This evening was prior to the major renovation, so the decor was largely the same as on my previous visits, though the service style changed a bit - instead of a set menu with only one or two choices along the way, the staff rattled off the entire meal verbally, with multiple choices being required among several different courses. I actually found the new approach of "dialog between the servers and customers" to be very cumbersome, and felt we should have just been given printed menus if the choices were going to be so extensive.
Black and White
Savory Cookie with Apple and Cheddar
The old staple still kicked things off, though this would be the last time (at least as of this writing) that we would see the savory version of the cookie being served.
Manhattan Cart
Always fun! My mother ordered the Brooklyn - a mixture of rye, Dolin de Chambery dry vermouth, Amer Picon, and maraschino liqueur.
Always Betz On Black
Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, Bowmore 12-Year Scotch, Lustau Pedro Ximenez Sherry, Jameson Black Barrel Irish Whisky, Pernod, Angostura/Coffee Bitters
A favorite cocktail I had enjoyed on a previous visit. It wasn't on the menu any longer, but by request they were able to prepare one for me. It remains one of my top cocktails and one I've learned to make at home.
King Titus Porter, Freeport ME
We were able to request different drink pairings depending on what we ordered. This porter, served with the first course, was likely for Leah, who regular readers will know is a big beer enthusiast.
Oyster
Raw with Frozen Apple
Poached with Fermented Chestnut and Sunchoke Velouté
Caviar
Benedict with Egg, Potato, Ham, and English Muffins
This riff on Eggs Benedict is one of my favorite courses to appear on EMP's menu. The salty caviar goes wonderfully with the rich Hollandaise and other components.
Kitchen Tour
We were pleasantly surprised to receive the traditional kitchen tour in the middle of our meal, not at the end. We were treated to a fancified version of the classic Canadian maple taffy on snow tradition.
Bread Service
The incredible croissant-like rolls and butter made their return, much to our delight.
Crab
Salad with Sea Urchin and Kohlrabi
This was one of the courses in which we were given a choice from multiple options. For the sake of "completion", I ordered the crab salad, which I immediately regretted. It was a perfectly fine plate (though the sea urchin became lost), but my regret was due to the outstanding foie gras preparations my family received.
Foie Gras
This was the warm foie gras preparation, which I remember being stellar (I tasted my dad's plate), though I can't say what was in it.
Foie Gras
Marinated with Maple and Apple
The cold foie gras, which Leah and my mom ordered, was the best (as always). It had a crust of nuts and seeds and was served with a fluffy little apple roll.
Blackberry Farm Brewery Saison, Walland TN
Another great beer pairing for Leah, which was served in preparation for the next course:
Black Bass
Seared with Black Radish and Sesame
Another choice from among several options - I opted for the crispy black bass, which was awesome.
Lobster
Poached with Rutabaga and Pear
The rest of my family chose the lobster - it was good, but I've never been a huge fan of EMP's lobster preparations, as they always feel underwhelming.
Celery Root
Braised with Black Truffle
I considered myself very lucky to get to experience this magnificent dish once again - one of the best to appear on any restaurant menu ever, in my humble opinion.
Chapoutier La Sizeranne Hermitage 1995, Rhone, France
EMP always finds ways to present otherwise "normal" food/drink in very showy ways. The theatrical "corking" of this classic wine bottle was a great example - they heated up large metal tongs and melted through the bottle below the cork, then sealed the edges off in hot wax and stamping the glass-enclosed cork with their four-herb symbol.
Main Courses
Duck - Honey and Lavender-Glazed with Salsify and Pear
Pork - Braised Mangalitsa Cheeks with Onion and Mustard
Butternut Squash - Roasted with Thyme and Cheese
Potato - Confit with Potato Purée
Broth
The incredible main courses: the classic EMP duck for my dad and I, and my all-time favorite, mangalitsa pork cheeks for my mom and Leah. In addition to the family-style side dishes, each plate was served with a cup of warm broth made from the corresponding animal.
Millstone Ciderhouse, Farmgate, Monkton MD
Cheese
Cheddar Tarte with Apple and Bacon Marmalade
This cheese composition was delicious, but not quite as fun as previous entries like the picnic basket and molten cheese squash.
Later in the meal they came back and presented us with a boxed up keepsake of the wine top from earlier.
Baked Alaska
With Meyer Lemon and Vanilla Ice Cream
Dessert was another round of choices, and we unanimously agreed on baked Alaska for the table. An oldie but a goodie!
Chocolate
"Name That Milk"
Pretzel with Sea Salt
A fun post-meal game with EMP's homemade chocolate bars - we were given a card with four animals (cow, sheep, goat, bison) and had to guess which chocolate was made with which milk. The course also included the traditional chocolate pretzel and all-you-can-drink apple brandy.
Take Home Bags
Our goodie bags included a number of fun items - EMP's amazing granola and special "happy birthday" chocolate bars. Each person got an illustrated card showing little illustrations of the items (including their specific selections) that they ate during the evening. Lastly, the menu itself was printed on an accordion-like paper fold-out (though I would have preferred an easier to store normal menu).
Overall it was a wonderful night and my mother was absolutely thrilled. Unfortunately this was the visit in which I felt EMP had begun to slip - we noticed a number of small decisions and changes that we felt were to its detriment rather than its progression. We would see this business direction continue to solidify through the big renovation.
