The Preston

S took me on a date recently.  We went to The Preston, which he knew I had been wanting to try, but hadn't gotten around to.  I had heard I needed to try their cocktails and desserts, but the savory dishes were delicious too!  It's tapas-style, so we got a bunch of things and shared them all.

Drinks: Between the two of us, we had the Goodnight Mr. Preston (their signature cocktail), as well as three or four others.  The menu on their website is not the current menu, so I'm not even going to try to remember the names and ingredients.  Suffice it to say, they were delicious.

Dinner: Our first plate was the Charred Shishitos.  We ordered them not knowing what they were.  Turns out they are Japanese peppers.  Mostly they are sweet and delicious, but one in ten or so are jalapeno-hot.  I tried them first and got a sweet one.  I told S they were delicious.  The first one he tried was a hot one.  Oops!  There was one other hot one in our bowl, and I got it, so we both had a chance to experience the surprise.

Next we had the Chicken Liver Mousse. It came with two kinds of toasty bread and a bit of apple butter.  It was rich and creamy, but not overwhelmingly organ-y.

Octopus was the next selection.  It was the first time I had eaten octopus, and my first bite was a bit on the rubbery side, but it was one of the larger pieces.  S had a bit which he said was divine.  I had a smaller piece for my second bite, and it just melted it my mouth.  It was like a soft, pillowy bite of gnocchi.  What a wonderful treat.

The last savory dish we ordered was pork belly.  It came with Brussels sprouts and a soy sauce-based glaze.  The Brussels weren't quite as browned as I like them, but nevertheless tasty.  The pork belly was moist and salty and had a few delightfully crispy edges.

Dessert: our final treat was the Chocolate Cherry: chocolate mousse, brandied cherries, and vanilla sauce.  It was light and fluffy, and the perfect way to end a wonderful evening of great food and even better people watching.

Thank you, S!