Ramen Yamadaya - San Diego

Date of Dining: 8/26/2012
Price: $8-11 per ramen, $4-5 per appetizer
Location: 4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA, 92117
website

The Quick Bit

+ great tonkotsu flavored broth

+ fresh takoyaki

+ high quality ramen

Δ seating space could be larger

Δ non-tonkotsu dishes could be improved

One month ago, Ramen Yamadaya opened in San Diego. You would think that I would have been on top of this one, but instead I was distracted by something called Boiling Crab. Fast forward a month, and Yao at {insert-food} informed me that he thought Ramen Yamadaya was on par with the Costa Mesa location. As I was generally happy with the Costa Mesa visit, I knew I had to try Yamadaya.

Ramen Yamadaya has two qualities going for it:

1. the tonkotsu broth is boiled for 20 hours
2. they save the good bits at the bottom of the stock pot to make the kottieri sauce

For some other San Diego blogger coverage, check out Kirbie's post as well as Dennis's

Appetizers

edamame - salt

This was your typical edamame appetizer with salt added for the extra flavor punch. The edamame came out piping hot, so we had to wait a little bit for it to cool down. 

takoyaki - ginger, katsuobushi

The takoyaki also came out piping hot, which was a good thing. Unlike other San Diego locations, I felt that these were not the pre-made frozen variety. The katsuobushi added some nice umami flavors to counterbalance the piping hot pancake ball with the chewy center surprise. Overall, a very fun and well-executed dish.

Ramen

Yamadaya Ramen - tonkotsu kottieri, bamboo, wood ear mushrooms, nori, egg

As I reviewed in the previous post, the yamadaya ramen comes with the traditional chasu topping as well as braised pork belly. We elected for the kottieri sauce as the table took my advice to sample that flavor combination over others. The soup was very nice and creamy and full of flavor.

kakuni ramen - tonkotsu kottieri, bamboo, wood ear mushrooms, egg

The kakuni ramen is the most expensive ramen on the menu and comes with an extra large sized portion of the braised pork belly. Again the soup was extremely tasty and full of flavor.

While you can't see it in my photos (you can in Kirbie's), the noodles for the ramen are special thin noodles. The noodles at our table were generally cooked well and had a nice texture, but the consensus at the table was that we missed the more traditional larger noodles.

While I understand that the thinner noodles have a larger surface area to enjoy the flavor of the soup, one element of enjoying a proper bowl of ramen is enjoying the noodles themselves.

tsukemen - chasu, egg, bamboo, nori

I opted for the tsukemen and got an extra large bowl of noodles so the rest of the table could share.

tsukemen noodles - the thick kind

As you can see, the noodles of the tsukemen were the more "traditional" thicker ramen noodles. When these thicker noodles were placed in the tonkotsu broth, the consensus was that people were generally happier with the taste.

The noodles were prepared perfectly and were extremely chewy in texture. This really added to the enjoyment of the tsukemen because it allowed the flavors to linger on the palate for a longer period of time.

tsukemen broth - kakuni

The tsukemen dipping broth contained the same concentrated tonkotsu flavors, but were modified additionally with a strong element of nori and other kelp flavors. The broth contained small bits of braised pork belly as well.

Unfortunately, when I asked the waiter to take the bowl to add hot water to my tsukemen, he had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. This is an absolute sin to enjoying the tsukemen as the advantage of tsukemen is that you get the noodles in soup from the ramen portion and additionally get the fully flavored broth to finish off the meal.

Conclusion

Ultimately Ramen Yamadaya in San Diego still has a few growing pain kinks to work out. However, the flavor of the tonkotsu broth alone easily makes the ramen the best I've had so far in San Diego. I'm really happy that Yamadaya is now in San Diego as it really shortens my drive for quality ramen.

Yamadaya San Diego carries forward the franchise bit award for the San Diego location on the strength of the tonkotsu broth alone.

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Akinori Sushi (Omakase) - August 2012

Date of Dining: 8/18/2012
Price: $60-90 per person for omakase
Location: 1417 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92103
website

The Quick Bit

+ high quality fresh sushi

+ product from japanese fish markets

+ creative flair to modify sushi

Δ service could be more attentive

Walking into a new sushi bar can be like a first date - you may or may not know something about the chef/restaurant before and you're trying to figure out if it will work out, and the chef is also trying to figure out what might appeal to you for your dining experience. Sitting down for the first time in front of Chef Akinori Sato and saying "omakase," there was definitely one of those awkward silences where he tried to figure out if I wanted the good stuff or just a variety. He went with the polite question of, "Sushi or sashimi?" to which we responded, "A little of everything" before the entire journey kicked off.

