Quite enjoyed a recent date at Lure. I'm not one for clubby restaurant decor, but some of the lighting effects were trippy enough to tickle my rave bone. Service was a bit scattered, a really nice, engaging hostess, then an awkwardly assertive server, followed by rushed bussing.
Drinks were fine. Beer pours seemed generous at $4, but it may have been an illusion with their large glassware. We both tried a refreshing drink of ginger, sake, and sparkling wine which seemed steep at $8 for a relatively light cocktail.
The food was consistently pretty great. Each dish seemed to improve on the last, the pacing was a bit hurried, though seemed considered. We ordered seven plates which was definitely just about right for two of us with moderate appetites. We ate:
ShishitoMy
trend-o-meter buzzing, I can't resist a plate of charred peppers. Perhaps the weakest dish of the night though, they were not quite grilled enough. And darkening seeds in chiles, I do not know the exact science of why this happens, but I've handled enough to know that the seeds seem to darken as they pass their prime.
Duck Breastseared, jalapeño-mirin-soy marinated, serve chilledFive thin slices of seared duck breast, lusciously pink. Could not detect jalapeño heat. Soy-mirin was drizzled on the dish, though perhaps not marinated as such. The meat was nested upon a nice tangle of shredded raw golden beets. The dish came together well, though was a notch too soy- salty.
Baby Octopus spicy chile-sesame sauceA nod to Korean bbq served in a gochujang-like chile paste fortified with sesame oil. My kind of dish. The smaller sized baby octopus, charred at the tips of its tentacles. Served atop an assorted seaweed salad which added textural intrigue. Nice.
Lamb ChopsCooked medium, held properly. Mild tasting meat served very much like the duck breast with golden beets (no matter to me, love the stuff) with an enhanced soy drizzle, this time yuzu miso citrus which was nicely balanced between salty and sour. Good dish, the lamb lightly charred, was a bit dainty for my taste.
Tempura AvocadoOne of the better valued three-dollar-snacks in town. Seemingly a whole avocado cut into bite sized chunks and fried in a light tempura. Good, but even better dipped in the ponzu that was served with our fish that came out later.
Black Musselstomato, butter-miso-coconut brothThe sleeper hit of the night. I'd been avoiding mussels for awhile, they are just so very disappointing when they aren't fresh, yet there they are on menus all over town where they probably shouldn't be. These, on the other hand, were plump, sweet, and just ever so briny. And the cooking liquor, which sounded a bit all- over- the- place to me, came together to sing a sweet, rich, and smacking with umami chorus. Off season grape tomatoes even tasted good in there.
Madai HimonoI've been on a major
whole fish kick lately. My girl isn't as down with the oily skinny guys as I, so we opted for the "Japanese snapper" over the sardines and mackerel. This new-to-me fish had been on the brain from Sula's recent article anyhow. It was awesome. Butterflied with the spine and rib bones removed, it was really easy to pick at with chop sticks. The skin was perfectly charred, as were the fins. I happily crunched on the crispy tail which would have made my old man proud. The flesh of the fish was
pleasantly dry- I know there is an air-drying process to the method with which they prep fish here and it yielded a firm, somewhat salty meat. There was not a scrap of edible left on this plate. I can't wait to work through all of their whole fish offerings.
Coconut Brioche Bread Pudding with pineapple confit This was fancily plated but served with smallish spoons that proved difficult to carve bites off the slippery, fancily rectangular slabs of alternating pudding and fruit. It looked cool and was fine for a dessert (my girl has the sweet tooth), but seemed out of proportion with more pineapple than bread pudding. And how can you confit w/o fat, isn't that candy?
The bill was higher than we expected, though we were liberal ordering drinks and don't usually do dessert. While all of the plates appear quite cheap on paper, some are pretty small (the duck, shishito, lamb) and they add up. However, other dishes were more bang for the buck (Avocado, mussels, whole fish). Overall for the experience and the creativity and skill with which the food is executed, I would consider Lure to be of very good value.
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