I Lied, My Heart Actually Belongs to Sycamore

This past Thursday Jim and I went to Sycamore to celebrate. What were we celebrating? I recently had an article on fair food published in the food section of the Columbia Daily Tribune. It was my first published article, so we celebrated in true foodie style--we went out to dinner. And since Sycamore is my favorite restaurant, I had to go there.

Every time I go, I get the spinach salad to start. It's got warm and salty pancetta, spicy red onions and big leafy spinach with balsamic vinaigrette. Jim got the heirloom tomatoes, which was equally tasty.

I normally get a beef or pork entree at really nice restaurants like Sycamore. Last time we went, I got their short ribs that had been braised in ale. The meat was so tender and rich with flavor from the ale I was beside myself. Time before that? I got a pork chop with pineapple black bean salsa served on top.

This time, however, I wasn't really in the mood for a large entree, so I sampled two of their small plates: gnocchi with shitake mushrooms and asparagus, and their 3-cheese platter. The gnocchi was incredible. Gnocchi is basically potato pasta, which sounds a little odd until you actually try it. I normally don't enjoy mushrooms too much, but they gave the pasta such a deep and earthy flavor I didn't mind.

The cheese platter? Omg. That's all I can say. A slice of blue cheese, brie cheese and some goat cheese with poppyseed and sesame seed crackers, smoked almonds AND fig compote. I love goat cheese, but the big hunk of blue cheese definitely gave it a run for its money. I didn't finish the whole plate; it was intended for several people to share it. So I boxed it right up and had a very gourmet lunch at work the next day!

Jim always, always, always gets seafood. It's a little annoying because it means I can't really try his food since I don't like it all that much. He got scallops this time, monk fish cheeks last time and a tuna dish the time before that. I envy how much he likes seafood. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on so much!

Dessert? Cantaloupe sorbet. It had a pleasant consistency and subtle sweetness. They always have a cheesecake dish (my fave), a chocolate cake dish, and about four more. It's the hardest decision of the evening trying to pick a dessert from Sycamore.

Sycamore is an outstanding restaurant. The focus is on fresh, good quality ingredients prepared in ways that highlight the ingredient and not so much the technique behind it. Mike Odette, the chef at Sycamore, should sleep on my couch and be my personal chef. That's how much I love his food. The restaurant itself has a warm, elegant atmosphere, perfect for a romantic date or nice lunch. The waiters are friendly and well-informed.

It's really just about the perfect restaurant.

If you'd like to take a look at my article, just click here. It's exciting to have been given the opportunity to get published in a food section I like!