Justus Drugstore a Restaurant

This is a much delayed review of an excellent restaurant from someone who isn't a reviewer. My friend Kathryn from San Francisco, many of you may remember me talking about, came out to visit me here in Podunkville. She came here for business in Kansas City then came on out to see me. Actually, she really wanted to go to the Drugstore she's heard so much of from me and publications I brought her.

We started with a couple of delicious cocktails that the Drugstore is known for. This time Jay Beavers was our fabulous barkeep. I had a Silver Elder made with Tanqueray gin, house infused vanilla vodka, elderflower, fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice, and egg white. Kathryn had a Hothouse Flower made with chamomile infused bourbon, muddled lemon, smoked honey, soda water, and house hop bitters. As I've said before the bitters and infusions are homemade.

After the orders were given we were offered an amuse bouche. These small appetite teasers are different every night and offered to every customer. Tonight it was a tiny striper bass risotto cake. I could have eaten five. Jonathan also gave us two house made infused vermouths made with an amontillado sherry, brandy, rosemary and 40 other ingredients! It was delicious and paired well with the amuse bouche.

We shared the pig heart saute. I get this almost every time I come. It's made with shitake mushrooms, baby bok choy and a peppery pan sauce. This dish is a great example of the umami taste. On this night it was a little heavier on the pepper side. You have to like pepper, as I do, or tell them to go light on it. We each chose the recommended spicy Feraud Brunel Rasteau.

For a salad you can't go wrong with the curly endive. Lardo/lardon is there anything better? What makes this better is the smoked trout roe and truffle oil along with the breaded soft boiled egg. Try breading a soft boiled egg and then frying it and you'll know how hard it is do this. Our wine pairing with the salad was a Tavel rose. You couldn't go wrong with that pairing either.

Kathryn was going to order the fried rabbit with mashed potatoes an ode to Route 66, which in the day travelers would see advertised all through southern Missouri. It was tempting but Jonathan told Kathryn she would probably not get the Majinola American Kobe beef in California unless she went to Chez Panisse. Alice Waters has to have the same beef shipped to her but Jonathan has only a few miles to get it.

Anyone who says grass fed beef doesn't have the fat feel that corn fed has is an idiot and I don't even know why I brought it up. This meat melts in your mouth. We were supposed to be sharing but I didn't blame Kathryn for wanting it all for herself. She did let me have a couple of bites and of course since I live here I can have it easily again. The beef as it was would have been perfect by itself but Jonathan served it with caramelized shallots, Maytag blue cheese and smoked honey (they do it in their smoker). It was served on top of a sweet potato/parsnip, Brussels sprouts/caramelized onion saute with a fig/clover flower gastrique. Is your mouth watering? The Summers cabernet sauvignon was the perfect pairing.

I never can resist the local freshwater Striper Bass which this time was served with smoked tomato, Berkshire bacon, lemon confit cream and (Yea!) was on top of that yummy bass risotto cake. My wine pairing was the luscious Vina Mein Ribeiro.

With all this food you usually can't think about bread but you'd be missing out if you didn't eat Camile's (Jonathan's wife and needed partner) absolutely delicious bread. It comes with the local Shatto Farms fresh butter.

Would you believe we still had dessert? A deconstructed basil champagne sorbet with little cocoa tuiles and sour cherry glee . We scraped the plate. Now Kathryn wants to come back and bring her husband, Nick. I hope she does.

www.drugstorerestaurant.com