Trust (Santa Ana, CA)
Trust DTSA
220 E 4th St, Santa Ana, CA 92701
714-732-0598
www.trustdtsa.com
Thu 10/31/2024, 06:00p-10:15p
For over the past decade, some of the most ambitious cooking in OC has been happening inside an 18-seat "culinary theater" in the heart of Downtown Santa Ana. The space launched in February 2013 as an offshoot of Jason Quinn's game-changing Playground DTSA (opened November 2011), and initially played host to an invitation-only dining series called IO. It eventually morphed into Playground 2.0, featuring an ever-changing array of dining themes. During the pandemic, "Playground 1.9" was instituted, but the COVID-19 crisis ended up defeating Quinn, and the shutters of both Playground and Playground 2.0 at the end of 2021 were announced. However, at the urging of his team, Quinn decided to persist, remaining on as owner but stepping away from the day-to-day.
Thus, Playground was renamed Detention and re-launched in January 2022 under the watch of John Parker, though it only lasted a year before being transformed into the members-only DTTN 2.0. Meanwhile, Playground 2.0 became Trust Kitchen, run by Justin Werner, and things seemed to be humming along just fine until earlier this year, when it was announced that the Chef would be leaving, returning home to New York with girlfriend Tricia Chambers, a Playground veteran herself in charge of wine service. Their final day of service was to be November 2nd, so I made sure to grab a ticket for "Justin and Tricia's Farewell Tour" while I still could.
About the Chef: Justin Ryan Werner was born in April 1985 and was raised on Long Island, where he graduated from Sachem High School North in Lake Ronkonkoma in 2003. He started cooking at around the age of 16, but didn't take the profession seriously until completing his studies at the Culinary Academy of Long Island in Syosset in 2005; this was followed by further education at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan. In August 2005, he began working at the then-new Blackstone Steakhouse in Melville, cooking under Robert Hamburg, an ex-David Bruke sous who really opened his eyes to the world of cooking. Werner stayed until September 2007, and after attempting to secure employment at both Gotham Bar & Grill and Gramercy Tavern, landed a line cook position at Craft.
While there, he helped Tom Colicchio with the May 2008 launch of Craftsteak at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods before departing in October 2009. He didn't venture far though, as he became opening sous at Colicchio & Sons, which bowed in January 2010 in the former home of Craftsteak in West Chelsea. During his time at C&S, Werner staged at Daniel, and also competed on Season 11 of Chopped, winning his episode. By the end of 2011, aided by some string-pulling by Colicchio, he was able to move over to Per Se. Toiling under CdC Eli Kaimeh, he started as a commis before moving up to a chef de partie role. Around this time, Werner also spent a summer in London, and worked a stint as a sous at Paul Liebrandt's Corton. From January to May 2014, he was a stagiaire at Noma, and after returning to NYC, sold truffles and catered.
The Chef eventually moved to Southern California in late 2015, at the age of 30, and got involved in more catering and a pop-up by the name of Ember before starting at Playground around November that year, focusing on assisting Quinn at Playground 2.0. It was here that he would meet Chambers, who'd been hired in March 2016, and I believe there was also a stage at Saison circa 2017. However, Werner decamped in February 2020 in order to open Porch & Swing in Irvine, which was founded by Mark Cruz, Kevin Nguyen (a.k.a. Kevin Bobby), and barman Andrew Parish. The place debuted at the end of April, but the Chef was out after a year (P&S closed in April 2024). By August 2021, Werner was back at Playground 2.0 before taking over the space completely (as Trust) in early 2022.
Here's the view from my seat at the bar. That's Werner's second-in-command Kyle Romanowski (Porch & Swing, Marché Moderne) on the left, while assisting in the middle was Enrique, who's a mere 20 years old and has been at Trust for seven months. Tonight's menu was priced at $250 plus a 3% credit card processing fee, and that was inclusive of food, drink, tax, and service charge.