Akinori Sato is the owner and head chef of Akinori Sushi, which opened one month ago. Prior to opening his own place, Aki (as he is known by his regulars and staff) was the head chef at Surfside Sushi. When I asked him about his style, he said that it was grounded in edo style, but my take was that he has embraced more of a modernist take on sushi with a liberal use of sauces and blowtorches. However, everything is based in the fundamentals of edo style from the loosely packed small amount of rice to the fresh wasabi.

I had Aki at somewhat of a disadvantage going in as the restaurant came highly recommended by fellow food writer Rodzilla and gastrobit regular Michelle. I had a good feeling that the journey through this chef's menu would be exciting, but I really didn't know how events might play out.

Sashimi

sashimi platter

Aki started us with a sashimi platter - as he was making the sashimi, I inquired to if he had anything from Tsukiji. He informed me that while normally he does have product from there, this week it was closed. Fortunately, it was prawn season in San Diego and he had some amazing product locally.

amaebi (sweet shrimp) - San Diego

The amaebi was from local San Diego waters and still alive when Aki killed it. You could tell because the legs were still moving on the head piece. You can see this in Rodzilla's video if you're interested.

The quality of the amaebi was incredible due to the freshness and both the texture and sweetness of the shrimp was the perfect way for me to start the meal.

hamachi (yellowtail) belly

Next, I sampled the toro of the hamachi. This was an incredibly nice flavor and mouth feel from all of the fat in the hamachi. 

jack mackerel

While Aki called this Jack Mackerel (I'm guessing this is the proper name), usually others call it Spanish Mackerel. This was a great fully flavored cut of the mackerel and had a great depth of flavor as well as freshness.

blue fin kama toro (tuna)

Aki explained this dish as just "blue fin toro" but when I asked if it was chutoro (guessing on the color), he informed me that it was in fact not from the belly. When I offered "kama toro?" I think that is when he knew that I was serious about my sushi.

The toro melted in my mouth and was probably the best sashimi on the plate. However, it was only the best by the smallest of margins as everything on the plate was amazing.

aoyagi (orange clam)

The aoyagi was probably the best in terms of flavor and texture I've ever been served. Usually this was more of a delicate sweetness, but I found that this particular serving had a fuller sweetness in flavor.

uni (sea urchin) - San Diego

We finished with a nice piece of local San Diego uni. Aki was explaining that he had imported from Santa Barbara at the old place, but found that the local San Diego variety was even better.

Prepared Dishes

fried amaebi head

The first cooked dish to come was the fried heads of the amaebi - the perfect way to finish off enjoying the shrimp. The head was fully flavored with the meat and guts still in the shells. I did have a small debate as to if I should suck the head raw, but ultimately decided to wait for it to get cooked.

prepared dishes plate

Since not all the items were cooked, I'll just go with these dishes as requiring some additional preparation beyond the sashimi. Where the sashimi plate was more about enjoying the natural flavors of the product, this is where we learned a little more of Aki's own style and how he likes to present his food.

hirame - white truffle oil, ghost pepper salt

Aki explained this dish as being a "boring" fish so he had to make it more exciting. I was a little afraid when I heard the ghost pepper, but this dish ended up really working well. The ghost pepper gave the spicy kick and was just enough to open the palate to accept the white truffle even more. The halibut was the perfect conduit for the heat of the pepper and flavor of the truffle.

ika (squid) - tapiko (cod roe), shiso

The squid was an excellent quality in the texture, and it was accompanied by the tapiko to add salt as well as an additional element to the dish. The shiso served as a lettuce wrap type vessel for the entire dish.

uni tofu

Aki described this dish as his take on uni as tofu. In addition to the uni itself, he actually did incorporate some tofu cubes as well to give a nice color to the dish. This preparation was just more great uni flavor. 

rock shrimp - green onion, gochujang, miso, mirin

The rock shrimp was a big surprise. The shrimps were fried to perfection and tossed in Aki's special gochujang miso mix. There was a great balance between the heat of the gochujang to the crunch of the batter to the sweet flavor of the shrimp. 

waygu - portabello

This was the best dish on the plate and of the evening. I didn't clearly hear what the top bit was but Aki made a point to say that it was "free". The waygu started out chilled, but Aki brought out the torch to give the dish a quick sear.

