Scena - January 22, 2016
I am a sucker for tasting menus. This should be old news by now, but if you’re an infrequent, new, or forgetful reader, let me reiterate; I love tasting menus. I enjoyed my first experience at Scena and have been meaning to go back, so when I heard there was going to be a 10 course crudo and cocktail pairing that was curated by Erik Anderson and Nick Kosevich of Bittercube respectively, I knew it was something I was going to do.
After a couple weeks that didn’t work and a brief run in with Erik, I finally decided to make it happen. (I didn’t get all of the cocktail pictures, but I’ll try to include them when possible.
Course 1 - Salmon Roe & Sea Urchin Panna Cotta Spheres with Mint, Chilies, and Capezzana Olive Oil (Celebration Aquavit, Lemon, Cara Cara Orange, Mint, Sparkling Wine and Bittercube Jamaican #2 Bitters): salty, briny, balanced by the mint, mouthfeel that I can best describe as a light and ethereal almost tapioca pearl. The solvency of the cocktail helped balance the olive oil.
You might notice that there’s an ingredient shared between the crudo and the cocktail, that theme would be used throughout the evening.
Course 2 - Dry Aged Yellowfin Tuna with Bottarga, Jalapeño, and Barrel Aged Fish Sauce (Illegal Reposado Mezcal, Lime, Grapefruit Oleo, Bittercube Corazon Bitters, Cilantro, and Seltzer - late edition of the Fish Sauce too): After aging for 10 days the fish became funky, oily, salty, with some notes that were almost cheese like and it just melted in your mouth. It was amazing. The cocktail was great and totally changed once the shared ingredient - the barrel aged fish sauce - was added. It was like magic.
Course 3 - Wild Striped Bass with an Herbed Broth made with Juiced Herbs, Kombu, Olive Oil, and an Italian Herb that starts with “A” (Junipero Gin, Mother’s Dry Vermouth, Bittercube Orange Bitters, and some of the Herb Broth): The fish was nice and firm, with enough oil that warranted the broth to cut it. The cocktail was floral, hot, herbaceous, with just a hint of citrus.
Course 4 - John Dory with Crispy Arborio Rice, Fish Chicharron, Dried Chilies, and American Ham (Ransom Dry Vermouth, Sauterne, Saffron Syrup, and Seltzer): So. Many. Textures. Erik let us in on the secret that this dish was inspired by one of my favorite dishes, and what was coming to mind for me, the classic Spanish dish paella. The cocktail was good, the saffron really tying the entire concept together.
Course 5 - Steelhead and Roe with Brown Butter Bread Crumb, Radish, Dill, and Egg Yolk Pudding (Gamle Ode Dill Aquavit, Dolin Blanc, Bittercube Bolivar Bitters, and Dill): Another texturally diverse dish. A lot of flavors with this one that worked really well, and the dill was a great bridge between the crudo and the cocktail.
Course 6 - Red Prawns with Citrus, Black Olive, Prawn Head Oil, and Crispy Shells (Gamle Ode Dill Aquavit, Dolin Blanc, Bittercube Bolivar Bitters, and Dill with an augment of Shrimp Head Oil and Mint Oil): Really good, between the preparations I’ve had of the prawn crudo, I think this one is preferred. The addition of the prawn head oil to the cocktail was some weird form of alchemy that changed the entire experience. Quite amazing.
Course 7 - Hamachi with Cucumber, Hot Bone Marrow Fat & Picholine Olive (Bone Marrow Infused Hakushu 12yr & Auchentoshan Three Wood): This one was cool. When the hot rendered bone marrow hit the cool fish it solidified into what I can only describe as the savory equivalent to the thin glaze you find on raised doughnuts. The olive brought a great salt. The bone marrow washed whiskies were great. Even if it took years, I’m glad I finally developed a taste for brown spirits, if for no other reason than that I was able to enjoy this concoction.
Course 8 - Raw Albacore with Preserved Ventresca Tuna Tonato, Capers, & Eggs (Golden Moon Barrel Aged Gin, Dolin Dry Vermouth, Filthy Cippolini Onion): Great flavors. It’s funny that I first had a caper berry within the past six months, but now I’ve had them as part of at least 4 dishes since then. I wonder if the ingredient is entering its vogue period?
Course 9 - Scallop with Crispy Scallop and Isot Pepper (Martini Augment of Isot Onion and Grapefruit Oil [missing the cocktail for 8 and 9 {same one}]): And my requisite “oops I started eating before snapping a picture” course. It was great, the “crispy” scallop was a cool take, the rest of the dish was great too.
Course 10 - Raw Beef with Tomato Oil, Parmesan, and Habanero (3 Organic Reposado and Sangrita): Amazing, it was a great way to cap off the evening. The texture on this raw beef briefly made me question why we’d ever tartare or even cook it, so, so good. The cocktail and service vessel were both great.
There were a few interesting moments of the evening, including a brief interlude of why you can’t call crudo “Italian sushi/sashimi.”
If you’re a fan of crudo, cocktails, tasting menus, and general creativity, I definitely recommend checking this out, it’s likely to only go on with Erik at the helm for a couple more months, something about another restaurant to open.