Not long after I was seated, I was provided a pour of the Thacher Winery Estate Pét Nat, which comes to us from Paso Robles. The wine made for an easy-going apéritif due its abundance of bright, juicy, sweet-ish red fruit, moderated by a mineral backbone.
1: Jamón Ibérico de Bellota
Handling hors d'oeuvre duty were slices of Iberian ham, with their slick, satisfying chew, palate-coating fattiness, and plethora of rich, nutty, salty flavors.
2: Brioche
A fresh-baked homemade brioche was a delight thanks to its spot-on textures and hits of salt, though the bread was indeed improved with a smear of that cultured butter on the side.
3: Ride or Die Salad
I certainly wasn't surprised to see Chef Werner's signature salad make an appearance. In the bowl were radicchio, frisée, endive, gem lettuce heart, oak lettuce heart, Pink Lady apple, marinated cranberry, toasted hazelnut, and a bunch of puffed bits, all tied together by a super savory-yet zippy vinaigrette incorporating caramelized shallots. It's one of my favorite salads ever, with its wonderful mélange of textures and sweet-bitter-nutty-tangy tastes all in utter harmony.
My second pour was something Spanish, the Botani Old Vines Moscatel, a bright, acid-forward wine full of fresh, tropical, and orchard fruit notes.
4: Ricotta
Homemade ricotta is something that the team has been working on for years, and they're apparently close to perfecting it thanks largely to Romanowski's efforts. Although most people break ricotta with lemon juice, which creates big, chunky curds, the kitchen here utilizes buttermilk instead, and that lower acidity results in smaller curds with a smoother, creamier consistency. And indeed, that luscious mouthfeel was exactly what struck me first. What also struck me was how seamlessly the cheese melded with the sweetness of the fruit (raw figs, persimmons compressed in maple and lemon, pickled watermelon rinds) and those nutty toasted pistachios. However, perhaps even more important was that fresh mint, which really completed the equation for me, uplifting the dish perfectly. I feel pretty confident deeming this the best ricotta dish I've had.
5: Hiramasa
During his time at Daniel, Werner worked alongside Travis Swikard (Callie in San Diego), who'd always tend to pair yellowtail amberjack with a bevy of bright, acidic flavors. It was that propensity that inspired this next dish. Sourced from Toyosu Market, shards of kingfish were accompanied by a passion fruit vinaigrette, yuzukosho-boosted avocado purée, strawberry, house-pickled strawberry vinaigrette, sunflower seed crunchies, and crushed wasabi peas. The end result was on the verge of being jarring, but really worked for me. I was a big fan of how the zing of the vinaigrette in particular married with the delicate brine of the fish, the whole interaction perked up by salty, nutty pinpricks.
6: Black Sesame Tahini
A tahini was made using toasted kuro goma from northern Japan, and was unlike any other tahini I've had before thanks to its heightened level of umami and nearly peanut butter-esque character. Also present were Girl & Dug heirloom tomatoes, slow-roasted baby beets, compressed cucumber, pickled shallots, crispy shallots, and fresh basil, and I just loved how those piquant elements played with the sheer nuttiness of the sesame paste. Super smart, and likely the best tahini dish I've ever tried.
My final white wine was the 2022 Miguel Torres Cordillera de Los Andes Chardonnay, the creation of a Spanish winemaker in Chile. The nose here was of yellow fruit and minerals, and plenty more of that juicy fruit appeared on the palate, tempered by spice, saline, and a pert acidity.
7: Dayboat Scallop
A lone day boat scallop was cooked with a boatload of brown butter to a perfectly rare-ish, supple consistency, and paired swimmingly with the bitterness and savor of roasted Savoy cabbage. Sauces included one seasoned with spicy, floral espelette as well as a candied lemon rind purée, though the latter was a tad too aggressively astringent for my tastes.
