The Antler Room was opened five years ago by Chef Nicholas Goellner and Leslie Newsam Goellner after many years of training and work in other establishments including Noma in Copenhagen.  It is a small 2 room place with one room serving as mostly a bar and pass-through window from the kitchen and the other filled with small tables for 2.  A long bench seat runs along the wall that ends in a huge window to the street.  Music is in the background, lights are lowered, the floor is tile, art is on the walls and exposed ductwork lines the high ceiling.  Parking is wherever you can get it along the street.  The name was a spur of the minute decision by the owners but now many donated antlers provide decoration, especially above the bar.  Service was friendly but know your entire order needs to be placed at the beginning of service.  The food was pretty good, interesting combinations and well flavored. 

Facility and Set-Up

 

Food

Roasted Squash was in a squash butter sauce and accented with Chinese sausage XO crunch and 5 spice pecans.  The squash were in chunks and well seasoned with lots of crunch provided by the garnish.  The sauce underneath, made from squash really made the flavor intense, in a good way.

 

Carrot Fritters were decorated with carrots, fried shallot, scallions and serrano hot sauce on whipped garlic.  The carrots were ground and then fried in cubes.  This one had lots of texture between the crisp cubes and shallots and creamy garlic.  It was really flavor filled with a good aftertaste.

 

Icelandic lamb, beef and pork Georgian dumplings were decorated with chives and chili oil.  The pastry holding the meat was a bit on the thick side for a dumpling wrapper, but the hot sauce was good with the tasty bites.

 

Shokupan (Japanese milk bread) was topped with a foie gras torchon surrounded by pepitas, lemon gel and rumtopf (mixed fruit and alcohol). The bread was like a brioche in texture and nicely toasted.  The center was topped with silky foie gras contrasted with the crispy seeds.  It was good.

 

Seared scallops and braised onions were in a caramelized onion broth with Chinese broccoli and pine nut mousse.  The three scallops were nicely browned and cooked with lots of onion bits, some topped with pine nut mousse.

 

Duck confit was on top of field peas and topped with mushrooms, fig gastrique and fried kale.  The peas were delicate and great as was the sauce.  Lots of tasty mushrooms added to the flavorful duck that had rendered almost all of its fat.

 

Sweet potato cake was with miso ice cream, peanut brittle, sweet potato puree and marshmallow.  We ordered a glass of bourbon to go with it.  it was a very dense cake that was well flavored.  The miso ice cream was almost icy it was so light.  The crispy sweet peanut brittle was a perfect pairing.  A toasted marshmallow on one corner added another taste and texture to the mix.  This was a great dessert, not too sweet but sweet enough and full of fun bites.  Really satisfying.