The waygu literally melted in my mouth; in combination with the top portion that might have been Fowl, Osprey, Ibis, or Egret liver was an intense flavor explosion in my mouth. There was a duality of succulent rich flavors from the beef itself and the topping on top that combined into a deep complexity of flavor. The most welcome surprise was that in addition to these flavors the torch gave a nice smoky finish to the meat, which served to cut into the fatty flavors.

miso marinated chilean sea bass - shishito

The Chilean Sea Bass was good, but for me the perfectly fried shishito pepper almost stole the show. The cod was cooked nicely and full of flavor, but the flavor of the pepper really complemented the sea bass.

Palate Cleanser

seafood cocktail

okinawa seaweed, hirame (halibut), hotategai (scallop) cucumber, caviar , chive

Aki named this dish a seafood cocktail, and it served as the perfect palate cleanser between the previous dishes and the sushi. I loved the visual impact of the dish as it almost seemed like there was a plant growing out of the cocktail.

The combination of the seaweed and cucumber was extremely refreshing. As it was a hot day, as I enjoyed the cocktail, I was actually feeling any lingering heat escape my body. My only tiny complaint of the dish was that I felt the hotategai was a bit lost in the dish. Really there could have been any protein and the dish would have been just as good.

Sushi

sushi plate

As with any proper japanese meal, we finished with the sushi as the main event. 

saba (japanese mackerel) - konbu, ginger, chive

This was the best sushi for me of the night. The saba was wonderfully full bodied in flavor and the ginger and chive really served as a great topping for highlighting the flavor. The konbu was a nice glue element to tie all the smaller elements of the dish together. I probably could have eaten 10 of these as they were so good.

seared blue fin toro (tuna) 

Aki brought the torch to this dish as well, and topped it with another "free" topping. This time I heard that the topping was a terrine that Aki made himself - it may have contained a combination of Fowl, Osprey, Ibis, and Egret livers. The fattiness of the toro and the terrine was a perfect flavor complement. The flavors of the terrine really integrated well with the toro to introduce a new flavor that had great qualities of each.
This dish drew a great contrast in relation to the waygu dish - both relied on the duality of fat flavors combining into something more rich and complex. I'm somewhat curious how this dish would have worked with ankimo as the topping to get a true surf vs turf comparison.

uni (sea urchin)

There was some slight disagreement to which piece of uni was better looking so I just decided to include both. Uni is always a great way to finish off a sushi meal. The only thing that is better is when it is followed by anago.

This is why I was really surprised when the next dish was introduced

salmon belly - katsuobushi (bonito shavings), olive oil pesto, balsamic reduction

This dish was a great dish for showing off Aki's creative flair. The salmon was topped with bonito shavings to add some extra umami while the balsamic added some sweetness. The real surprise came from the olive oil pesto (hidden under the salmon). The pesto was actually made with shiso instead of basil, so it was more concentrated in flavor. The amount of the pesto included was the perfect balance to give a surprise in flavor, but not enough to overwhelm the flavor of the salmon.

Encore

soba (buckwheat noodles) - sesame shiso pesto, tomato, asparagus, onions, shitake

I was even more surprised when Aki liked that we enjoyed his pesto and wanted to show yet another use of it. In this pesto sauce, he used sesame seeds to thicken the sauce. The result was a great umami-filled sauce to go with the Jap-Italian pasta.

Dessert

As part of the omakase, guests are offered ice cream, but we declined as we were completely satiated.

Conclusion

My experience at Akinori was a wonderful journey. In addition to the traditional sushi and sashimi, I really enjoyed the additional prepared dishes sent my Aki. By the end of the meal he offered me the fist-bump signifying that my initiation to regular was complete. The entire meal was an extreme high with almost no low points. I enjoyed Akinori so much that I'm already trying to plan an return trip. Aki said that he does expect a few matsutake mushrooms to come in during that season, so I'm excited to see what he does with them.

Inevitably, I think the question will be if Akinori or Kaito is better. If I compare comparable preparations of dishes side by side, I feel that Akinori would win more often. However, Kaito's omakase offers more of a progression where the flavors of the fish build on top of each other in a crescendo, so Kaito is still the top for me by the slimmest of margins. However, the experience at Akinori is enough for me to award Akinori Sushi the terrabyte award.

