hatchi - unfamiliar conflict: roberto cortez

smoked shitake terrine
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

the genius of breadbar's hatchi series removes the fluff of fine dining, leaving the substance and offering a great opportunity to sample inventive culinary creations at affordable prices. the words "unfamiliar" and "conflict" are not what you'd want associated with your food, but roberto cortez has cleverly assembled contrasting flavors in such a way as to inspire a hyper-awareness to the sensual experience of eating. the best part is that these conflicting tastes mostly work well together.

we began our journey with a carribbean inspired cocktail consisting of orange juice, ginger, basil oil and spiced rum. the flavor intensity sat in the foam that topped this drink. i couldn't really make out the basil, but the rum was strong, and as i worked my way down, it became more subtle. if you like tropical rum drinks, you'd probably like this one. i found the rum and the drink too syrupy sweet for my taste.

it was not long before the white asparagus cappuccino arrived in a set of two glasses, complete with undeniably cappuccino-esque foam atop a creamy divine soup. the comforting essence of asparagus, this soup came with a surprise in the form of a firm little ravioli that burst through the alkaline warmth with a tart and aromatic liquid of grapefruit and mint. the experience was so fleeting, it left me wanting. the perfectly timed explosion of tastes was like a punchline delivered at just the right moment.

soups must be the chef's forte because the liquid onion ring, a shot glass of onion soup separated from crispy crunchy onion bits sprinkled on top by a layer of foam almost as thick was amazing--salty sweet onion flavors. the rye bread with cheese and sesame seeds that came with it added some body though it couldn't really compete in flavor with the onion.

prepared well and delicate to the tongue, the herb stained salmon was the epitome of light, summer fare. the saltiness of the stacked slivers of salmon over a viscous and refreshing cucumber sauce, contrasted with the pops of tartness with a slight zing in the circles of passionfruit chili decorating the plate as well as the creamy whipped jasmine rice, which was like whipped cream with the nuttiness of fragrant rice.

next up, one of my favorites of the night, the smoked shitake terrine transformed the word veloute into a magical thing in my mouth of sweet, creamy market fresh corn, now and then accented with a fragrant and sweet cinnamon oil surrounding a disc of earthy flavorful mushrooms with a crunchy crust. little leaves of microgreens added some lightness to an otherwise thick soup.

the lemon lacquered chicken put the "unfamiliar conflict" concept to the test. the surprisingly strong lemon flavor in the trio of the sweet, salty, super tart of the gravy that acted as a glue for the texture of crushed almonds blended with coriander seeds and oatmeal gave every bite a punch. in contrast, the foam balanced out the acidity with some creaminess, while the cubes of soy gelee added more meatyness.

the mesh of flavors in the sweet dishes didn't work as well as in the salty. i enjoyed the texture of the malt with the rich chocolate cream in themanjari chocolate dessert, which was delicious, but ultimately all was drowned by a sea of sweet cherry sauce that reminded me too much of cough syrup. the cherries were fresh, but i didn't like them with the chocolate, and though they looked interesting, i couldn't taste the guinness in the guinness pearls. the basil didn't pair well with the other parts of the dish either.

the other dessert, the sparkling lemoncurd mousse was much better, though more novel for the effervescent white powder concoction that fizzed and reacted on the tongue with mouth puckering tartness. the lemoncurd was good, not great. the strawberry water with mint oil was an interesting mix.

entrees were phenomenal. dessert was ok & good. service was inconsistent, with problems figuring out what table ordered what. our server was nice, but kind of a space cadet, at one point, returning to our table to ask if we wanted dessert after taking our dessert order 7 minutes earlier. service is nowhere near what you'd get at a fine dining restaurant, but i didn't expect it to be.