Marigold Kitchen co-chefs and co-owners Andrew Kochan and Tim Lanza are hard at work opening Talk, their first Center City restaurant that’s also potentially the first of many, but they’re continuing to focus on their original dining room.
Along with Marigold chef Keith Krajewski — yes, there are three chefs at the West Philly BYOB, so much for that proverb about having too many — they’ve just rolled out a brand new tasting menu for spring, and it’s a fun one.
The chefs never reveal the entire 11-course list, because they like surprise to be part of the experience, but they are releasing a few teasers. This season, per Kochan, it includes dishes that represent a whole day’s worth of eating. The plates are never quite what you’d expect, but there’s:
- Breakfast (duck scrapple with potato hash, a coffee reduction and a fried egg)
- Lunch (a diner-style strawberry-rhubarb float)
- Dinner (pan-seared scallops with almonds and crispy fiddleheads)
- Dessert (Guinness-infused “Irish cannoli” with caramel and whipped cheddar)
When you do the full tasting ($90 per person), you get the table for the entire night. However, if you don’t have the time or desire or funds, there’s also a six-course option available for $65. Check out more pics and dish descriptions below.
“Deviled egg” — whipped together into a cloud-like pouf — is served with salmon roe, chive oil and micro marjoram.
This take on a Benedict has crispy green asparagus, roasted sunchokes and baby shiitake mushrooms. It’s served with mini housemade English muffins and a brown butter hollandaise.
Local duck is used to make this scrapple, which is served with a potato hash, coffee reduction and a fried egg.
Thai-inspired carrots are roasted in duck fat with pearl onions, then plated red curry cream and finished with chili oil, cilantro oil and toasted sesame seeds.
Breast of duck from Keiser Phesantry in Glen Rock, Pa., is seared and served with sautéed fava beans and herbed Israeli couscous atop a swipe of duck liver mousse, orange gel and duck jus.
Pan-seared scallops are paired with springtime-only fiddlehead ferns, sweet peas and basil oil and plated over silky almond purée.
Housemade strawberry-rhubarb soda is topped with two scoops of mascarpone ice cream.
