Libertine in St. Louis with @CookingKid

The Libertine isn't just an eatery, it is like a secret meeting ground for food and beer lovers.  The staff was one of the most well-educated and cultured I've met.  I'm pretty sure they were 10000x more knowledgeable about food and beer than I was.

I arrived pretty late on a Friday night and sat at the window.  It was great for people watching and relaxing.  David Cohen actually recommended this place to, for which I am very grateful. 

Chef Joshua Galliano generously spend his time chatting with my about the St. Louis food community, and the similarities to Austin's food community made me homesick for Austin.  However, it also made me really happy that to know that St. Louis gets to enjoy a supportive and tight knit community. 

One of the first dishes I ordered was the carrot dish.  The carrots are ash roasted, served with pea cavatelli, served on miso-carrot puree, topped with hickory-pecan soil, and pea shoots.  This dish was brimming with unami flavors from the miso-carrot puree and the smoke gave it depth. 

This was a really delightful dish because it had a comforting Asian flavor in the undertone, but it was so subtle that it leaves you wondering, "How did they do that?"  This is one of my favorite vegetable dishes, ever. 

This was a gift from Chef.  And OMG, it was amazing.  The foie torchon's cold and rich flavors and the tart jam was perfect.  I took the leftovers home and had the rest on some toasted naan.  And then I thanked geese for having the biological mechanisms for fat storage in the liver. 

This was another dish that I was very pleased with.  These were crispy pig tails prepared buffalo style served with whipped gorgonzola brown butter polenta.  The crunchy exterior, chewy piggy goodness, and the pungent gorgonzola was a nice twist on familiar flavors. 

And finally, we have dessert.  They were out of gooey butter cake; so I decided to get the cheesecake.  The cheesecake was delicious.  However, my favorite part is the crust - embedded with cocoa nibs.  The dark bitter bits gave the sweet crust some crunchy bits and hints of chocolate.  I usually put toasted walnuts in my cheesecake crusts.  Next time, I'm stealing this idea for my own cheesecakes. 

A big thanks to @Explorionary for introducing me to @Cookingkid and @TheLibertineSTL.  A big thanks to Chef and staff of the Libertine for making me feel like home.