Alyssa
Jacqueline Fierro
Jacqueline and I headed to Pearl on Wednesday night for a media dinner at the charming Boiler House. Boiler House, located at 312 Pearl Pkwy., is housed within a 130 year old building and features farm-to-table brunch, lunch and dinner menus. Jeff White, the executive chef, walked us through the newest dishes that will be making appearance on the spring menu.
Jacqueline Fierro
Let’s start with the favorite of the night! While all the dishes were fantastic, one entree that I’m still daydreaming about is the octopus and watermelon salad with smoked yogurt, hearts of palm, fresh cilantro and fresh basil. The texture of the octopus paired perfectly with the compressed watermelon and the cilantro added a unique, overall flavor. Jeff White joined us at the table and we were able to get a feel for his inspiration for the spring menu.
“We wanted to lighten things up. Some items aren’t “springy”, but they are lighter than a lot of our dishes. For example, instead of using a heavy chorizo vinaigrette, we incorporated chorizo dust. It keeps our chefs on their toes when we feature unique menu items.”
Jacqueline Fierro
Another favorite was the farro, pine nuts, smoked yogurt (sensing a trend), goat cheese mousse and baby carrots. Light, healthy and tasty.
Jacqueline Fierro
Jacqueline Fierro
Pictured above is the foie gras torchon with red onion marmalade, radish, pistachios and toast points followed by the oxtail gnocchi served with baby carrots and dijonaise cream. If you’re having a tough day, come enjoy this comfort dish. The thick pieces of gnocchi hit the spot and bring you to your happy place. When asked about the size of the potato dumplings, Jeff let us know he wanted the gnocchi’s to resemble pillows. You nailed it, Boiler House!
Just as we put our forks down and got ready to call it a night, the chef walked out with two huge pork shanks served with salsa verde. I was quite full, and then Jeff referred to the pork as a “very friendly dish” and I was sold. I love friendly dishes. All the food was served family style and with portions like this, we all got our fill!
After the meal, Jeff accompanied us again and talked so passionately about preparing the food, I wanted to have another dish with his words going through my head. When someone loves what they do it shows and in this case, you can taste it.