8: Ocean Trout
Dry-aged in-house for eight days, sea trout showed off a wonderfully rare cook and an uncommonly deep, meaty, gratifying savor that I reveled in, while its skin was the crispiest I've ever encountered, recalling a chicharrón. The fish was delicious alone, but was further enhanced by a heady "surf and turf" sauce made from sundry bones and shells, shallots, garlic, and well-rendered prosciutto. Further facets were provided by smoky broccolini a la plancha and a dollop of Kaluga hybrid caviar.
The evening's first red was the Jolie Laide Dans le Vide, a blend of grapes fermented separately and then blended together. Hailing from Northern California, the wine smelled of juicy, fragrant, red-tinted fruits. On the palate, think tannic and structured, with fruity, floral nuances moderated by notes of tar, mineral, and acrid spices.
9: Short Rib Pasta
Stuffed pasta was filled with wagyu short rib that'd been braised whole, shredded, and whipped with mascarpone, and that combo of meat and dairy was meant to evoke some Stroganoff sensations according to Werner. Further richness was provided by an assertive black truffle-boosted butter sauce modeled after French onion soup, while on top were aged Parmesan, shaved black truffle, and brown butter breadcrumbs for a bit of texture. A heavy, cozy dish appropriate for the season.
10: Carne Fresca Ibérica
Ibérico pork shoulder was grilled from raw, which is something I don't encounter too often, but the results were fantastic. I loved the meat's wonderfully salty, savory sear and brazen rareness, and in fact, it was some of the most delicious cerdo I've had in a while. Although the pork easily stood on its own merits, I also appreciated the potent, dark-toned flavors of those binchotan-grilled mushrooms, while a purée of black cherry and yuzu worked as a sweet-tart accent piece.
Our final wine was the 2022 DAY Zinfandel Sonoma County, from ex-Turley winemaker Ehren Jordan. Not surprisingly, the bouquet on this one was teeming with dark, jammy, floral fruit offset by smidges of spice. Taste-wise, I found plenty more rich fruit, but supported by countering components of tobacco, mineral, and pepper. Quite nice.
11: Outside Skirt Steak
The night's final savory brought American wagyu outside skirt sourced from producer Imperial out of Nebraska, which is apparently Werner's favorite meat raised on US soil. Cooked properly rare, the steak was well-structured and super satisfying in terms of mouthfeel, while flavors were simultaneously powerful yet sophisticated, with refined forces of smoke and umami. Accompanying the beef was a spot-on potato coated with a citrusy, miso-ish brown butter-soy-lime sauce with some crunchy, nutty bits thrown in.
12: Caramelized Pineapple
In our first dessert course, pineapple was carved, brushed with agave, roasted, then brushed and roasted some more until it developed an abundance of deep, sugary, caramelized flavors (reminiscent of the spit roast pineapple at Dinner). The fruit combined like clockwork with a Madagascar vanilla semifreddo, but an even more clever pairing was the delightfully nutty, ultra-aromatic MoonGoat coffee oil, which was just stupendous.
The role of digestif was fittingly handled by a pour of Bordiga Vermouth Rosso, a bitter, botanical fortified wine with a healthy dosing of sweet spice.
13: Molten Chocolate Cake
A lava cake featuring hazelnut and dark cocoa was indeed as gooey as it should be, while its unabashedly rich, chocolate-y flavors were juxtaposed against both a Chantilly-style whipped cream and, even more crucially, a jam made from roasted plums and blueberries.
14: Kouign-Amann
We concluded with some fresh-baked kouignoù-amann, and the Breton pastry staple really delivered. I was enamored with the flaky, buttery, multilayered texture of the laminated dough, while the back-and-forth between salty and sugary flavors--aided by webs of hot caramel sugar--was tremendous. I even took one of the kouignettes home, and it still held up the next day.
With dinner done with, I moseyed on over to DTTN 2.0 next door for some postprandial libations. Behind the stick tonight were bar lead Tony along with Sabrina, a couple that actually met while working at Strong Water (Tony also spent time at Bradley's Fine Wines & Spirits in Tustin). Pictured above is the short-but-intriguing cocktail list and the even tinier wines by the glass selection. Click for larger versions.
