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Gypsy, Somewhere, WA, tasted on February 5, 2006 — Given the frequency with which I eat out, I sometimes overthink all the factors that go into how I feel about a given establishment. On the one hand, I really try to filter out everything but the food. Even the service, and price are secondary (within reason). Flavor, texture, and freshness are top of mind for me. But I have to admit that even though I work hard to have my blinders on, once I do decide that I am fond of the food at an establishment, I am always curious about the story that led to the food being so great. And truth be told, good stories start to intermingle with good food to the point where the two are inseparable. This is not to say that if all of a sudden the food was bad that the story would be able to support the experience on its own. In fact, a good story without the supporting evidence is just hollow and inauthentic at best. And all this philosophizing brings us to Gypsy.

Gypsy came on the scene in the last couple of years as the Seattle area's secret underground invitation only restaurant. And as far as stories go, secret underground invite-only restaurants are pretty good. The question of course is, does the food in the case of Gypsy stand up to the story. And frankly, that's a tough question to answer because Gypsy's policy is to bring in new chefs for every dinner they serve (which happen every so often). On this night the guest chef was an up and coming young local woman who is just making her mark. Her theme... dessert as dinner.

Set in a quiet neighborhood Gypsy welcomes you to its beautifully set community tables, and and open kitchen. Aside from the high expectations for the meal, one of the most enjoyable aspects of the pre-meal is the camaraderie. Clearly everyone attending was excited for an illicit meal. And it seemed to me like many had been there before.

The menu included: Lemon Tart - A lightly Lemon Cream Tart with Citrus and Shaved Fennel Salad, Ganache - Aquavit's Foie Gras Cake with Molten Center, Jams and Jellies - Goat Cheese Parfait with Cassis Jelly and Candied Beets, Caramel Corn - Roasted Pork Belly with Spiced Mustard, Smoked Mashed Potatoes and Cumin Caramel Corn, Tart Tatin - Braised Beef Cheek with Endive Tart Tatin, Tian - Key Lime Tian, Strawberry Cheesecake - Yogurt Mousse with Strawberry on an "Aural" Crust, Dreamsicle - Vanilla Tapioca with Blood Orange Segments, Chocolate Malted - Ovaltine Mousse with Roasted Banana Bavarian and Caramelized Rice Crispies, and S'mores - Fuitelle of Toasted Marshmallow and Chocolate Cream. Oh yeah... don't forget the Petit Fours.

On this night at Gypsy dinner was excellent. Perhaps I was too excited to see one of this young chef's first opportunities at running the show. It's true that the meal's design was in the style that's popular these days, maybe almost a little clever-clever (the "aural crust" consisted of pop rocks). But there's no denying that the potential of her simplicity, humility, and flavor combinations is super promising. Her short term focus on dessert clearly gave her the background from which to prepare this meal. But I claim she hasn't found her voice yet. When she does, she'll be unstoppable.

I don't know what other dinners at Gypsy are like. And frankly, since you need to be invited, you probably won't either. I will say this however, the folks at Gypsy are clearly focused on the right values and willing to take chances giving young chefs the opportunity to step up. Will every meal consistently meet the bar? There's no way to know. Do I plan on going back to find out? Yes.

We've included an extra packed (66 image) photo album (devoid of any identifying images) to give you a sense for the action-filled evening. Pardon the low light... it was an "intimate" setting. :) Enjoy!