There are out there, somewhere, probably, souls so dead that they could resist a dish called turkey leg nachos. Well, maybe vegetarians. But for the rest of us, the giggle of the name lures us onward. It may well be the most popular dish at Grapeseed, which has been planted on Nottingham at Macklind Avenue. Serving boards laden with them fly out of the kitchen far faster than the birds themselves ever could.
Grapevine, located, as so many of the SoHa neighborhood restaurants are, in an old storefront, opened this past autumn. The food is Local Modern American, with a slightly gentler price point than many such spots. (We may start abbreviating that as LMA, the concept is becoming so ubiquitous.) At least that's the feeling – mains run from $19 to $25. Nevertheless, there's more than twice as many smaller plates listed than entrees, a hint that exploring that category might be worthwhile.
The size of the servings in that column are generous, for the most part, so they're shareable, or can serve as a light meal in themselves, like those nachos. Based on house-made sweet potato chips, ultra-thin, greaseless and crisp, the turkey is, hooray, nuggets of dark meat from thigh and drumstick – breast would be far and away too dry and boring here. It's topped with housemade ranch dressing and an unnamed clear, sweet-hot sauce, then sprinkled with good bacon, chives, roasted sweet peppers and a few grape tomatoes. Of course it's messy to eat – the sweet sauce even made its way off the plank onto the center of the table – and the sweet potato chips are delicate enough that carrying this weight makes things a bit tricky, but press on. The sweet-hot-salty balance is too good to miss, even if it devolves into a knife-and-fork thing, the way it did for one diner.
Nachos are lighthearted. Fresh pasta is more serious. A serving of ravioli stuffed with crimini mushrooms and served with a few pearl onions, oyster mushrooms and a dollop of fava bean cream was almost enough to recall the scene from "When Harry Met Sally".
A salad of grilled hearts of romaine is a winner. Paired with diced Asian pear, hard-cooked egg, a bit of cheese, and some pickled rhubarb, the crowning touch was a warm bacon vinaigrette, reminiscent of what might be on a German potato salad. Very different, quite remarkable.
Interestingly, both french fries and a hamburger are on this section of the menu. It's a handsome, tall burger, so precisely constructed they surely use a mold. The "special sauce" holds the shredded lettuce in place, the pickles are housemade, and the brioche bun isn't too sweet for the dish. They almost managed medium rare, too. But it somehow lacked savor, not enough beefy flavor, lost, perhaps, in the vegetables surrounding it. The fries, arriving in a cunning wire basket, look great, and they're hot and fresh. The dipping sauce are a nicely spicy seasoned ketchup and an aioli that's lightly smoky. Fatter than the average fry around town, although not to the size of a steak fry, my pal, who loves larger fries, was ecstatic. Me, I like thinner ones, with more crunch. Handsome, and not technically bad at all, just not my personal style.
There's a heritage pork chop on the entree list that stands out – it's a fine chop, nice and juicy, but the smoked apple butter on top of it is remarkable. It's sided by a sweet potato hash containing shallot, some kind of cooked green, and julienne red and yellow peppers, but they fade into the background compared to the pork and apple butter.
The desserts vary, but bread pudding remains. It's made with brioche, and arrives architecturally clean-cut in a wedge with a creme anglaise and currants. Rather unusually, nearly the entire serving, except a bit at the edge seems to be a single piece of brioche soaked with the custardy mixture before baking. The texture hits the perfect spot between firm and tender, and the edges are nicely crisped from its warming trip through a hot oven.
The cocktail menu is interesting without creeping into that I have no idea on earth what THAT would taste like mode, and there's a good list of wines by the glass. Between that list and the house being more than comfortable with people eating at the bar, it's a fine spot for solo dining. Service, both at the bar and at tables, is smooth and knowledgeable.
Owner-chef Ben Anderson has given us a new destination.
Grapeseed
5400 Nottingham Ave.
314-925- 8525
Dinner Tues.-Sat.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Adequate
Smoking: No
Entrees: $19-$25
Comments
2 responses
Right on review. It’s an easy place to fall in love with — interesting and delicious food and a good wine list — life is good indeed.
Aha! We had dinner there for the first time last night and wow, will definitely go back. We LOVED the romaine salad, totally shareable or another time I might order it as my own entree, it’s that satisfying. JW LOVED the pork chop, that smoked apple butter has us wondering, How soon can we throw some apples into the smoker? I LIKED the shrimp & grits (the shrimp were soooo tender) but was salivating at the burgers on so many other tables. We LOVED the lava cake and ice cream for dessert, wasn’t quite sure how the citrus/other dollop-y stuff quite worked in however. We will TOTALLY be back!