runny yolk that was the perfect dressing for the accompanying radish and asparagus salad . Kudos to the chef for obviously soaking the radish in an ice bath , rendering them crisp and peppery , without bitter afternotes .
I couldn ’ t wait to try the tempurabattered Maitake mushrooms with a truffled fontina fondue . Maitake is Japanese for what we know as hen of the woods , a culinary treasure of a mushroom that grows at the base of trees and is well-known for its medicinal benefits . Lightly battered , the mushrooms were near perfect . Sadly , the accompanying fondue
AT A GLANCE
• MOST ENTREES $ 15- $ 20
• CLOSED MONDAYS
• TAKEOUT AVAILABLE
• HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE
• FULLBAR
• CATERING
that was drizzled on every piece suffered from a heavy hand of truffle oil , and was extremely salty — so salty , in fact , that I attempted to remove the sauce so Icould enjoy the mushrooms .
Asparagus was the star of a housemade fettucine featuring celery root puree and egg yolk in a parmesan broth . The dish was quite serviceable , though Ihad ahard time finding celery root flavor , or the unctuous yolk . It was light , refreshing and came across as spring in abowl . The pasta , however , could have done with a bit more seasoning .
The opposite held true with a breaded Berkshire pork . Served Milanese style with a delightful salad atop , the pork was so utterly salt-infused that I could not handle more than two bites . The accompanying beet , apple and cucumber salad laced with beets and bacon and tossed to perfection in a mustard vinaigrette could not offset the overwhelming salt in the dish . It was gorgeous to look at , and Iwas sad to not be able to eat it .
The Mussels and Fries dish was aplay on Belgianstyle mussels . In the classic preparation , they are served over fries that soak up the accompanying sauce . We were served abowl of very good , albeit small , mussels , in a delightful fennel broth ; however , the fries were nowhere to be found . When we finally got the fries – about 10 minutes after we were finishing up the mussels — they were room temperature and overcooked .
We went with our server ’ s dessert suggestion of coffee and donuts . The donuts were
POTROAST
exactly as described by the server : Mexican churros with a delightful chocolate mocha dipping sauce , anice sweet ending to the meal .
Braun ’ s is a terrific spot . It will be even better when the chef has a lighter hand with seasoning . The over-salting of our meal was the sole reason it was not a completely sweet experience . ■
We congratulate Christine E . Nunn in her new job as executive chef of Fables , a family-friendly restaurant in Oak Ridge . This is her final dining review for Montclair Magazine .
BLUEBERRYMOJITO MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE BACK TOSCHOOL 2018
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