Endo Edibles

Ever

Canapes – Huckleberry Pâte de Fruit / Jamón Ibérico / Smoked Trout Roe, Lemon Crème Fraîche, Sea Lettuce, Puffed Rice / Peach Kombucha, Tapioca Pearls

Osetra Caviar – Crab, Cucumber, Citrus Lace

Tomato – Watermelon, Brioche, Arugula

Scallop – Mango, Lardo, Hoja Santa

Olive Roll

Salted Butter, Herb Butter

Butternut Squash – Black Olive, Apple, Oxalis

Caper Biscuit

Maitake – Toasted Rice, Idiazabal Cheese, Nasturtium

Pretzel Demi Baguette

Squab – Fennel, Coffee, Yarrow

Sea Salt Brioche

Miyazaki Wagyu – Sunchoke, Orange, Tat Soi

Chartreuse – Pineapple, Licorice, Mint

Double Espresso – Ice

Chamomile – Pine Nut, Raspberry, Plum Sorrel

Chocolate – Finger Lime, Banana, Hibiscus

Tiny Sweets – Wheat Berry Koji Bar, Cranberry, Pumpkin Seed / Chocolate, Pomegranate Caramel

Chocolate Bar

As anyone who has followed Curtis Duffy’s career can surmise little has gone according to “plan,” the story by Kevin Pang that told of Chef Duffy’s difficult upbringing followed by Michelin 3* accolades now adding another chapter in which he and co-owner Michael Muser open a $5 million dollar Restaurant amidst a global pandemic.

Unknown when cooking at a country club in Ohio, but first met in 2011 on the tail-end of a stint with The Peninsula at AVENUES, it was a couple years later that Curtis opened the Restaurant featured in Netflix “For Grace,” it’s sudden shutter due to investor issues in 2017 almost unprecedented and leaving many questions.

Described by Muser as “a place you come to when you don’t want to question any of the ‘what ifs?’,” the very nature of a destination Restaurant incorporating “socially distanced” tables while Tock assures “contact-less payment,” it is after a quick temperature check that Ever checks every fine-dining box, only staff clad in masks differentiating the dining room scene from what was likely intended.

Bringing GM Amy Cordell and Chef de Cuisine Justin Selk along after Duffy’s 2-year non-compete, 3* ambitions evident to traveled diners, Ever’s walls slope and cascade into a serene yet well-lit space, and with only one menu offered the experience begins quickly atop a black Bee’s Wax mold featuring Canapes ranging from salty to sweet.

Growing Herbs on the roof, and displaying an immense space including at least sixteen Chefs plus unloading areas that guarantee no outsiders enter Ever when delivering Ingredients, course one has already become a photogenic favorite thanks to the Restaurant’s etched name and the cooling flavor of Cucumber punctuated by everything from King Crab to Caviar and texturally modified Cashews.

Pairing generous pours from an engaging Sommelier to each plate, he just one of a number of peerless wait staff, seasonality predictably influenced many of the following courses, Tomato Ice shattering to something like Gazpacho before a well-trimmed Scallop standing alongside Mango with Pork Fat and a bursting sphere filled with liquid.

Ten-courses at $285 without Beverages, an exclusive price point that will undoubtedly raise eyebrows in the current economy, Ever’s next four plates each arrived with accompanying Bread, the first Roll playing off Black Olives building upon the flavor of softened Squash plus Apples while a buttery Caper Biscuit worked well with an umami-soaked Mushroom grounded by peppery Nasturtium.

Served at a leisurely pace, an evening at Ever currently ~150 minutes including a complete tour, Pretzel Baguettes half the size of one’s pinky found themselves offered alongside barely-seared Squab accented by bold aromatics and subtle bitterness before savories concluded in A5 Wagyu amidst Citrus and earthy textural components.

Seeing elements of both Grace’s Flora or Fauna menus implemented, whether Ever will eventually offer separate tastings currently unknown, Dessert looks precisely as fans of Duffy might expect – Chartreuse and Pineapple Sorbet incorporating Licorice that harkens back to Tat Soi from the prior savory while Chamomile refreshes the palate in preparation for a Chocolate landscape brightened by Finger Lime and Banana.

Sipping Espresso with “Tiny Sweets,” an autumnal Granola Bar and Chocolate Bon Bon, it was after the tour that a Menu and parting gift were provided, every aspect of the experience already humming along in a way that feels fluid, luxurious and familiar even during “unprecedented times.”

www.ever-restaurant.com