Rooster & the Till- A Foodies Paradise

--5 Snaps! You MUST go!

Pork belly on cornbread with clove infused honey is served with a pickled apple slice rollup in a small skillet. The flavor combination of that salty pork, the sweet cornbread, and the bite from the pickled apple is spectacular

I really hope I don't start sounding like one of those snotty food snobs. Many of them feign contempt or use the word unctuous too much. But, I just really love experiencing culinary arts! I recently visited the Blue Hill restaurant in New York City and every bite of every taste of every course is scrutinized and developed to perfection. I'm not sure that I have the sophistication to pick up every nuance the chef intended with that six course dinner, but it was the best food experience I've ever had. I returned to Tampa preoccupied with finding a similar experience.
I've been to Rooster & the Till before, and have photographed their uber talented James Beard award-winning chef Farrell Alvarez. That was years ago and my appreciation for food has increased significantly. On our recent visit, as we did at Blue Hill, we ordered the Chef's Tasting Menu where the kitchen prepares a six course dinner of their choosing. We also chose the wine pairing option as well.

I won't go into great detail about the excellence of this place because it has all been said in other reviews and frankly I don't think I the have talent to do it justice. For this blog I will let the photos tell most of the story. (Wow, it is hard to get good photos in a dark restaurant!) What I will tell you is if you have a great appreciation for food, not just for the taste but the presentation and nuance that comes from an award-winning kitchen, this is the place in the bay area. Attention goes into every detail, the service staff is top-notch, the atmosphere is energized, and you can get an up close view of the kitchen staff as they prepare dishes by sitting at the counter. It is a foodie paradise.

Our chef's tasting menu starts with Sea scallops with slices of pickled burdock root, sea beans in an Uni crème fraîche. The scallops are firm but tender and the sea urchin crème fraîche adds a hint more creamy seafoodiness.

Next is Buffalo tartare with cracked pepper seeds served with a crispy flatbread pieces. Buffalo tartare! It's wickedly creative and the flavor profile is more than I can describe

The third course is pork belly on cornbread with clove infused honey as described above. It is the only dish tonight on the chef's tasting menu that is also on the regular menu

Fazzoletti pasta with rabbit, radishes, and goat milk feta cheese is what's next. The stringiness of the rabbit is similar to pulled chicken, and the goat milk feta cheese is dreamy creamy!

Cheese course is a tip of the hat to Tampa. It is Queso Blanco wrapped and fried and paired with a hibiscus guava paste and garnished with sunflower petals. It is visually stunning and any Tampa native would be proud of that guava.

The desert course features chocolate torte with peanut butter ice cream and cereal milk (milk left to soak up the flavor of cereal-think Cap'n Crunch). It is the perfect finish to a delightful meal.

I was not able to sit at the counter and watch the food prep in the open kitchen this time, but what a great way to pique my foodie curiosity. Next time.

Rooster and the Till interior is modern and energetic. The atmosphere is relatively loud so it's probably not the place for quaint conversation.