We ordered the tasting menu, which was largely superb.
To start we received 6 flights of Crudo (raw or nearly raw fish), which included a perfectly briny oyster, a piece of fluke with sea bean and radish, about 4-5 tiny ruby red shrimp (similar to the Japanese melt-in-your-mouth ama ebi), a branzino with fish skin cracklin's, a nameless white fish I can't remember with pumpkin seeds, and finally an ethereal sea urchin.
The next course was a large piece of seared monkfish liver, sitting atop a salad of bitter greens, and paired with a cranberry hazelnut relish. Though good, it was the weakest course of the night. The monkfish felt a bit dry and overcooked, and I found the cranberry relish to be a bit too strong and one note.
Our third course was a beautiful plate of creamy polenta topped with two large grilled head-on prawns. The prawns were outrageously rich and were so perfect atop the silky polenta. They were messy to eat, as they required removal from their shells, but so worth it. The innards from the heads were especially great.
For the fourth plate, we received the house signature maccheroni alla chittarra. This was the one repeat from the last time I was at Esca, but it was a very welcome site, as it is probably one of the best things on the menu. The spaghetti is perfectly textured, and the sauce is velvety and luxurious, made from uni and crab meat. The element that ties the whole thing together is a wafer thin shaving of crunchy scallion on top.
Fifth came a roast (I think) striped bass with mushrooms and cardoons. I could not get over the juicy, steak-yness of the fish, which was really transformed from how I would normally expect it to be texture-wise. The mushrooms and cardoons were super rich and buttery - totally delicious.
A tiny cheese course was served prior to dessert. A super-simple little scoop of ricotta di bufula sitting atop a drizzle of honey. Every bite was pure bliss.
Dessert was also a hit - three scoops of gelato (vanilla with crushed nuts, rich chocolate fudge, and coconut) sitting atop a crisp wafer with a drizzle of honey in the middle for me, and a perfectly tangy square of Italian cheesecake with candied orange and pomegranate seeds for the lady. We rounded out the meal with some complimentary Italian cookies and an espresso for me. A delicious evening, truly.
