Ledlow
Stumptown Drip
Two Almond Croissants, Strawberry Donut, Lemon Custard Donut
English Pea with Burrata Toast, Red Onions, Celery Leaves, Parsley
Mac n’ Cheese Croque with Swiss, Pimento, Fried Egg
Fried Chicken ‘Club’ with Chicken Cutlet, Bacon, Chicken Crackling, Bacon Aioli
Fried Oyster Sandwich with Cornmeal Crust, Pickle, Spicy Ranch
Thick Cut BLT with Fried Green Tomato, Candied Nueske’s Bacon, Herb Mayo
Biscuit with Gravy, Fried Egg, Pickled Kale, Black Pepper, Onion Confit
Baked Eggs en Cocotte with Tomato, Beef, Mushroom, Spinach
Buttermilk Pancakes with Stawberries and Chantilly Cream
Brioche French Toast with Blueberries, Brown Butter
Ricotta-Cornmeal Pancakes with Butter, Whipped Ricotta, Raspberries
Blueberry Pecan Brown Butter Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream
Rice Pudding, Whipped Cream, Salty Caramel
Renamed thrice in the last year, much to the dismay of locals reminiscent of diner grub at low prices from Pete’s, Chef Josef Centeno’s Ledlow was the sort of place that seemed well suited for a midday meal with friends, and gathering up four of my favorite dining buddies it was just after noon that a large table was procured juxtaposing the private dining room lined in floor-to-ceiling windows, an admittedly absurd amount of food ordered to the amusement of our server, though nothing but a few sides of slaw would eventually go to waste.
Truly a beautiful room, the white-tiled and high-ceilinged Main Street setting near Orsa & Winston, Baco Mercat, and Bar Alma allowing the private room party to order from the menus of all four restaurants, it was admittedly a bit disappointing that the online menu proved somewhat misguiding in suggesting that several dinner items were offered as early as noon, but happily able to make due even before becoming aware of a dessert menu a baker’s dozen plates were selected to be shared family style – the plates delivered in five courses, exactly as requested, with only the lack of artificial sweetener for Stumptown’s Hairbender proving a disappointment over the subsequent two hours.
Marching out pastries, sandwiches, eggs, breakfast sweets, and then proper desserts only as the previous round was completed and cleared, course one featured four small pastries and although a bit pricey at $4 each both the paczki-style donuts and almond croissants were good, the later slightly less laminated and airy that purists may have preferred, but at the same time completely natural in flavor and devoid of sticky frangipane that I so despise.
Undoubtedly the most sizable course, the sheer volume of slaw alone probably enough to feed a few, round two featured one ‘artisan toast’ alongside a quartet of sandwiches and although the pea and burrata was quite light and pleasant it simply paled in comparison to its more gluttonous tablemates, the fried chicken with crispy skin far more interesting and delicious than celebrated versions at Son of a Gun or Barrel & Ashes while both the Oyster Roll and *Thick* cut Bacon BLT with fried green tomato were equally well received, the whimsical take on a croque madame replacing cheese with soft orchetti in Pimento and Swiss absolutely decadent beneath a $3 supplementary egg, but without menu-suggested mustard which continues to perplex me as a “LA thing” that would annoy anyone from France.
A bit underwhelmed by Eggs en Cocotte that saw ground beef turn the flavor mostly to simple ‘stew’ while a biscuit in peppery gravy found surprising levity in pickled kale and confit onions, the final round of ‘non-desserts’ was itself quite sweet and with two stacks of pancakes set beside custardy French Toast one would be hard pressed to say which was ‘best,’ the thick buttermilk stack absolutely drenched in Strawberries and Chantilly while the folded ricotta iteration was ever so slightly savory and quite a bit richer, the French Toast also quite good…though probably not something we’d have ordered if we’d known of what sweets were to come.
Undoubtedly well sated, some even throwing in the towel and declaring themselves ‘done for the day,’ it was only after the last drops of brown butter were mopped up with French Toast that dessert was suggested, and deciding it ‘couldn’t hurt to look’ it turned out that an order was mandatory as soon as the eyes crossed the words “bread pudding” and “rice pudding,” both – two of my very favorites served in portions more than amenable to sharing with the former similar to, but even more decadent than, the French Toast while the Rice Pudding was served as a 50/50 blend with whipped cream creating an ethereal texture that was only lightly flavored save for cinnamon, a small pot of warm salty caramel quickly adding a splash of sweetness while also enhancing a final cup of coffee quite nicely.
http://www.ledlowla.com/home/
