of our meal, the staff told us how excited the sommelier was that we had selected them!

          The first course was a parsnip soup with a giant oyster, country ham, and fresh cranberries. This was one of my favorite dishes, I love parsnip soup and the tart cranberries and smoky ham were a perfect contrast.

          The second course was a mackerel sashimi with a sun choke puree and sliced scallion. This was light and fresh, and I enjoyed the combination of the sashimi and sun choke.

          The third course was another of my favorites, torchon of foie gras spread over toast, served with borscht (chilled beet soup). The foie gras was smooth and creamy and tasted even better when dipped in the borscht.

          The fourth course was rabbit three ways: roasted heart, liver mousse, and confit leg all served with different sauces. My favorite was the confit leg, which was braised perfectly.

          The fifth course was the quail, which came with two legs cooked perfectly and served with a citrus puree (grapefruit) and chiles.

 

          The sixth course was the pork with turnip and bitter greens, which was delicious and the perfect way to finish the savory portion of the meal.

          To transition from sweet to savory, we had a pallet cleanser of celery sorbet with fig puree. This was light, refreshing, and seemed an unusual pairing but it worked!

          Dessert was a plate with little bites of french toast, and several accompaniments including orange, coffee, and chocolate ice cream.

          Overall I had a fantastic experience at Journeyman and would definitely go back. I'd be curious to try the four course menu which is chef's choice, and see if the selections are completely different than the set menus.