Equinox, Part Deux

This Part Deux brings Official Girlfriend of DCWD Texas and me back to one of my favorite haunts: Equinox.

The Food

Texas has a rule with meat, one I’ve mentioned a few times here: if the meat is locally-sourced and farm-raised rather than factory farming, she’ll eat it. Which means that Equinox is right in her wheelhouse, as Todd Gray is one of the pioneers for local food in the D.C. food scene (that he also is on the forefront of amazing vegetarian menus was something I forgot to mention). So on this trip, Texas ordered the roast pork with heirloom sweet potatoes, braised escarole, and pears. This dish was beautifully seasonal (despite its posting date, this dinner was back in October), the pork and sweet potatoes mixing to create a warmth and depth that was perfectly autumn. The pears were a perfect touch, adding a bit of sweet finish to each bite.

For my part, I had the duck, served with roasted jerusalem artichokes, wilted swiss chard, and a cranberry jus. My mom very much dislikes turkey, so much so, that our holidays are dominated by goose and duck. Because of that, this dish also fell into my sense of both autumn and home; the flavorful duck, tender leaning toward the rare side, complimented well by the rich, almost starchy notes from the artichoke and chard. Maybe not the best duck ever, but definitely an enjoyable dish.

I originally wasn’t going to write about this dinner, instead letting this dinner just be. But the dessert was so overwhelmingly good, so superlative, that it demanded to be shouted from the rooftops. The treat in question was the dark chocolate custard, topped with Leopold Bros. absinthe ice cream, and plated with coffee soil and sea salt. Everything about this was a study in delicious. The oh-so-rich creamy feeling of the custard which lingered in your mouth countered by the granular soil, the heady taste of bitter licorice from the absinthe that left a slight intoxication with each subsequent bite, and the perfect balance of flavors that commanded your attention: sweet, then salty, then sweet again.

The Verdict

Still awesome after all these years.

Food Rating: ***** (out of 5)