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No So Fast Food Truck

Date of Dining: 8/1/2012
Price: $8-10 entrees, $3-4 sides
website

The Quick Bit

+ great sourcing of ingredients

+ seasonal menu items

Δ portions could be larger for price

Δ technical execution could be higher

It has been awhile since I have covered San Diego's Gourmet Food Truck Scene. I hope to get back into covering these mobile restaurants in the near future as there are many new trucks.

We start off this post with some news of gastrobits favorite Devilicious - it seems like the Mannings have sold the truck in an effort to concentrate on their new brick and mortar restaurant Wich Addiction. We wish the Mannings well as well as the new owners of Devilicious. The Devilicious truck keeps the same staff and the same exclusive menu items in the sale such as the lobster grilled cheese.

I was introduced to Not So Fast the week they opened due to their "signature" dish being my favorite protein for burgers. Hearing that a Gourmet Food Truck would have a bison burger and be in my area was a great thing to hear. I decided to make my way and try it out.

The Not So Fast truck is a truck that focuses on Paleo food, meaning none of the foods are processed and the cuisine should resemble food that our hunter-gatherer ancestors created. The truck is owned and operated by Bob Montgomery and June Sinclair, who have fourteens years of experience in the restaurant industry. This experience has translated to offering their sandwiches on buns upon request as they realize not everyone is totally ready to adopt the paleo food style.

watermelon gazpacho - cucumber, red pepper, onion, basil, parsley, lime

The gazpacho was a great starter. The first thing I detected was that the gazpacho had a huge kick in spice to it. This combination of spiciness to the cool watermelon was extremely refreshing and cooled me down right away on a hot day. The added herbs really brought out the flavor of the gazpacho and it was a great dish.

bison burger - red wine caramelized onion, kerry gold cheese, fried egg, bacon

Following the gazpacho, I had high hopes for the bison burger. Unfortunately the picture probably says everything you need to know. My fried egg broke and was overcooked, and the bison itself was cooked well done when I had ordered medium rare.

Conclusion

While the watermelon gazpacho was a really nice treat, the main event was a big letdown. At the prices they are charging, I would have rather gone to Cowboy Star for the rightful best burger as the price difference was not much. While the Gourmet Food Trucks are mobile restaurants, most diners still expect some level of price break and equivalent execution of a restaurant from the truck. 

I am willing to chalk up the execution of the bison burger to some mistake, but at the price point it is being offered, it might be too expensive to give a second shot.

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Whisknladle (August 2012)

Date of Dining: 8/16/2012
Price: $10-17 appetizers. $18-30 entrees
Location: 1044 Wall St, La Jolla, CA 92037
website

The Quick Bit

+ great cocktails

+ constantly changing menu of seasonal ingredients
+ knowledgeable and friendly service

Δ somewhat limited appetizer selection

I last covered Chef Ryan Johnston's Whisknladle about 11 months ago for restaurant week 2011. As I had a great experience at the time, I thought it was about time for another visit - this time to hype them up for the rest of the summer.

Cocktails

Previously, I mentioned the great cocktails that Whisknladle served; Whisknladle used to actually be one of the Snake Oil establishments prior to that company being purchased. The drink that really put Snake Oil on the map was the London's Burning, which still remains at Whisknladle today. The other drinks have been changed, but if you are into cocktails, make sure you don't miss the London's Burning.

London's Burning - gin, jalapeno, avocado, lime

The London's Burning is my favorite cocktail. The jalapeno adds a nice spicy kick to the drink, but is mellowed out by the fresh taste of the avocado. The lime really adds the extra taste of freshness to round out the drink.

envy - gin, cucumber, lime, mint

The Envy seems to be the Whisknladle take on a mojito, and it really delivers. The drink was very refreshing and really had the correct balance of all the flavors. The most surprisingly good part of this drink was that the delicate flavor of the cucumber was not lost in the mint. I got a nice hit of cucumber with every sip of the drink.

Appetizers

cutting board - fennel salami, blue cheese, soppresata, duck pate, bruschetta, olives, pickled french beans

The cutting board (half size) was a great way to start the meal. All of the elements were house made and delicious. Visiting a year later, I feel that the level of charcuterie at Whisknladle has really risen. I really enjoyed both the soppresata and the duck pate

flatbread - heirloom tomato puree,  fontina, pickled red onion, house bacon, arugula

The flatbread was amazingly well-prepared. The heirloom tomato was reduced down to the point where it acted as a tomato sauce but it was one of those super rich and flavorful tomato sauces. The tomato alone could have carried the dish, but it was elevated by the crispy house cured bacon and fontina cheese. While this wasn't quite a pizza, it was easily the best pizza I've had since my visit to Pizzeria Mozza.

