Ceres' Table

I would come here just to drink.  We had....

in bloom
st. germain, prosecco, candied hibiscus flower, hendricks gin, pressed lime - Loved the hibiscus aesthetically

blackened cosmo
absolute orient apple, black pepper-raspberry-clove syrup, white cranberry juice, lime juice, cointreau - not your boring sex and the city drink

antipasto
housemade lonza cotta, pork shoulder rillettes, lamb terrine, giardiniera, stone ground mustard, toasted sourdough - nice presentation

wagyu beef carpaccio, arugula, lemon, truffles - yay raw meat and expensive shrooms

free range chicken thighs bouillabaisse, fingerling potatoes, carrots, kielbasa sausage, saffron - tasty

branzino al cartoccio with oranges, fennel, fingerling potato and castelvetrano olives - parchment presentation and a whole fish, classic

red wine braised ossobuco, risotto al burro e parmigiano, mushroom trifolati, caramelized onions - a touch salty

seared calfs liver, white corn polenta, crispy onions, bacon, twelve-year aged balsamico - meh

chocolate soufflé cake
tangerine compote, candied pecans

chocolate banana bread pudding
hot fudge, butterscotch, whipped cream

peanut butter oreo tart
chocolate ganache, peanut brittle

coconut cheesecake
roasted pineapple

sicilian cartoccio doughnut
ricotta cream filling, hot chocolate

trio mango, pineapple, raspberry sorbet - the simplest dessert, and simply the best of them all

After my trip to Ceres' Table last night, I seriously questioned why it had taken me nearly a year to go back. Ceres' hit high marks all across the board in terms of the service, food, and presentation, and I was more than pleased with my entire dining experience. I made a reservation for two at 6pm on a Monday night, which wasn't needed as the restaurant was fairly empty. We were able to pick our table, so we chose a booth near the kitchen and away from the other patrons at the restaurant. We put in our drink orders (Founders Dirty Bastard and a Metropolitan Fly Wheel) and they arrived promptly. The waitress went over their extensive specials that they were offering, which was impressive in addition to the offerings of their regular menu. We put in our order as follows:

1) Calves Liver (Calves liver, polenta, bacon): Wow... just wow. I'm always open to trying new things, but I was a tad bit skeptical about this dish for some reason. I'm so happy I put any unease aside and that we went for it. The liver was incredibly tender and packed with flavor, and the creaminess of the polenta really complimented the dish. There were about four pieces of perfectly crunchy bacon on top of the calves liver that truly sealed the dish for me. When we expressed our enthusiasm about this entree the waitress said it has quite the cult following and that this item typically is always on the menu. This was a *very* dangerous tidbit of information that I learned last night, which probably means I'll be back in the near future.

2) Short Rib Special: short rib, currants, beets, pineapple and apriocot salsa, chickpeas, grain: The short rib was smokey, tender, and succulent. I savored each bite and loved how I didn't need to use my knife to cut the meat at all. Ceres' short rib stands apart from other short ribs I've had in terms of the fattiness of the piece of meat. This had a lot of fat to it (as most short ribs do) but it wasn't chewy or gristly, it just made the meat have a buttery, rich flavor. The short ribs were plated on quite the mix of vegetables and grains--the tangy/tartness of the currants alongside the chickpeas really gave balance to the richness of the short rib. Fantastic!

3) Side of honeyed parsnips and carrots: Since Thanksgiving I've had an obsession with parsnips, and anytime I see them on a menu, I have to get them. Ceres' version had a nice bite to them and they were cooked to a perfect medium, meaning they weren't overdone or mushy. There was just enough honey to make them slightly sweet and the seasoning really brought out each of their unique flavors.

4) Butterscotch & Banana Bread Pudding: I only had a bite of this dessert as I'm not a huge bread pudding fan due to the texture, but it was packed with butterscotch and banana and my dad went silent as he was inhaling the dish. I figure that observation speaks for itself alone.

As I mentioned before, the service was fantastic and our waitress checked on us just enough and was incredibly friendly. The chef personally delivered the entrees, which I loved as it really brings together the dining room with the kitchen. It's also worth noting that if you live in the area (ie zipcode 60640) you get 15% off on Monday. We already were planning a Monday dinner before this information was made known, but that's all the more reason to justify a weekday restaurant trip!

Ceres' Table, I promise you that only a few months will pass until we meet again... I don't think I can go a whole year again!

First, the good.  The bus boys are great.  The food is good, not spectacular or worth the prices, but good.

Unfortunately, the bad...

Our waitress was awful.  Not just bad.  It seemed she had never been to a decent restaurant before.  She actually told us what appetizers are.  And what entrees are.  Really?  And the other waitstaff did not seem to be any better.

She could not bother to ask my wife if she wanted a 2nd glass of wine.  She could not look directly at either of us.  She was visibly annoyed that we did not order dessert.  Like snatching the menus from us annoyed.  (And we wanted dessert, but could not stand the idea of giving her any more of our money.)

The chef delivered our entrees, which would have been nice, if his mouth had opened.  Seriously, why bother unless you at least say "Please enjoy!"  

The bus boys were by far the high point of their service.  I really only left a tip for them.  

The hostess came to check on the table next to us, and asked if they had been there before.  "Oh, only about 27 times."  And yet, she did not recognize them?  Odd.  

I'd be sad if Anteprima, Ombra and Calo were not just up the street.  But as it is, I'll feel sad that a good chef is being undermined by bad front end staff.  And certainly for the prices, I'd much rather eat a cheaper, equally tasty, well served meal at Anteprima.