Clarified Milk Punch [$24.00] | Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac. Compass Box Peat Monster. Amaro Montenegro. Vanille de Madagascar. pumpkin. lemon. spices. lactose
I have a hard time turning down a clarified milk punch, and this was no exception. As expected, the cocktail was soft and silky in the mouth, with a bevy of floral, sweetly-spiced flavors that actually made me think of a scented candle.
Tony was kind enough to offer me a complimentary taste of the Foursquare Exceptional Cask Selection Mark XXVI "Magisterium" Single Blended Rum. Coming to us from Barbados, this was a 16-year-old blend of three rums aged in ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso sherry casks, released in March this year. The nose here was loaded with dark spices and even darker fruit, with further notes of caramel. On the palate, I got both stone fruit and tropical fruit, baking spices, caramel, cacao, wood, and plenty of heat. Lovely.
Last up was a duet of charanda, a rum-like liquor from Michoacán, Mexico. I first tried the Uruapan Charanda Blanco Single Agricola, which I found teeming with sugary, fragrant, vanilla-like notes intertwined with tropical fruit and an earthy grassiness. Meanwhile, the Uruapan Charanda Añejo was quite a different beast. Aged 22 months in ex-bourbon barrels, this one really showcased the funkier, spicier, woodsier qualities of the oak, commingled with the spirit's sweeter, fruitier characteristics.
I've always thoroughly enjoyed my meals here, and unsurprisingly, tonight was no exception. Werner's departure is a loss for the Orange County dining scene, undoubtedly, but it's also understandable why he'd want to return back home to New York, where he'd eventually like to open a tasting counter-based restaurant in the same vein as Trust. As for what's next for this space, it's since been taken over by Chef Kyle McClelland, with Léhéna Leplus handling the front-of-the-house and wine, so I'll certainly have to get around to checking out what they've been up to.
220 E 4th St, Santa Ana, CA 92701
714-732-0598
www.trustdtsa.com
Thu 10/31/2024, 06:00p-10:15p
For over the past decade, some of the most ambitious cooking in OC has been happening inside an 18-seat "culinary theater" in the heart of Downtown Santa Ana. The space launched in February 2013 as an offshoot of Jason Quinn's game-changing Playground DTSA (opened November 2011), and initially played host to an invitation-only dining series called IO. It eventually morphed into Playground 2.0, featuring an ever-changing array of dining themes. During the pandemic, "Playground 1.9" was instituted, but the COVID-19 crisis ended up defeating Quinn, and the shutters of both Playground and Playground 2.0 at the end of 2021 were announced. However, at the urging of his team, Quinn decided to persist, remaining on as owner but stepping away from the day-to-day.
Thus, Playground was renamed Detention and re-launched in January 2022 under the watch of John Parker, though it only lasted a year before being transformed into the members-only DTTN 2.0. Meanwhile, Playground 2.0 became Trust Kitchen, run by Justin Werner, and things seemed to be humming along just fine until earlier this year, when it was announced that the Chef would be leaving, returning home to New York with girlfriend Tricia Chambers, a Playground veteran herself in charge of wine service. Their final day of service was to be November 2nd, so I made sure to grab a ticket for "Justin and Tricia's Farewell Tour" while I still could.
About the Chef: Justin Ryan Werner was born in April 1985 and was raised on Long Island, where he graduated from Sachem High School North in Lake Ronkonkoma in 2003. He started cooking at around the age of 16, but didn't take the profession seriously until completing his studies at the Culinary Academy of Long Island in Syosset in 2005; this was followed by further education at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan. In August 2005, he began working at the then-new Blackstone Steakhouse in Melville, cooking under Robert Hamburg, an ex-David Bruke sous who really opened his eyes to the world of cooking. Werner stayed until September 2007, and after attempting to secure employment at both Gotham Bar & Grill and Gramercy Tavern, landed a line cook position at Craft.
