DeepWood's winter menu
Many years ago, I had a skate wing at a French brasserie in Knoxville. It was a great evening with great friends, and my memories of that dish in particular are very vivid and very fond. Skate wing is a classic French dish and this was a very simple preparation, just the stingray-like creature's fin seared until brown served in a pool of brown butter. Skate has a texture that's sort of in between your standard white fish, lobster and scallop. And, like lobster, it has a delicate, sweet flavor that's enhanced by butter (I mean, what isn't?)
I was living in Atlanta at the time, and started watching for a similar dish on menus there. As it turns out, it's not all that common. I found one French place that advertised skate wing on their online menu but no longer served the dish when I showed up.
Fast-forward several years, and I was thrilled to check out DeepWood's just-released winter menu and find skate wing featured prominently. I was even happier to find that the skate stood up to my high expectations--that doesn't always happen when something's been built up so long in your mind. DeepWood's skate wing entree ($18) is more elaborate than my original one. A roasted wing is served on cauliflower puree with fantastic roasted cauliflower florets, a neat sweet/salty mix of raisins and capers and a buttery almondine sauce. Every part of the dish clicked, and the skate itself was perfectly cooked and tasted fantastic. I loved the pairing with cauliflower rather than heavy mashed potatoes or something like that.
Here's a look at the rest of my meal that night:
DeepWood's bread basket, including the fab date and walnut bread.
Rye Toast cocktail. Old Overholdt Rye, Creole Shrubb orange liqueur, B&B, Galliano, orange marmalade. So good.
Scallop Wellington starter (halved): seared sea scallop wrapped in spinach and phyllo with wild mushroom-foie gras beurre blanc, $14
I tried some of the Pork Three Ways, too: Country pork rib with date-ancho sauce; braised pork belly with swiss chard; Tasso ham with Boston-style beans, $18
Here's the rest of DeepWood's new winter menu:
APPETIZERS
Oysters, $2.50 each
Veal Sweetbreads with pumpkin gnocchiette, crumbled amaretti, wilted frisee, bacon vinaigrette, $9
Crispy Shrimp with kimchi and pork pancake, ginger sauce, $8
Duck. Duck. Duck.: Duck liver & onions with pomegranate reduction; mustard-glazed duck wing with five-spice braised celery; duck confit rillette with white bean and quail egg, $9
Goat Cheese Tart with beets, white grape puff, walnut, $7
Grilled Quail with honey-chili squash puree and pear-thyme relish, $11
Escargot Cassoulet with lentils, baby cabbage leaves, mushrooms, garlic bread crumbs, $8
SALADS
Oak Signature Salad: red and green leaf lettuces, blue cheese vinaigrette, candied red onion, currant, orange segment, spiced pecan, $6
Apple & Beet: Honey Crisp apple, roasted baby beet, field greens, fall vinaigrette, pumpernickel crouton, $7
ENTREES
Cocoa-Rubbed Venison with spatzle gratin, poached pear, mulled wine reduction, $29
Nut-Crusted Cod with brown butter risotto, apple and butternut squash roast, Brothers Drake honey mead reduction, $22
Beef Short Rib with celery root puree, spinach, horseradish, mushroom nage, $21
Bacon-Wrapped, Cranberry-Stuffed Rabbit with potato risotto, wilted arugula, cider reduction, $24
Duck with House-Made Ramen Noodles, snow pea, shaved carrot, soft-cooked egg, bean sprout, wood ear mushroom, duck broth, $24
Poached Lobster with lobster grits, mustard greens, sweet curry-ginger cream, $42
Salmon Roulade with potato galette, tomato & fennel compone, $23
Beef Filet: 8-oz tenderloin with ricotta gnocchi, roasted baby cabbage, walnut, sauce Bordelaise, $32
Chicken Breast stuffed with house-made chicken sausage with smashed parsnip, pinon spinach, natural jus, $16
DeepWood
511 N. High St., Short North
614-221-5602