The unexpected can be tempting, especially when new flavors are introduced and served in a novel environment. Places like the new Le Calamar (le-calamar.com) in Bouldin Creek, where most of the menu changes regularly, made me and my dining companions feel—dare I say?—slightly audacious.
Those expecting it to resemble Claudia Lee and Richard Hargreave’s former concept, the Korean-American wine bar Underdog, will be surprised but not jarred: The walls are now painted a curious shade of army green, and tangerine-colored accents give the spot more vibrancy. A gold drop ceiling makes the bar glimmer like an altar, befittingly as Hargreave was Momofuku’s wine director for a decade. Le Calamar’s current wine and cocktail list now prioritizes labels sourced mainly from growers in Texas, Mexico and, bien sur, France.
Restaurateurs Claudia Lee and Richard Hargreave flank Chef Casey Wall.
As for the dynamic menu, new Austin transplant Chef Casey Wall did a fine job turning it on its head, too. He focused on ingredients like seafood from the Gulf and seasonal produce found within the Lone Star State, flavoring it with global spices and treating it with primarily French techniques he learned cooking around the world.
His chicken wing a la Koffman, for example, is peerless in town, although the bite-sized, deboned portion of poultry stuffed with a curious combination of chicken breast, sweetbreads and huitlacoche was inspired by a signature dish from London’s famed La Tante Claire. After that morsel, my dining companions and I doubled down on poultry, ordering the pan-roasted chicken with sauce vin jaune and chestnut mushrooms. Tallow, one of this year’s trendy ingredients, appeared on pommes frites and vichy carrots. Both dishes were silken treats.
The bar has all-new finishes and flair.
The dessert options included a riz au lait (a take on rice pudding) with berries and pistachio that had an unusual texture only half the table appreciated. However, all four of us devoured the Baked Texas, a take on Baked Alaska with a toasted pokey meringue topping. Its layers of honey semifreddo, olive oil parfait and pecan dacquoise base made us wonder why we had never tried anything similar. Surprises like that will ensure any neophile’s return.
