The Avondale restaurant eden excels in many areas, from the quality of its offerings to sustainability—and that’s primarily attributable to what it grows.
Yes, there’s a “garden of eden”—in the form of a 20 foot-by-28 foot greenhouse (and addition) located steps from the restaurant. Herbs, fruits and garnishes are grown there, ranging from figs to various forms of basil. (By the way, anyone can arrange to visit the greenhouse.)
But it’s more than permaculture (essentially, mimicking or reproducing arrangements found in natural ecosystems) that separates eden and shows its commitment to nature and sustainability. The restaurant teams with local partners (such as Iron Creek and Nichols farms), employs seasonal items in its menus, and has even modified its space (including everything from the windows to art) to reflect nature and the changing seasons. In addition, the atmosphere aims to offer an air of calm.
Devon Quinn, the executive chef of eden and the chief culinary officer of The Paramount Group, has curated a menu that reflects the goals involving nature and environmental consciousness—and practically everything succeeds. Unbeknownst to me, my dining companion is a semi-regular at eden—so she was able to show me around the menu as adeptly as the staff. (Also, there are several vegan options so practically anyone can dine there.)
Regarding drinks, I was in a mocktail mood so I ordered the Garden Spell—a concoction of beet juice, citrus and ginger beer that I found so intoxicating (so to speak) that I order two of them. However, if you want something with some alcohol, eden definitely has some enticing-sounding items, including the Status Symbol (gin, raspberry-rose cordial, acqua di cedro, lemon and absinthe rinse), the Bonaparte (reposado tequila, amaro, yellow chartreuse and nasturtium cordial) and the Long Bright Dark (which, besides describing my mood in college, is a drink consisting of bourbon, blackberry-ginger cordial, lemon and black pepper).
The cuisine was exactly what one would expect at a spot like eden: a treat for the taste buds, enhanced by the freshness of those nearby herbs and garnishes. As for the apps, the squash blossom crab rangoons were delightful, complemented by strawberry sweet and sour sauce, parmesan and lemon; just as successful were the crispy potatoes accompanied by salsa macha, peanuts, red pepper tahini, lime and scallions. As for the large plates, my friend bypassed her usual red crab bucatini for the greenhouse herb gnocchi—and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs-up. I decided to go the carnivore route, taking on the Market Burger; as is the case with some of the great burgers in the city, it came down to the accoutrements—and the combination of American Cheese sauce, dill pickle and grilled onion slaw, arugula, oven-dried tomatoes and black garlic dijonnaise was a winner, hands down.
It was only during dessert that the heights the previous dishes achieved were not matched—although that was only the case with the strawberry pie, which certainly sounded tempting. However, both of us thought that the chocolate and hazelnut cake (a vegan option) was more successful. However, I’d love to revisit and try the peach and apricot cheesecake—as well as some of the other dishes.
And speaking of (re)visiting, you definitely should. Maybe you will find your own “garden of eden.”
Note: SAVOR visits are pre-arranged, unless otherwise indicated.