Chow Now: Russet

You can tell when food has been made by hand. The imperfections are noticeable—the irregular shapes in a bowl of freshly made pasta, or the cracks and soot marks on the crust of a loaf of warm bread—but the biggest giveaway is the taste. A dish made with simple ingredients and attention paid to the details will outshine a processed meal made with “better” foods any day. Nowhere is this more evident than at Russet, a quiet BYOB on Spruce Street dedicated to using the freshest ingredients possible.

My first course—a pasta dish—set the meal off well. The hand rolled garganelli was tender, yet it had a satisfying springiness that only fresh pasta offers. The mushroom sauce that filled the bowl was creamy, aromatic, and always seemed to work its way into the uneven ridges on the pasta. The tender scallop that topped the noodles was so soft it was almost creamy.

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Comfort food at its finest, the roast beef shoulder reminded me of the hearty meals I find back home in the Midwest. The meat gave way easily to my knife, but it was still just chewy enough to make for a contrast between the rich and creamy layer of mashed potatoes below. The roast carrots that accompanied the beef were tender and smoky sweet. There was no secret to the vegetables—roasting them low and slow in the oven simply let them show off the best side of their natural flavors.

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I’m not a big dessert fan—I know, shoot me now—but even I thought the sorbet at Russet was spectacular. It had subtle notes of orange and an incredibly creamy texture. Each bite was light, cool, and pleasantly fruity.

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As I trotted down the restaurant’s steps on my way out my faith in simple cooking was once again reaffirmed. While the cooking team at Russet is undoubtedly talented, everything that they do seems to prove that it’s not them doing the work, but the ingredients.

So CHOW NOW at Russet!

 

-Chase Matecun

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