Omnivore - Trying P’cheen’s ‘just trust us’ dishes

P’cheen chef cooks up spontaneous appetizers

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  • www.pcheen.com/

I finally got a chance to try P’cheen’s “Just Trust Us” dishes. For $8, diners trust the chef to design an off-the-menu appetizer and hope for the best.

Wayne and I both scored winners. First was three mini-sliders featuring a fried crawfish atop a fat little (somewhat overseasoned) burger with cheddar cheese. Next was moules frites, a classic presentation with a creamy sauce flavored with garlic and basil.

For an entree, I chose a burger. I was somewhat mystified why the kitchen would serve me sliders before a main-course burger, but I was happy. P’Cheen makes its burgers with ground Painted Hills beef into which the kitchen folds some chopped portabellos. I didn’t really taste the mushrooms but you can bet the beef tasted better than Taco-Bell’s oat-filled ground beef.

Wayne chose the day’s curry. This was one made with Icelandic cod and included Caribbean flavors. I wasn’t that impressed, but Wayne licked the plate.

I also ordered a new dessert — rice pudding full of pine nuts, served with three scoops of what tasted like butterscotch ice cream. It’s a novel take on the usual.

All in all, we had a good meal. There appeared to be only one person waiting tables, so he was pretty frantic most of the time. The place is essentially a gastropub and, unless you are totally deaf, you may not want to sit at the bar. During our visit, two couples spent much of their time shrieking, punctuated by silent sucking of the face now and then.