First the Yukon potato and garlic soup had me excited, if this had been the tone of the meal, then Beast would have done for summer fare the same justice it had for homey indulgent winter eats. Perfectly flavored, with just a touch of earthiness from the Yukons, crisp and perfectly chilled. Then came the charcuterie plate, the first disaster. The steak tartar with quail egg was delicious, the egg yolk breaking perfectly in my mouth as the tender tartar melted, that aside, the rest could barely have passed for Fancy Feast. Pork that was quite simply forgettable and foie gras that was hardened into a cold fatty lump and overpowered by salt, a taste that wouldn't leave my mouth for the rest of the meal. Enter the entree; serving food cold does not, in my book, make it suitable for warm weather, the quail was a perfect example of this. I wanted to ask if it could be heated as it had lost all of its juiciness and most its flavor. The duck liver toast was simply inedible, think salt lick, and the frisee overpowered by a terrible pairing of citrus dressing. The leek and lentil salad may have been the best part of the meal, simple, seasonal and fresh, but after enduring the entree, served only to cleanse my pallet. By the time desert came around I found myself rushing to pay the bill and get out, the expectation of a wonderful meal was dashed by food that was under thought, overly salty, and trying to be something is wasn't. Simple warm weather flavors and fresh ingredients were substituted with strange preparations and heavy flavor. One can't help but think the heat wave left the chefs at Beast scrambling to come up with an alternative menu and failing miserably.
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