A couple of things stood out about xmarx dinner tonight. And forgive me if you're a regular but this was my first experience and quite lovely.
One: Our hosts. From the moment the door was opened I felt at home and completely comfortable in a space I never visited.
The small three person crew covered our every need and made everyone feel like a VIP.
Two: The crowd. Kept to 18-20 the crowds are wonderfully friendly like minded people out on the town for a fun evening. I felt at home chatting with everyone who walked through the door, and the communal seating guarantees you'll make a few new friends as the night goes past.
Three: The menu. Decidedly not pretentious the menu still managed to be fresh, seasonal and inviting to even the most distinguished pallet. The ingredients where picked and prepared that day, straight from local markets and as soon as I walked in and saw a chalkboard plastered with ingredients I knew I was in for a good time.
The starter was a delightful (if not a little sweet) pizza margarita with fresh basil and tomato jam. Wonderful, crispy Sourdough-Crust accented all the flavours immensely. The kicker was a small dried red pepper you crushed over the top to balance the sweet and add a layer of spice to the mix. Unfortunately these peppers where delivered early and looked a lot like say a Craisin. This lead a couple of the more adventurous guests (myself included) to indulge a little early. All it took was a look around the room to spot the folks who made this mistake.
As the fire subsided in my mouth we were served a speck and clam pizza. Still thin, but leavened just enough to make you crave more.
I was blown away by the light fluffy Gnocchi with braised short rib and giardinara. The Gnocchi really shined through though. Lightly seared and fluffy as all get out. A fine entrée indeed.
So next up was a sous-vide lamb in a bed of chickpeas, Fava bean and olive. Lamb was cooked perfectly and the beans where wonderful. I'm not normally a big Lamb guy but if you can keep it medium rare... WOW.
So I'm writing this as I'm relishing a bit (I just got home) but man was it a really good laid back time. I'd recommend checking out the upcoming meals by joining xmarx mailing list. I can pretty much guarantee you'll have a great time.