Gold Dig #31
Odys + Penelope is a grill and Brazilian churrasco spot. It’s on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list, and in his review of the restaurant he says “Odys + Penelope I actually love”.
It’s a large warehouse space with exposed pipe ceilings, a long bar on one side, and an open kitchen at the end next to a giant metal shelf of wood for their smoker.
The Dish
When you walk in, you immediately smell the aroma of grilled and smoked meats. It’s my dream come true. One of my best friends jokes that if a guy wants to impress me he should show up wearing grill-scented cologne. Is that a thing? If it’s not, it should be.
Maple Rosemary Glazed Niman Ranch Pork Ribs
The maple glazed ribs are tender, with a sweetness from the maple when you first bite into them, followed by a deep smokiness which was my favorite part. It’s a small plate, so there are just four ribs, which we tore through pretty fast.
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thigh
It’s a chicken thigh… wrapped in bacon! What’s not to love? Actually I was surprised to find that what I really enjoyed about this dish was the Lemon Date Sauce. I found myself flipping and pushing each piece of chicken around the bottom of the dish to soak up as much sauce as possible. I wished the chicken had more of the sauce flavor infused into it, rather than just poured on top.
Dry Rubbed Rotisserie Pork
I loved the dry rub on this rotisserie pork. It gave the juicy pork a crisp salty shell. The pork came on a bed of fingerling potatoes. I’m not a huge fan of potatoes, but these came in Grainy Mustard Butter, which was creamy deliciousness when spread on the pork with a bit of the Cherry Mostarda adding a sweet tang.
Creamy Cauliflower + Millet
I had heard that the Creamy Cauliflower was the thing to get. Jonathan Gold said it may be his favorite dish at Odys + Penelope. Given my love for grilled meats, this was a hard sell, but we tried it. The Walnu Pesto gives it a rich nuttiness. It smells like cauliflower when they bring it to the table, but tastes more creamy and cheesy. It is pretty excellent.
Chocolate Rye Pie
The Chocolate Rye Pie is another of the most popular dishes at Odys + Penelope. As opposed to the Creamy Cauliflower which I was more than a little skeptical about getting, I was all in on the Chocolate Rye Pie. I’m sad to say I was disappointed. I’d never had a rye crust before and was looking forward to trying one, but I found it hard and dry. The chocolate filling was nice, but not wildly different from others I’ve had.
Warm Caramel Cake
The Warm Caramel Cake, on the other hand, was fantastic. It was so good with the cream, roasted apples, and ice cream. I had to stop myself from shoving another bite into my mouth while still chewing the last bite.