While there, he helped Tom Colicchio with the May 2008 launch of Craftsteak at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods before departing in October 2009. He didn't venture far though, as he became opening sous at Colicchio & Sons, which bowed in January 2010 in the former home of Craftsteak in West Chelsea. During his time at C&S, Werner staged at Daniel, and also competed on Season 11 of Chopped, winning his episode. By the end of 2011, aided by some string-pulling by Colicchio, he was able to move over to Per Se. Toiling under CdC Eli Kaimeh, he started as a commis before moving up to a chef de partie role. Around this time, Werner also spent a summer in London, and worked a stint as a sous at Paul Liebrandt's Corton. From January to May 2014, he was a stagiaire at Noma, and after returning to NYC, sold truffles and catered.
The Chef eventually moved to Southern California in late 2015, at the age of 30, and got involved in more catering and a pop-up by the name of Ember before starting at Playground around November that year, focusing on assisting Quinn at Playground 2.0. It was here that he would meet Chambers, who'd been hired in March 2016, and I believe there was also a stage at Saison circa 2017. However, Werner decamped in February 2020 in order to open Porch & Swing in Irvine, which was founded by Mark Cruz, Kevin Nguyen (a.k.a. Kevin Bobby), and barman Andrew Parish. The place debuted at the end of April, but the Chef was out after a year (P&S closed in April 2024). By August 2021, Werner was back at Playground 2.0 before taking over the space completely (as Trust) in early 2022.
Here's the view from my seat at the bar. That's Werner's second-in-command Kyle Romanowski (Porch & Swing, Marché Moderne) on the left, while assisting in the middle was Enrique, who's a mere 20 years old and has been at Trust for seven months. Tonight's menu was priced at $250 plus a 3% credit card processing fee, and that was inclusive of food, drink, tax, and service charge.
Not long after I was seated, I was provided a pour of the Thacher Winery Estate Pét Nat, which comes to us from Paso Robles. The wine made for an easy-going apéritif due its abundance of bright, juicy, sweet-ish red fruit, moderated by a mineral backbone.
1: Jamón Ibérico de Bellota
Handling hors d'oeuvre duty were slices of Iberian ham, with their slick, satisfying chew, palate-coating fattiness, and plethora of rich, nutty, salty flavors.
2: Brioche
A fresh-baked homemade brioche was a delight thanks to its spot-on textures and hits of salt, though the bread was indeed improved with a smear of that cultured butter on the side.
3: Ride or Die Salad
I certainly wasn't surprised to see Chef Werner's signature salad make an appearance. In the bowl were radicchio, frisée, endive, gem lettuce heart, oak lettuce heart, Pink Lady apple, marinated cranberry, toasted hazelnut, and a bunch of puffed bits, all tied together by a super savory-yet zippy vinaigrette incorporating caramelized shallots. It's one of my favorite salads ever, with its wonderful mélange of textures and sweet-bitter-nutty-tangy tastes all in utter harmony.
My second pour was something Spanish, the Botani Old Vines Moscatel, a bright, acid-forward wine full of fresh, tropical, and orchard fruit notes.
4: Ricotta
Homemade ricotta is something that the team has been working on for years, and they're apparently close to perfecting it thanks largely to Romanowski's efforts. Although most people break ricotta with lemon juice, which creates big, chunky curds, the kitchen here utilizes buttermilk instead, and that lower acidity results in smaller curds with a smoother, creamier consistency. And indeed, that luscious mouthfeel was exactly what struck me first. What also struck me was how seamlessly the cheese melded with the sweetness of the fruit (raw figs, persimmons compressed in maple and lemon, pickled watermelon rinds) and those nutty toasted pistachios. However, perhaps even more important was that fresh mint, which really completed the equation for me, uplifting the dish perfectly. I feel pretty confident deeming this the best ricotta dish I've had.
