Rosen's Game for Relish, Garr Relishes Game

The skies were cloud-free for Marty Rosen's meal at Relish: the Louisville Courier-Journal astronomer saw four stars (out of four, "outstanding") in the sky for owner Susan Seiller and chef Jack P. Beeson's November 2012 opening:

In fact, every dish will make you happy. Chef Beeson's touch is light but decisive. There is a Relish house style that can be summed up like this: Ingredients matter, and they ought to be allowed to speak for themselves, revealing their authentic flavors with minimal processing and minimal use of fats. It's a style that's restrained and exacting, but one that produces an uncommon clarity of flavor.

A salmon entree ($24) is a case in point. The salmon is excellent in its own right — rich, moist, nicely accented with ginger miso and garnished with jade green pea shoots. But nestled against it is a scoop of "Bengalese cabbage," soft green leaves in a sublime and subtle curry sauce that leaks into a crisp, flavorful cake formed from black rice and shiitake mushrooms. There's not a single superfluous element to be found — and the components work together not to create a main with sides, but a smartly orchestrated whole.[Louisville Courier-Journal]

Expert menu summarizer Robin Garr journaled his meal at Game for LEO Weekly:

We think the guy who set down the meatball plate got his list backward when he announced them, as the three tennis-ball-size orbs were obviously lamb ($4), antelope ($3) and wild boar ($3) in that order, not the reverse. The coarsely ground boar's porky flavor, although somewhat overwhelmed by the scent of sage, clearly signaled its porcine origin. The lamb was mild, the antelope similarly so, only slightly gamey; again, spicy sauce was tasty, but in a temple to meat, we'd just as soon have game flavors take the lead and let the spices and sauces play in the background....A remarkable dinner for two came to a very affordable $46.64, plus a $10 tip for quick, friendly and knowledgeable service. [LEO Weekly]

·All Week in Reviews [~ELOU~]

[Photo: Whitney Harrod Morris]