The Novice Foodie Goes Clandestine with the Clandestine Chef

I was wrong. Conversation flowed organically and easily, particularly once the food started coming out. Chris Bork, formerly of Revival, came in to assist the Clandestine Chef, along with a server and a sommelier. In addition to the meal, you could order a paired flight of wines or wine by the bottle. The Novice Foodie knows nothing about wine (yet), so the appropriateness of the offerings was a mystery to me. The food, however, was not. It easily spoke for itself.

At each place setting sat a menu listing five courses. However, we ended up with ten as the night progressed, the chefs presenting us with several "surprise" courses. This could have been too much -- I've left tastings and felt uncomfortably full -- but both the amount of food and the pacing left me still comfortable (though stuffed) at the end of the night.

The amuse was one of those dishes that leave you wishing you had a full trough of 'em: "Tater Tots" made of potato and pâte à choux, sitting in lamb jus. This was a sign of good things to come. While I enjoyed the first three courses, it wasn't until the fourth course that I realized how special the meal would be. The fourth course was a gorgeous lamb consommé poured tableside into our bowls, which held lardoons, enoki mushrooms, daikon, fennel and fennel frond. I love broth, and I've had several great ones recently. This one stood up to all the others: rich and savory, with a touch of smoke. I wanted to lick the bowl several times over.

Dish #6 was porchetta: lamb shoulder rolled with chile flakes and olive oil andt then braised. It sat atp celeriac purée and brown butter, with a bit of fennel pollen and smoked sea salt. As one diner put it, this was your mother's pot roast and mashed potatoes, elevated.