Entrees

pan seared scallops - chino farm corn, chanterelles, sage brown butter

Sometimes the simplest things are the best, and this was easily the best dish of the night. Just like last time, the scallops arrived and were extremely fragrant - they really made my mouth water. The corn puree and corn was of incredible chino farms quality as well. Usually the sweet on sweet of the scallop and corn would be too much, but there was a depth of sweetness to both the corn and the scallop flavors. The chanterelles grounded the dish with an earthy finish.

roasted niman ranch lamb leg - chino cranberry beans, charred eggplant, arugula

It's always hard to follow up a truly great dish, and the lamb had to follow the scallop in this case. While the lamb was cooked perfectly, the flavors did not really sing. However, the mint-thyme sauce was a nice surprise as it contained a strong hint of thyme in addition to the traditional mint. The real star of this dish was the charred eggplant, which managed to get infused with lamb flavor.

Dessert

white chocolate panna cotta - walnut cake, rapsberries, port gastrique panzanella

I was somewhat afraid that the white chocolate would make the panna cotta too sweet, but the sweetness was really well managed. While I commented previously that I thought the desserts could be improved, they definitely have improved in the course of a year. The panna cotta was excellent in both texture and flavor.

Conclusion

One year later, Whisknladle is chugging along as strong as ever. The scallops are still my favorite dish, the cocktails are excellent, and the desserts have improved. There were some minor technical mishaps that held the food back a bit, but those mishaps only prevent the award of the gigabyte. Whisknladle easily retains the megabyte award and should be part of any visit to La Jolla.

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Half and Half Tea House - Interrupt

Date of Dining: 4/1/2012
Price: $2.85-$3.85 + $0.50 extras
Locations:

• 141 N. Atlantic Blvd #112, 91754  (reviewed)
• 3007 E. Huntington Dr. #104, 91107
• 17575 Colima Rd. #C, 91748
• 18558 Gale Ave. Unit #152, 91748

The Quick Bit

+ great boba drinks

+ drinks are made to order

Δ waiting times can be shorter

Δ phone in orders could be finished upon arrival

When I was in high school and in the prime of my geekiness, a certain Chinese food trend swept through Southern California; boba. As a young man with knowledge of the food trend, I suddenly found myself being asked about food from my culture for the first time in my life. I also found that others seemed to enjoy my explanations.

Embracing the role of the avid boba junkie, I tried all the various boba shops that popped up around town and recommended certain ones which I thought were better than others; it was perhaps gastrobits R&d only I didn't know it at the time.

When I went to college, the boba craze was still strong and I even joined a club with the slogan "bobalicious." I found myself with like minded individuals who all loved boba. I was even told of a story where one of the club members was playing basketball at the gym wearing the shirt and he was playfully given the nickname bobalicious for the session. Ever since that time, I've tried to curtain my boba consumption - it more or less lined up with my metabolism slowing down as I aged. 

It was with some trepidation that I was thrown back into the boba world during a recent visit to LA. While certain fields seem to never advance, boba drinks have continued to evolve over the years. The current lead innovater is Half and Half Tea House. With four locations in the Los Angeles area, they serve the widely accepted best boba drinks.

Half and Half's innovation is that instead of sweetening the tea itself, the tapioca pearls (boba) are dipped into honey before being added to the cup. This form of sweetening gives a more natural and rich flavor to the entire drink.

milk tea with coffee jelly, and honey boba

For my experience at Half and Half, I went with the most popular drink - milk tea with coffee jelly and honey boba. From the first sip, I knew that this drink was extremely special. The flavors were purer than any other boba drink I had previously savored. I felt like I have a flavor explosion and complete re-discovery of the boba drink when I enjoyed this cup. The inclusion of the coffee jelly was key as it added a nice smoky depth to the drink. The tapiocas were prepared perfectly and I didn't feel that the drink was too sweet (the previous three boba drinks I've had I always felt were too sweet, even with less sugar).

Conclusion

Half and Half's boba teas are truly eye-opening and set the bar for all other boba drinks. Despite having plenty of boba in my time, Half and Half's tea was a flavor epiphany; it's like someone teaching you a completely new way to cook chicken better than anything you knew previously.

For the truly awesome product, Half and Half gets the bit award.