5: Hiramasa
During his time at Daniel, Werner worked alongside Travis Swikard (Callie in San Diego), who'd always tend to pair yellowtail amberjack with a bevy of bright, acidic flavors. It was that propensity that inspired this next dish. Sourced from Toyosu Market, shards of kingfish were accompanied by a passion fruit vinaigrette, yuzukosho-boosted avocado purée, strawberry, house-pickled strawberry vinaigrette, sunflower seed crunchies, and crushed wasabi peas. The end result was on the verge of being jarring, but really worked for me. I was a big fan of how the zing of the vinaigrette in particular married with the delicate brine of the fish, the whole interaction perked up by salty, nutty pinpricks.
6: Black Sesame Tahini
A tahini was made using toasted kuro goma from northern Japan, and was unlike any other tahini I've had before thanks to its heightened level of umami and nearly peanut butter-esque character. Also present were Girl & Dug heirloom tomatoes, slow-roasted baby beets, compressed cucumber, pickled shallots, crispy shallots, and fresh basil, and I just loved how those piquant elements played with the sheer nuttiness of the sesame paste. Super smart, and likely the best tahini dish I've ever tried.
My final white wine was the 2022 Miguel Torres Cordillera de Los Andes Chardonnay, the creation of a Spanish winemaker in Chile. The nose here was of yellow fruit and minerals, and plenty more of that juicy fruit appeared on the palate, tempered by spice, saline, and a pert acidity.
7: Dayboat Scallop
A lone day boat scallop was cooked with a boatload of brown butter to a perfectly rare-ish, supple consistency, and paired swimmingly with the bitterness and savor of roasted Savoy cabbage. Sauces included one seasoned with spicy, floral espelette as well as a candied lemon rind purée, though the latter was a tad too aggressively astringent for my tastes.
8: Ocean Trout
Dry-aged in-house for eight days, sea trout showed off a wonderfully rare cook and an uncommonly deep, meaty, gratifying savor that I reveled in, while its skin was the crispiest I've ever encountered, recalling a chicharrón. The fish was delicious alone, but was further enhanced by a heady "surf and turf" sauce made from sundry bones and shells, shallots, garlic, and well-rendered prosciutto. Further facets were provided by smoky broccolini a la plancha and a dollop of Kaluga hybrid caviar.
The evening's first red was the Jolie Laide Dans le Vide, a blend of grapes fermented separately and then blended together. Hailing from Northern California, the wine smelled of juicy, fragrant, red-tinted fruits. On the palate, think tannic and structured, with fruity, floral nuances moderated by notes of tar, mineral, and acrid spices.
9: Short Rib Pasta
Stuffed pasta was filled with wagyu short rib that'd been braised whole, shredded, and whipped with mascarpone, and that combo of meat and dairy was meant to evoke some Stroganoff sensations according to Werner. Further richness was provided by an assertive black truffle-boosted butter sauce modeled after French onion soup, while on top were aged Parmesan, shaved black truffle, and brown butter breadcrumbs for a bit of texture. A heavy, cozy dish appropriate for the season.
10: Carne Fresca Ibérica
Ibérico pork shoulder was grilled from raw, which is something I don't encounter too often, but the results were fantastic. I loved the meat's wonderfully salty, savory sear and brazen rareness, and in fact, it was some of the most delicious cerdo I've had in a while. Although the pork easily stood on its own merits, I also appreciated the potent, dark-toned flavors of those binchotan-grilled mushrooms, while a purée of black cherry and yuzu worked as a sweet-tart accent piece.
Our final wine was the 2022 DAY Zinfandel Sonoma County, from ex-Turley winemaker Ehren Jordan. Not surprisingly, the bouquet on this one was teeming with dark, jammy, floral fruit offset by smidges of spice. Taste-wise, I found plenty more rich fruit, but supported by countering components of tobacco, mineral, and pepper. Quite nice.
