Ok, I get it. You’re not a foodie. You think the idea of foie gras foam is ridiculous and anything made with beet juice or squid ink is only for Instagram. You’d rather step on a Sea Urchin than eat one.
Just wait until you eat at Trust. The decor is approachable and casual – simple wood tables, lots of natural light, open kitchen. Just enough copper and exposed beams to feel current. No stuffy maitre d’ will look down their nose if you don’t have a reservation. Trust’s menu might have a few items you’ve never heard of (bresaola, anyone?) but the food is delicious. Yes, it is beautiful, almost too pretty to eat. But it is the flavors and the textures of the food, the care with which it was created, that will turn anyone into a foodie.
Now for anyone who is already a foodie, you know all about Trust. But what you might not know is that Chef Brad Wise is back from paternity leave and is cooking up a new spring menu. After sampling six dishes from the current menu I can tell you that you should run, not walk, to try Chef’s new creations.
One of my favorite things about Trust is their use of wood grilling that imparts a powerful flavor through their signature red oak. I loved the wood grilled cauliflower with golden raisins, mint, serrano aioli, and curry vinaigrette. The dish was powerful, with strong flavors at the verge of competing with each other, but working together. Cauliflower may seem like an easy dish to eat without much thought, but this version will have the table in silence, detangling the layers of flavor.
This baby gem salad was inspired by the pickled ramp ranch dressing. Ramps, I learned, are wild leeks, and add a nice hint of garlic to the dish. Crisp baby gems are plump and crisp and served with baby beets, pearl onions, fingerling chips, and candied walnuts for the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
Hamachi Tartare is a stacked composition of diced hamachi and cucumber, topped with avocado mousse and dotted with black sesame puree, trout roe, and daikon sprouts, served with taro chips. The hamachi, cucumber, and avocado had a nice acid balance that was perked up by the pops of the salty roe. Compared to the other items, the tartare provided more subtle flavors, relying on the freshness to stand out.
One of my favorite items on the menu was the incredibly tender black cod, served with baby bok choy, miso, squash, kumquats, salumi, mushrooms, and a scallop buerre blanc. The sauce was so good and so flavorful that only dignity prevented me from licking the plate. I knew that salumi is the generic word for salted and dry-cured meats instead of a specific type of meat, so asked about the salumi hinted at in the dish. Apparently salumi and charcuterie is Chef’s passion project at Trust. He dries and cures the meat in house, always playing with new options. So the types of salumi in the black cod changes daily, offering subtle differences in the dish. On my next trip I am definitely going to try the Charcuterie & Cheese board to get the full experience!
I was sure that the black cod was going to be my favorite dish of the night, but then they brought out the braised oxtail raviolini. Soft pockets of oxtail wrapped in al dente pasta, in a rich oxtail jus with with pine nuts, carrots, horseradish, and whipped ricotta. Somehow the dish imparts the savory comfort of mom’s spaghetti bolognese with refined and elevated flavors. While every dish at Trust was amazing, this is the one I have dreamt about since the dinner.