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Cocteleria La Playita - Flash

Date of Dining: 12/7/2011
Price: $2.50-3 tacos, $5 tostadas, $10-16 ceviches
Location: 5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92117

The Quick Bit

+ great authentic Mexican seafood

+ dishes cooked to order

Δ atmosphere may be lacking

Cocteleria La Playita is one of those neighborhood hole in the wall dives that specializes in great tasting fresh mexican seafood cocktails. All the seafood is surprisingly fresh and the seafood cocktails are most reminiscent of a ceviche.

Due to the nature of these raw seafood dishes, all the food is made to order, which enhances the taste and flavor to a large extent.

gubernador taco

The taco was not as good as from a mariscos truck, but it was well flavored for a taco. The tortilla was warmed and the slice of avocado was a nice touch.

super crazy tostada

The ceviches are ordered as "tostadas" and are accompanied by some tostada shells. Seeing the super crazy tostada, I knew I had no choice but to order that. This was a great decision as the ceviche was made up of octopus, shrimp, fish, scallops, and clams. The bits of cucumber, avocado, and tomato mixed in made the entire tostada extremely refreshing. For lovers of seafood, this cocktail is an absolute must try.

Conclusion

Cocteleria La Playita offers some Mexican seafood cocktails with amazing flavor and freshness. The food is made to order so it tastes the absolute best. Perspective diners should be warned that they accept cash only and seating is extremely limited.

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The Lion's Share

Date of Dining: 7/13/2012
Price: $5-16 appetizers, $14-36 entrees
Location: 629 Kettner Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101
website

The Quick Bit

+ good selection of cocktails

+ interesting menu items

+ mussels were great

Δ food could be less greasy

Δ eating areas could be expanded

As part of the visit to Comic-Con, I ended up at The Lion's Share for dinner during one of the evenings. While the Lion's Share does have some exotic food selections of game proteins, it really does seem more like a hangout spot for locals. The bar and cocktails play a significant role in the restaurant, and the restaurant space is extremely limited.

I ended up at the Lion's Share because I wanted to try and expand upon the possible destinations for convention center dining. Since the beat of the restaurant is somewhat focused on the adult beverages, I will include the one I enjoyed as part of the commentary.

Cocktail

monks gone wild - strawberry infused pimms, green chartreuse, lemon, ginger beer

This was an extremely enjoyable cocktail. The ginger beer was really key in both the carbonation and the ginger flavor. Overall, I'd put this cocktail in my short list of great San Diego cocktails.

While I didn't order many other cocktails - mainly cause I was already plenty dehydrated from the convention - I did find many of them interesting and worthy of being ordered in future visits.

Appetizers

olives - garlic herb oil

The olives were pitted and were a great way to start off the meal and get the appetite going. I didn't really notice the garlic herb oil as the olives themselves were nice in flavor and stood out alone.

mussels - pancetta, cherry tomato, spring onions, cilantro, bread crumbs

This was the dish of the night. While I didn't really like the bread crumbs, the sauce with the mussels was excellent and really highlighted the flavor of the mussels. It had the perfect balance of flavor with body and the pancetta added a nice element of savoriness normally missing with mussels.

exotic sausage board - pheasant with cognac, duck with bacon and jalapeno, elk with apples and port wine

We debated between this and the charcuterie board but ultimately decided that the sausages were worth trying due to the exotic game meats. Unfortunately, the delivery of the dish was lacking in that we didn't know which sausage was which. What I found really missing in this dish was that I wasn't really able to discern the protein of one sausage from another. Mostly, the secondary flavor such and the jalapeno or apple really carried through over the flavor of the protein.

Entree

wild style - wild boar bacon, fried duck egg, smoked cheddar, mustard aioli, crispy shallots,
parmesan truffle fries

Despite the talk of the fried duck egg and boar bacon, ultimately this dish came down to the burger itself. All the proteins were extremely flavorful and the egg really tied together many of the elements. The fried shallots were a nice touch as I prefer them to onions and they really added a nice seasoning to the dish. It helped that the burger was cooked medium rare as it was ordered.

We did order a second entree, but it was really delayed so we ended up cancelling as we were full.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed my visit to The Lion's Share and would visit again. That being said, going into the restaurant and expecting execution along the lines of Cowboy Star would be a mistake. The Lion's Share is a gastropub with excellent cocktails and an interesting menu. However being a gastropub, the food does suffer from some execution issues - mainly the level of grease present in all the food.

If your goal is to go out and have some drinks with some interesting food, then The Lion's Share is definitely a worthy destination. However, if the point of visiting is to try the various game proteins for the first time, then The Lion's Share will not deliver.

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