Joshua Hebert opened POSH Restaurant in 2008, and has received a lot of accolades for his innovative approach to cooking. POSH has been named one of the top 10 gourmet restaurants in the Phoenix area by The Arizona Republic, and Arizona Foothills Magazine also named him one of the Valley’s top chefs. It is easy to understand why. Posh fills an empty space on the Scottsdale food scene. We have tons of really great gourmet Mexican restaurants, great pizza joints, an abundance of modern Americana and fusion. But it is all the same, there is hardly anything that stands out. I don't want to eat another bland Caesar salad, or rib-eye steak, or overcooked baby-back ribs. I want to be surprised, amused and excited by food. I want the Chef to tell me: "This is what I cook, deal with it!!" When this happens, sometimes food will be good, sometimes it will be great and sometimes you will not like it all. But that is okay - because it is an experience. This is also why I like Chef Joshua's restaurant in Scottsdale. They have an unique approach to food, and I want more of this in the Valley of the Sun, At Posh the have a seasonal tasting menu, and you can upgrade with items like foie gras and you can mark if there is something you don't like. But it is all about fun, inspirational, improvisational food. They can even cater a full-blown vegan tasting menu which my wife likes a lot. Every time I have been at Posh I always go with the big tasting menu - here is a couple of great examples what you might be served. The English pea broth was rich complimented the tomato Panna Cotta in a wonderful way. I also really enjoyed the richness of the curry zucchini soup. It was two great starters. The next course was Otter Cover Oyster, Charred Onion Mignonette and Black Pepper Crackling. This course was really good. The charred onions worked well with the freshness of the oyster giving the course another level of depth. Wonderful. When starting on seafood section of the menu, we kicked off with probably my favorite course of the evening. The Uni Panna Cotta was fantastic, the rich earthy umami flavor worked really well mixed into the freshness and crispness of a Panna Cotta. The Ponzu Soy complimented the dish really well. We continued with some more seafood courses. A nice yellowtail, well cooked and seasoned. My personal favorite of these two courses was probably the shrimp though, in large due to a rich corn and fava been ragout that complimented the sweetness of the shrimp well. If you want to upgrade your menu, and I suggest that you do, Chef Joshua serves a wonderful Foie Gras Trio consisting of a Lemongrass Foie Gras Sorbet, Foie Gras Torchon with Rhubarb Miso Jam and Seared Foie Gras with Pickled Berries. They are all great, but I like it the old fashion way so my personal vote goes out to the seared foie gras. Next two courses, escargots and pork cheek. Both good and flavorful. I preferred the pork cheek but the truffled polenta accompanying the escargots was wonderful. This was followed by three wonderful meat courses, Ox, Venison and Kangaroo, and they were all great. The breaded oxtail was so rich and complex. The venison had a classic wine reduction that worked really well with the gnocchi and finally the Kangaroo was complimented with a very lovely sweet potato puree. Like I said, all these courses were really good. My dinner ended with a nice and sweet dessert, a creme caramel with coconut. A good ending to a great dinner. But what about my wife's vegan menu? She loved it, it complimented my courses and showed great creativity. They were individual courses and not only regular courses where the animal products have been removed. I think every restaurant should have strong vegan alternatives. That is unfortunately not always the case, but Chef Joshua pulled it off. My wife was very happy. Here are some of the courses she had. The Yuzu vinaigrette that came with the Spring Rolls was to die for. It was so good I had to drink the leftovers. I know that you shouldn't do that - but it was that good. Like you can see, Chef Joshua created great variety with the vegan alternatives. Posh is a great concept, and a great restaurant. We need places like these in Scottsdale. We have Binkley's and we have Kai - but we need more.
I want food to be fun, I want to be surprised, I want to be entertained. Chef Joshua Hebert hits all these notes and delivers a great dinner at the same time. The service is impeccable and the staff shows a great understanding of the courses. Posh also carry a good wine list and they were able to find great pairings to all the diverse courses we had during the evening. If you like tasting menus, and you love to try out new interesting flavors, and you don't mind spending a couple of hours dining, Posh is one of the best alternatives in the Vally of the Sun. I recommend it highly!!
3 Comments
I don't really like steak houses. The servings are enormous, the steaks are almost always only okay, and the menu reads like every other steak house menu. When I go to a restaurant I want to experience something different, I want to eat something that I can't throw together myself at home, I want to be surprised. Surprisingly, this is exactly what John Howie Steak in Bellevue offers. Of course, they have the traditional stuff like French Onion Soup, Caesar Salad, and a wide range of different steaks. But they also have oddities like Roasted Bone Marrow, Grade A5 Japanese Wagyu steaks. And suddenly I find myself really enjoying the experience. Maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise. John Howie's seafood restaurant Seastar has long been one of my favorite fine dining spots in the pacific northwest. Chef Howie combine great ingredients and always put out quality food. Back to John Howie Steak though. Before I order they serve a nice amuse bouche to get the taste buds going, a nice little touch and well appreciated. I find that you can judge the quality of a restaurant of how well they put together their starters. So I pick a few from the menu. It starts with a wonderful beef tartar with lots of flavors and a classic french onion soup. Both courses work very well, great ingredients and lots of depth. A nice touch is how they mix the tartar table side, not necessary but makes the experience a little bit more entertaining. After the first courses it was time to try two of my favorite things, John Howie Style. First, I went for the Roasted Bone Marrow, and it didn't disappoint. Melt-in-your-mouth goodness served with a red wine reduction. It was so rich, and so good. Great flavors and roasted to perfection. Second, I followed up with Seared Foie Gras. Cooked perfectly, and with some wonderful sweetness complimenting the foie gras. Both these courses are exceptional, and definitely worth trying more than once. And they are not always on the menu in a steak house. After the incredibly rich bone marrow and foie gras, I wanted something lighter. They also had a Seared Scallop on the menu with chantarelles. What a wonderful combination, the freshness of the scallops balanced perfectly the earthiness of the mushrooms. To add some saltiness to the dish, Chef Howie also included bacon. Everything tastes better with bacon. After the scallop, it was time for the highlight of the evening. A Grade A5 Japanese Wagyu Beef Filet Mignon. Insanely expensive but definitely worth it. The Filet Mignon absolutely melts in your mouth. It is hardly seasoned at all but it doesn't need it. The richness of the beef is the star on the plate. I even refused to order any sides or sauces. Japanese A5 beef should be enjoyed as is. After enjoying the depth and richness of the Wagyu, it was time to finish this wonderful dinner at John Howie Steak by taking one thing off my bucket list. Kopi luwak is a name for coffee beans collected from the excrement of wild Civets. Producers of the coffee beans argue that the process improve coffee through two mechanisms, selection and digestion. Selection occurs when the civets choose to eat coffee berries containing better beans. Digestive mechanisms improve the flavor profile of the coffee beans that have been eaten. It is also the most expensive coffee in the world where 1 kg can cost up to 700 USD. So what does it taste like?
The coffee is good, its mild but with nice aromas and a lasting finish. Is it worth the price? Probably not, but it is a fun experience. And drinking Kopi Luwak is another example why John Howie Steak is not just any other steak house. Chef Howie elevates the steak house to something different, more complex, and much more interesting. It is fine dining, steak style - and I love it!! In conclusion, John Howie Steak has wonderful food, a great wine list and the service is impeccable. Anybody traveling to Seattle should stop by and try it out. |
Eating out
In this section you will find blogs about restaurants all over the world. Maybe you will find your new favorite?? Archives
October 2017
Categories
All
|
Eating out |
Web Hosting by FatCow