The name Eating House doesn't sound particularly inventive nor inviting,
to be honest, it's reminiscent of the term "slaughterhouse," which quite
frankly is an image I like to pretend has nothing to do with the food in
front of me (their logo doesn't help, see right). I know realistically meat comes from somewhere, but if I
can detach myself as much as possible from the actual process, all the
better for my enjoyment. Luckily, Eating House is nothing remotely
close, with the only semblance to a slaughterhouse being the death they bring to boring, trite dishes. What they create is anything but traditional! They'll reek havoc
on your conceptions of what can be credible and exquisite cuisine with Duck a l'Fanta, Japanese Eggplant with maduro miso and more. Expect
the unexpected, in a funky fusion of flavors using a dash of Asian fish
sauce, a dousing of Iron Beer, and even re-inventing your standard birthday cake. Pop-up restaurants have become a bit of a
double edged sword, I love when a place goes all out to push the limits
of food to make it pleasurable and unique, but it devastates me to think
there is a limited shelf life.
Eating House is located in Cafe Ponce (which is usually open during breakfast and lunch), on Ponce de Leon and just on the cusp of
Calle Ocho. The decor is nothing particularly warm nor complex, but with
a pop-up it's really all about the food. It's intimate, yet got ample
seating, with stark white walls, save for the exception of a couple
colorful graffiti canvases. Grabbing a bistro-style table in the back,
my dining partner and I perused the menu, trying to narrow down our
choices from a gamut of unconventional sounding selections.
First up was a caprese salad on steroids, the "Homestead tomatoes."
Served with colorful heirlooms, lime, ginger, nuoc cham, peanuts, frozen coconut milk, herbs, and local flowers, the presentation was a
lovely blending of colors and textures. Taste-wise it was
perfection, the cloud-bits of frozen coconut milk melting into the nuoc
cham to give a creamy sweetness that played off the tangy tomatoes and
crunchy salty bits of peanuts. I've had salads a million times, and yet
nothing can adequately describe how utterly ethereal and well balanced
it was. I could eat this every day and never get sick of it.
Next
on the menu we tried "niman ranch the pork belly" which came with a
sweet plantain puree, smoked guava, pickled spring onions and lime
salt. Tender cubes of meat with a lovely carmelization, I attempted to make the most of each bite so that none went without the creamy maduros sauce. One was served with cilantro flowers on top and the other with micro-spring onions. While both were tasty, we inexplicably tended to prefer the cilantro flowers.
In an
attempt to go where my stomach has not ventured before, we also ordered
the "'bulgogi' chicken hearts," with Korean BBQ sauce, crispy brussel
sprouts, sriracha pickles and toasted seasame. If you've never seen an
actual heart (the perfectly shaped visual representations you see on
Valentine's Day are quite different) this might be a little less
off-putting visually, but taste and texture-wise, I found the hearts to
be similar to a hot-dog. Basically, don't think about it and just enjoy
because the brussels were well-cooked so as to not maintain an overly
biter flavor, and together with the hearts and the sauce they all really complimented each other.
This was a night of firsts for me, and in addition to
the new twists on the previously mentioned dishes and my foray into
heart, I discovered that not all salmon has to be fishy. The olfactory
system is highly complex and is able to detect far more combinations
than the simple system rooted in taste (for which we have five taste
receptors divided into sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami).
Accordingly, our sense of smell accounts for a huge portion of what we
tend to equate with the flavor of a dish. For me, it has been this
strong odor-link that has prevented me from ever enjoying salmon. After multiple guarantees from my dining companion that sockeye would
be far more suited to my palate, we put in an order. I'm so glad I gave
it a chance, because it truly was every bit as delicious as I was
promised. The "sockeye salmon" was served with roasted calbaza, french
toast crumbs, a smoked Iron Beer, and pepitas. Together it tasted like breakfast! The firm, peachy-pink fish completely lacked any
overbearing odor or taste, and the oily skin lifted right off.
The Iron Beer reduction served as a more unique, and less gloppy "maple
syrup," which enhanced the flavor of the protein and the French toast crumbles. A
filling and fun entree that never felt too heavy.
We rounded off the meal
with "strawberry 'shortcake'." Fluffy mountains of airy sponge cake
were perched atop stewed strawberries. Then fresh berries were sliced
and sprinkled atop the peaks, with meringue crumbles that looked like
snow. It was served with a tart lemon ice cream, which again made a
good yin to the yang of sweetness, keeping the dessert delectable
without becoming cloying. My only teensy complaint would have been that
I'd have like more than one scoop of ice cream, as trying to divide one
up for the three hills of angel food cake proved and inequitable
division (and it was so good I wanted a bit along with each bite of the
cake). Overall though, it was the Goldilocks equation of "just right" on the sweet front, a dessert that
doesn't weigh you down and cleanses the palate.
Each dish was a
scrumptious work of art, and we were lucky enough that as each course
was brought out the waiter took the time to kindly explain each
component. The execution of each dish was sublime and managed to
balance flavors and textures in a masterful way. It's another one of
those places where you can tell the chef genuinely loves what he is
doing and isn't afraid to try the unexpected. I admit I've never seen
Chopped so I didn't know much about Giorgio Rapicavoli before trying
Eating House, but it's a name I won't soon forget. After experiencing
combinations I'd never been exposed to nor would I have thought to put together myself, I can't help but want to rush back as often as possible before
they're gone. Head over ASAP so you don't miss out!
Eating House
804 Ponce de Leon Blvd
Coral Gables,
FL 33134
http://eatinghousemiami.com/
You can also follow Eating House on twitter
@eating_house
