555 Congress

We had dinner at 555 Congress St, a restaurant run by husband-and-wife team Steve and Michelle Corry. According to the excerpt in this Food & Wine article, both have worked in Napa Valley. I can never resist taking pictures of salt in candlelight.

I asked for, and received, permission to take photos inside the restaurant. We had a great view of the kitchen from our seat, but not good enough to get clear shots.

They allowed me to take pictures closer to the kitchen. Here we see salads being composed.

We had been eating all day, so we decided to create a meal mostly from the small plates. I only had a few minutes before our food was ready. Two of our appetizers are ready here, the "popkins" and the Bangs Island mussels. This was my first time near a working kitchen. The pace was fast and I missed a lot of potentially great shots. I hope I get another opportunity.

mediterranean-style grilled flatbread
cheesy flatbread . niman ranch prosciutto . picholine olives . roasted garlic . agra-dolce onions

"steak and cheese"
thinly sliced black angus carpaccio . shaved reggiano parmesan . wild arugula . white truffle oil . fried capers

chili-lime angus beef "popkins"
crispy pockets . creamy turtle bean sauce . cheesey corn grits . five pepper "pittman" hot sauce

bangs island mussels
house pickled cherry peppers . chive butter . roasted garlic . crunchy bread for dipping

"two blue"
hand-picked maine blueberries . maytag blue cheese . tender organic greens . blueberry-champagne vinaigrette

peppercorn -crusted, pan seared day boat scallops
roasted fennel-potato puree . butter-glazed pearl onions . organic baby carrot and vanilla-butter emulsion

We ended with a selection of desserts and two cheeses. The first was, I believe, an Italian blue. The second was Pecorino Ginepro, which I had the fortune to try a few months earlier thanks to one of the staff at Murray's Cheese. It is a wonderful raw sheep's milk cheese bathed in balsamic vinegar and juniper before aging. The texture is slightly crumbly and the taste is light, almost refreshing. You should absolutely stampede over there to buy some.

I'm going to cheat on evaluating the meal by saying that everything was delicious. The ingredients were fresh and every dish was unfussy and worked. The flatbread interested me the least among the dishes. I might have liked it better if the crust was crispier. The space is beautifully designed. The service was professional yet friendly. I felt very comfortable during the entire meal. The overall dining experience was of a caliber that one would expect in Napa Valley or New York, and reflects well on the committment of its owners.