11: Outside Skirt Steak
The night's final savory brought American wagyu outside skirt sourced from producer Imperial out of Nebraska, which is apparently Werner's favorite meat raised on US soil. Cooked properly rare, the steak was well-structured and super satisfying in terms of mouthfeel, while flavors were simultaneously powerful yet sophisticated, with refined forces of smoke and umami. Accompanying the beef was a spot-on potato coated with a citrusy, miso-ish brown butter-soy-lime sauce with some crunchy, nutty bits thrown in.
12: Caramelized Pineapple
In our first dessert course, pineapple was carved, brushed with agave, roasted, then brushed and roasted some more until it developed an abundance of deep, sugary, caramelized flavors (reminiscent of the spit roast pineapple at Dinner). The fruit combined like clockwork with a Madagascar vanilla semifreddo, but an even more clever pairing was the delightfully nutty, ultra-aromatic MoonGoat coffee oil, which was just stupendous.
The role of digestif was fittingly handled by a pour of Bordiga Vermouth Rosso, a bitter, botanical fortified wine with a healthy dosing of sweet spice.
13: Molten Chocolate Cake
A lava cake featuring hazelnut and dark cocoa was indeed as gooey as it should be, while its unabashedly rich, chocolate-y flavors were juxtaposed against both a Chantilly-style whipped cream and, even more crucially, a jam made from roasted plums and blueberries.
14: Kouign-Amann
We concluded with some fresh-baked kouignoù-amann, and the Breton pastry staple really delivered. I was enamored with the flaky, buttery, multilayered texture of the laminated dough, while the back-and-forth between salty and sugary flavors--aided by webs of hot caramel sugar--was tremendous. I even took one of the kouignettes home, and it still held up the next day.
With dinner done with, I moseyed on over to DTTN 2.0 next door for some postprandial libations. Behind the stick tonight were bar lead Tony along with Sabrina, a couple that actually met while working at Strong Water (Tony also spent time at Bradley's Fine Wines & Spirits in Tustin). Pictured above is the short-but-intriguing cocktail list and the even tinier wines by the glass selection. Click for larger versions.
Clarified Milk Punch [$24.00] | Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac. Compass Box Peat Monster. Amaro Montenegro. Vanille de Madagascar. pumpkin. lemon. spices. lactose
I have a hard time turning down a clarified milk punch, and this was no exception. As expected, the cocktail was soft and silky in the mouth, with a bevy of floral, sweetly-spiced flavors that actually made me think of a scented candle.
Tony was kind enough to offer me a complimentary taste of the Foursquare Exceptional Cask Selection Mark XXVI "Magisterium" Single Blended Rum. Coming to us from Barbados, this was a 16-year-old blend of three rums aged in ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso sherry casks, released in March this year. The nose here was loaded with dark spices and even darker fruit, with further notes of caramel. On the palate, I got both stone fruit and tropical fruit, baking spices, caramel, cacao, wood, and plenty of heat. Lovely.
Last up was a duet of charanda, a rum-like liquor from Michoacán, Mexico. I first tried the Uruapan Charanda Blanco Single Agricola, which I found teeming with sugary, fragrant, vanilla-like notes intertwined with tropical fruit and an earthy grassiness. Meanwhile, the Uruapan Charanda Añejo was quite a different beast. Aged 22 months in ex-bourbon barrels, this one really showcased the funkier, spicier, woodsier qualities of the oak, commingled with the spirit's sweeter, fruitier characteristics.
I've always thoroughly enjoyed my meals here, and unsurprisingly, tonight was no exception. Werner's departure is a loss for the Orange County dining scene, undoubtedly, but it's also understandable why he'd want to return back home to New York, where he'd eventually like to open a tasting counter-based restaurant in the same vein as Trust. As for what's next for this space, it's since been taken over by Chef Kyle McClelland, with Léhéna Leplus handling the front-of-the-house and wine, so I'll certainly have to get around to checking out what they've been up to.
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