Out to Pasture

A couple of Fridays ago we stopped by Lemaire to have $5 Manhattans during happy hour. We would then wander downtown to find dinner. Since Pasture was near by, I wanted to stroll over to at least see what the place looked like. To our surprise they still had numerous tables available so we stayed and ate.

I liked the bright green colors against the white walls and wood. I liked the soaring ceilings and the large storefront windows.

The menu offered lots of Southern-influenced variety. All small plates meant to be shared. We started off with a Chinon (Cab Franc) at $29. We like wine from this French region and this red did not disappoint.

We ordered quite a few plates. Some were outstanding, others had us shaking our heads. Here is a run down:

Pimento Cheese $4

Both hubby and I liked this starter. I have never been a huge fan of the stuff even though I grew up in the South, but this one was creamy with finely shredded cheese with a hint of pimento pepper throughout. Easy to share with Ritz-style crackers. From a taste and cost perspective, we would consider ordering again.

Deviled Eggs $7

While decent-tasting, fairly ordinary. My sister-in-law produces about the same (minus the salmon roe which did not impart a lot of flavor) for a lot less money. We would pass on this small plate next time.

Sweet Tea Smoked Trout $11

Kick ass. Loved this dish. Lightly smoked and moist. I would order this dish every time.

Brussels Sprouts $6

Hubby enjoyed them. I thought they were okay, but I'm not a huge sprouts fan. The portion seemed small for the price.

Fried Oysters $10

Served with cole slaw. Hubby (who is my fried oyster aficionado) said they were decent, but a small helping. The slaw was just okay. Pasture would not be his go-to fried oyster place.

Pork Rillettes $8

While hubby was not a fan, I really enjoyed this dish. The intense pork flavor and creamy fat with crostini-like toast was fabulous. Served with quince and whole-grain mustard, fresh parsley, and pickled fennel. I thought the amount and quality of food for the price was also good. I would order this again.

Fried Chicken $11

Served with spicy honey (a nice touch) and potato salad. Some of the best fried chicken ever outside of my mom's (about the only dish she can make) and my husband's grandfather (cast iron skillet on the grill). The potato salad was just so-so. I took some of my parsley from the pork rillettes and mixed it with the potato salad to give it a flavor boost. So even though the chicken was great we kept talking the price and the smallness of the plate. We weren't sure if we could continually justify the price when I can make pretty good chicken at home.

While the Candy Bar looked tempting for dessert, we had ordered a lot and decided to pass on the sweet stuff.

We had attentive, casual service throughout the evening. As our dinner progressed the place filled up and got a bit louder. The number of cars using the valet parking service astonished us. I guess for the later diners, it was the thing to do. For us, we left with full bellies, a few memorable dishes, and a few misses and wandered back to our car parked about a block away from The Jefferson.