kitchen cuisine.

Last night I was treated to a wonderful dinner at 6th Street Kitchen. My friend is a social media intern for the restaurant, which has only been open for a few months, and she was excited to show me her work stomping grounds- and I can see why. The atmosphere was good, the wine was great and the food was even better.

First of all, we decided to split a bottle of pinot grigio- although a glass was a bargain at $7, we tend to indulge a bit when it comes to wine. We then ordered an heirloom tomato "small plate" that was soooo good. It was made up of these tiny, beautifully colored skinned tomatoes with cheese and an avocado sorbet. The sorbet kind of threw me for a loop as it was definitely different from anything I have had before, but the tomatoes were sweet and popable treats. YUM. Next, we shared an arugula and parmesan salad. It was okay- needed a bit more lemon. For our entree, we shared the special- baja fish tacos. Oh my were they good. Perfectly crisped cod came on browned tortillas along side a plate of sauce verte (I referred to it as spicy cilantro sauce until I was corrected by the chef), a delish sour cream-type spread, radishes and limes. I could have ordered about ten more servings. Our dessert included a rhubarb "pie" and a poached peach with ginger ice cream (which I literally allowed my friend one bite of before I devoured the whole thing). Perfect endings to the meal.

My favorite part of the meal, however, were two perfect amouse bouches. The first, served before everything else, was a caesar salad bite with a crouton on the bottom, dressing gelee, romaine pesto and parmesan on the spoon you scooped all of it up with. It was a perfect (and mesmerizing) bite of the best caesar salad I have ever had. Our other little post-dinner treat was a buttermilk and blueberry concoction. The chef separated the buttermilk into two layers and placed a blueberry in the middle. Sounds odd but boy was it good. I might have made a comment about wanting an entire plate full... It was certainly a nice touch that the owner, Chris, served each restaurant patron these little (and complimentary!) bites.

If you can't tell by the types of food we had, the restaurant definitely has a gastronomical flair mixed in with its seemingly simple dishes. I would describe the cooking by saying it is food you could see on any other menu but with a distinctive (and usually delicious) twist. Each bite left my tastebuds contemplating what I had just eaten yet knowing they wanted more. If you are looking for a meal that you wish your mom could have made in her own kitchen but know she wouldn't even have known where to begin, this is your place.

Update: Sadly, 6th Street Kitchen burnt down in January 2011, and it doesn't look like it will reopen. Glad I got to share such a great meal there with a friend...