Taste

The menu at taste changes with some regularity, but pork is always a safe bet (the pork fries are a fun snack), while the hand-cut noodles with black pepper and Pecorino cheese are simple and sublime. Drinks like Hell's Bells and Ab-Duck-tion offer a glimpse into the singular spirit alchemy at Taste: the former is a spiced gin wonder—Hayman's Old Tom Gin, Pimm's, a touch of sugar, absinthe and a sizable garnish of smoked red bell pepper, which sounds odd in theory but is absolutely divine in practice. Ab-Duck-tion is a heady melange of mascarpone, pepper, lemon, lavender bitters and duck fat infused Grand Marnier. Their erudite cocktail menu is a reflection of mixologist extraordinaire Ted Kilgore's prodigious skill at all things shaken, swizzled or stirred. For the true Taste experience, ask Kilgore what he's drinking these days, and then order that.