Member Profile: ehirsh

This was my first experience eating at Detox Kitchen, and I'll go back if I am in that area because there were more items on the menu I would like to try. My tasty and generous spaghetti squash bowl was more than I could eat. Lisa Smith (former chapter leader) enjoyed her cauliflower toast as well. She even thought her middle-schoolers would like it. Lisa also tried one of the fresh juices with spinach and cucumber. Fresh and tasty. We were both surprised by the strong emphasis on raw veggies from the brassica family (possible goitrogens), but you can substitute other greens. Quite a few other snack and non-food items were available, some I had not seen, aimed at helping you move to a healthier lifestyle. I am not opposed to the vegan diet. It can be beneficial if used as a temporary cleanse and not as a lifestyle. But I would not review a purely vegan restaurant here. Because the chicken and egg options are available and can be added to any menu choice, a WAPFer would be able to eat here. I missed the healthy fats, though. Maybe next time I'll bring along some parmesano reggiano to add to my entree.

We go out to dinner only four times year for our anniversary, birthdays, and Valentine’s Day. We look forward to these rare occasions. Though we check out other local organic restaurants, Flea Street is always at the top of our list. I had emailed ahead, attaching the 12 Spoons rating form and requesting time with the manager to answer the questions and get sourcing information. The email was returned by Jesse Cool, the owner, saying she would be at the café that night and would help in any way she could. Extraordinary. She was not familiar with WAPF. She asked why I had become so involved in our local chapter. As I was summarizing my commitment she interrupted with, “because we are being poisoned.” She is on board! When she learned it was also my birthday she sent out three complementary dishes. Again, unexpectedly generous. The Charred peaches with purslane, which had intrigued us on the menu but we might not have ordered, was unequivocally our favorite dish, even though none of us had ever had fried green tomatoes or beets with tahini. The Masumoto peaches were perfection, and the balance of flavors with other ingredients were the highlight of our meal, acing out even our entrees and two desserts. If I critiqued each of our dishes this review would be too long. Everything was great. We tasted each other’s entrées and desserts and agreed we would have been delighted with any of them. I wanted to try the chicken to see if it was noticeably different. I think it had been lightly brined, as the mild juicy saltiness was more than skin deep. You need to dine there. You can’t go wrong. The food came quickly but not too quickly. The wait staff was informed, friendly and professional. We could hear each other and have a lively conversation – a rarity in many restaurants. Flea Street Café is on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for. You will experience unique seasonal ingredients and can trust the commitment of the owner and chef to source local and organic.

Everything we ordered was superb. I had rainbow trout. I brought home what I couldn’t eat in a plain cardboard box. I was full from the clams and salad. And also because we did have to wait a while for each course which gives your brain the chance to register that you are getting full. Our server was attentive and clearly proud to be working there. She helped us identify the spices in our meals. Once you hand back the menu, it’s easy to forget. I finally went and got another menu b/c it was so much fun identifying the ingredients as we were tasting them. My husband had lamb shank. We traded bites. His meat fell off the bone. I took off one star because how hard is it to offer a good kombucha, especially if you are not into wine or other spirits? I also think they could offer a good sourdough in their bread assortment. The restaurant, being small, was loud, which made it difficult to carry on a conversation across a small table. The night we were there, there was a large group having a special dinner with wine pairings, so perhaps it was louder than usual. During the summer the whole glass front of the restaurant rolls up against the ceiling so you are eating almost outside, which would be quieter. Our experience at Asa makes us want to also try The Basin, in Saratoga, Andrew Welch’s first restaurant. So look for another review in the near future.