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| Posing with Chef and owner Jonathan Justus |
If you've been a regular on my Blog, then you are aware of some of our Eating Out adventures. But then I always say, only 50 percent of our Foodie adventures, make it to the Blog. I am trying to improve that number . Wish me luck .
Justus Drugstore Restaurant is romantic and set the perfect ambiance for the special evening. We didnt have a reservation, which we recommend. They have two different menus, depending on which part of the restaurant you might want to sit in : The Bar or the Main dinning Room. We wanted to sit in the Main Dinning Room. As we were talking to the MaitreD , Chef and owner Jonathan Justus, took care of our seating arrangements. What initially would have been an hour and half wait, was just a 10 minute wait, till we got our seats in the Main Dinning Room. As the name suggests, it was originally a drug store, and is now a restaurant. Whether you are seated in the Main Dinning Area or their Bar Area, you get a glimpse of their open kitchen and soak in all the action.
Before we started off with our courses, our server brought for us a Palate Cleanser. It was an interesting concoction , I must add.
Their Main Menu is divided in two three courses. But you can order any item from any course as your entree, depending on how hungry you are. We decided to start off with Pig Heart served with bokchoy,green onion, mushroom carrots , parsnip and turnip puree, and pan vinaigrette. Before I had my daughter, I had no issues with organ meat. But with hormonal changes, came a change in taste buds . I could not handle organ meat any more. So I was a bit skeptical. But as I took my first bite, I could not believe, the speed at which we finished off the plate. It tasted like steak, rather than organ meat. No wonder, Chef Justus, is often regarded as a culinary scientist, when it comes to his treatment of food. As we were waiting for our next course, Chef Justus came up to our table, and we got chatty about the course and food in general. I must add, that I loved that kind of service.
Our daughter opted for Chicken Tenders and Fries, which is a part of their Bar Area Menu, but they were kind enough to serve it to us, in the Main Dinning Area. Campo Lindo Chicken, which had been tenderized and marinated and cooked just right. We had a bite from her plate, and the chicken pieces were almost melting away in our mouth. The only other place where I have eaten such great Chicken Tenders, is at Chef Celina Tio's Julian. Our daughter is a super picky eater and she finished off all the chicken pieces, without even a complaint.
For the main course, my Husband opted for the Rare Hare Barn Rabbit Tochron , served with pickled grape, toasted almond, savory brioche bread budding, bearnise, almond-kale puree, bok choy, from their Third Course . My Husband mentions that the meat had its distinct flavor without being gamey or clawing, by any means. It was a play of textures and flavors all in one plate.
I do better with smaller portions. So I decided to go for Smoked Bass and Egg on Brioche, from their First Course. Freshwater Bass, green onion, celery, potato, house made brioche toast, soft Camp Lindo egg, Shatoo "Plattsburg" Cheese gels. It was a smaller plate and just the right size for me. I loved the play of textures on my plate too. The creamy Egg yolk on the bass was almost creating a delicate dance move on my taste buds.
We were full by the time we got through our main course. So we skipped Dessert. Our server brought us a Complimentary Toast which was made with Lavender Cordial and Soda . I loved the touch.
Before we said our Good Byes for the night Chef Justus caught up with us once again, and it was time for some food Blogger Photo Op, in the Kitchen of course.
What a wonderful Annivesary Dinner it was. Really loved how Chef Justus took out time, to interact with his guests, as their manoevered their way through the courses. Service was excellent. The staff was courteous and extremely helpful. Our daughter had scarped her knew just before we had stepped in to eat, and our server made sure, she had band aids and Neosporin at our table, at the earliest. The Menu was just brilliant and I really have to go back , there, to try out some other items, I have on my mind. Its pricey, but then Fine Dinning, does have its own charms.
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