Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Cure Your Bored Palate: Red Medicine

I resisted Red Medicine. I didn't want to try Vietnamese-inspired food made by a white guy. I didn't like the way the restaurant treated S. Irene Virbila.
red medicine 002
red medicine 005
red medicine 004
But insomniac raved about Red Medicine so much that I set my feelings aside and finally tried it. In fact, I trusted insomniac's opinion enough that I suggested Red Medicine for a belated birthday dinner for Mr. Monkey. The Cruisers treated us!

Campo de Encanto Pisco, Galliano, pineapple syrup, lime, soda, Fee O.F. Bitters shaken with purple basil, grapefruit peel, candied pineapple and rolled into a tall glass ($10).
red medicine 009
I loved this drink. Exquisite. The Cruisers loved their drinks, too. The cocktails here are top-notch, and they should be part of your prescription for a good time at Red Medicine.

Pork rillette, crispy chicken skin, lychee, clove, pistachio, spicy herbs ($11).
red medicine 014
red medicine 016
A running theme at Red Medicine is the hiding of the good stuff under something else. Take away the greens to unveil the rich, salty, meaty spread!

Brussels sprouts, caramelized shallots, fish sauce, vermouth ($9).
red medicine 018
red medicine 019
Surprise! There are Brussels sprouts underneath those shrimp chips! Tangy and sweet!

Chicken dumplings, caramelized sugar, pork fat, lemongrass, confitures ($9).
red medicine 022
Wrap these li'l nuggets in leaves smeared with Sriracha and hoisin. Green pockets of chicken delight!

Crispy spring rolls, Dungeness crab, lime, pea pods, fines herbes, chili ($15).
red medicine 028
I've never met a spring roll that I didn't like. And these were stuffed with crab!

Heirloom rice porridge, egg yolk, hazelnuts, ginseng, echire butter ($17).
red medicine 033
This may not sound or look like much, but this was hands down my favorite dish of the night. Stir it all up, and you have a warm bowl of pure happiness. You must order this!

Beef tartare, water lettuce, water chestnut, nuoc leo, chlorophyll, peanuts ($15).
red medicine 038
red medicine 041
Scoop up the beef and pile it high on a shrimp chip. So weird. So tasty. So artistically carnivorous.

Rabbit, five-flavor berry, pandan custard, roots, tubers, black currant, sesame leaf ($31).
red medicine 043
Not as interesting as the other dishes but still quite yummy.

Lamb glazed in tamarind, hibiscus onion, Swiss chard, pomegranate ($24).
red medicine 049
red medicine 051
Another hidden treasure! I loved the meatiness of the lamb combined with sweetness of the tamarind and punctuated by the pop, pop, pop of pomegranate seeds throughout.

Vietnamese iced coffee -- El Diablo Dark Roast, Blue Crane Rooibos, condensed milk, crushed ice ($6).
red medicine 061
Red Medicine really doesn't mess around when it comes to its beverages. This includes its coffee drinks. Strong. Creamy. Fabulous.

Coconut bavarois, coffee, condensed milk, Thai basil, peanut croquant ($9).
red medicine 064
Man. Man! I really adored this dessert, and that is a big deal because I don't really like coconut. All the different flavors and textures really worked. Such a creative combination of ingredients!

Bitter chocolate, kecap manis, oats, parsnip, brown butter, soy milk sorbet ($11).
red medicine 069
I liked how this dessert looked more than how it tasted, but it was still a pleasant end to our inspired meal.

Mr. Monkey commented that Chef Jordan Kahn looks like a hipster Jesus.

Consider me a fan of Chef Kahn's modern culinary miracles.

9 comments:

  1. that rice porridge looks like serious comfort food.

    and, your cocktail! so many ingredients!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Whoooo! lololol Those guys serve up some crazy creative food. Looking forward to eating there a lot after PaleyFests.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ugh. you know how i feel about places like this. but i also trust insom. i just can't take the bear.

    rice porridge is always my favorite. even bad ones. thanksgiving leftovers? i turned those into rice porridge. if i go, i have to get that. even if it's like 5 times the price of regular rice porridge. mmmmm.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yay for liking a restaurant you were skeptical about.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the decor and the food looks amazing!

    I love rice porridge.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This post is inspiring me to get to RedMed. It might be time to forgive.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I LOVE rice porridge! I don't know if I'll ever pay that much for porridge though.

    ReplyDelete
  8. i friggin love red medicine. and yes, he does look like hipster jesus!

    ReplyDelete
  9. this has been on my to do list for a while! Great entry.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...