As I left the office, putting out as many preemptive fires as I could possibly imagine, I was ready to let go, sit back, and enjoy the ride...
That took 45 minutes longer than usual thanks to the pleasure cruise that is rush hour traffic.
I must admit that despite the pressures of my job and the bumper-to-bumper commute to the airport, nearly all was forgotten at the sight of Brian. It had been almost a full year since I had seen him last, just before I left college for San Francisco. Just as happy as always, Brian gives off this incredible energy that just makes you want to be around him all the time. He was a sight for sore eyes in that magical "guy love" sort of way. But I digress...
The first meal with someone who visits your city (yes, this is my city now, thank you very much) is always an important one. It sets the tone for the rest of the trip: one bad dinner and you spend the rest of your time trying to pick up the restaurant's slack, but a great one and you're full, happy, and ready to take on the world.
We received the latter at Outerlands.
I had been there for brunch (which was beyond phenomenal), but had always wanted to try their dinner. A cozy atmosphere with rustic, fresh, farm-to-table ingredients was exactly what I needed to shake off the work-week funk in which I sat, and Outerlands fit the bill perfectly.
Brian had been adhering to the Paleo diet, which excludes gluten entirely. For this trip, however, he decided to step away, and so what better spot to take him than one known for its bread that, in my personal opinion, is better than Tartine. Yes, I said it, and I will say it again - BETTER THAN TARTINE.
Bread And Butter Is My Bread and Butter
My one gripe (which isn't even that big, all things considered), is that you never know how long you may have to wait. They don't pick up the phone, they don't take reservations, and they are way the hell out in the...don't make me say it...However, we were already in the car and I was having trouble finding parking by my house, so we decided to take our chances. Taking the first available is always a good choice in my opinion, and as we grabbed a beer to hold us over, we may have waited about fifteen minutes before our names were called and we were ready to feast.
As we cozied up to a four top underneath the heat lamps with our closest friend Kevin, we started off with two orders of their famous levain - inch and a half thick slices of sourdough, a flaky, crispy-but-not-too-crispy crust (which is where I think it outshines Tartine) with a fluffy, chewy interior were the perfect canvas on which to paint (generously) the house made butter and flaky sea salt. It's one of those comfort food moments where you take a bite, chew and ponder, and heave a gigantic sigh of blissful calm and sloop back into your chair.
The newest menu item caught more than one set of eyes at the table, as we partook in two plates of shrimp and grits with farro, pork shank, English peas, and other ridiculousness. Kevin, looking dazed and confused at the thought of having to make a decision among the mouth watering choices, finally decided on the beef tenderloin - which I offered to split with him.
And good thing I did.
Rarely have I ever had meat so tender that it quite literally melted in my mouth. The flavors were so intense, with a nice salty bite on the forefront. It was cooked to that delicate balancing act between rare and medium rare, beaming a pink hue that beckoned to me.
Beef Tenderloin
But let's not forget about the shrimp and grits - it was no throw-away dish by any means. Using farro for the grits was an awesome alteration, and the fresh peas really had a chance to shine in terms of taste, color and texture. The snappy crunch played well into the chewy farro, and the bright green popped on top of the paler grains. Shrimp were perfectly cooked, and the pickled peppers brought some pep to the dish. It was surprisingly rich, but super-satisfying.
Shrimp and Grits
One of the things that I loved most about this dinner was that the portions were normal. I know how relative a term that is, but here's the way we all seemed to come to the same conclusion.
Dessert.
Yes, it's nice to finish off a meal with something sweet, but often times I find myself too full to even think about it. All of us were extraordinarily content, and didn't really want the night to end. So, a chemex of Sightglass Coffe for Brian and me, and some (shockingly wonderful) barley tea for Kevin, and we shared each of the three desserts on the menu. After all...why not?
Wow.
I have to admit that while the carrot cake was good, it was by far and away the least impressive of the three. Served with crème fraîche and a crisp sugar brûlée, it was decent, and let's be clear, polished off.
Carrot Cake
The other two boggled our taste buds in the best way. The strawberry almond shortcake was killer: it tasted as though they soaked the angel food cake in amaretto and topped it with fresh strawberries, which would have been enough. Add onto that a yogurt moose, and you've got one hell of a refreshing finish to a meal.
Strawberry Almond Shortcake
On the complete opposite side of the spectrum was the salted caramel pot de crème with dark chocolate and rosemary caramel corn. Apparently this is by far-and-away the most popular dessert, and with good reason. I'm not sure how well they played together, but separately were outrageous. I'm always an advocate of herbs in my dessert (not those herbs...), so the rosemary caramel corn struck a chord with me. It helps to balance out that cloyingly sweet candy that coats the corn kernel, and gives back some of that earthiness. As for the salted caramel pot de crème, Kevin had the best description.
"It's like a liquid truffle."
Not quite a liquid, per se, but not quite a solid either. Imagine that smooth texture you find on the inside of a truffle, and apply that to dark chocolate atop, as well as the salted caramel below.
Salted Caramel Pot De Crème w/ Rosemary Caramel Corn
When all was said and done, we were full, happy, and cozy. I didn't want any more, and I certainly didn't want any less.
Just how a perfect meal should leave you feeling.
It was one of those perfect nights that you remember forever. The company was unbeatable, the food was to die for, and as the chill came into the Sunset air and we held onto our hot beverages, we struggled to arise from our seats, as none of us wanted it to end.
Outerlands - thank you for a wonderful start to a much needed vacation.
Cheers!
"Kevin, your eyes are closed."
"They're always closed..."
Nosh on,
Josh
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