The Four Horsemen

One of the best contemporary American restaurant that I have seen to execute dishes with Asian ingredients and recipes. Many of the dishes here resemble those that you can easily find in Chinatown, but executed well with a twist added to it. It did make me question the astronomical prices they charge for the dishes considering my tribal knowledge of the cost of ingredients they use. Some of their ingredients may seem “exotic” and certainly cater to a particular crowd, but it was nice to see them use everyday ingredients in a setting like this. For example, their pork dish reminds me of the roast pork you find in southern Chinese cuisine along with the skewered chives you find from the BBQ carts on the corner of the streets. Nonetheless, the service was great, plating was clean and nothing could be picked on. The only nitpick is that the steelhead trout was seared a little more than I liked, leaving a burnt aftertaste. The fig dessert is a MUST and it was the best part of the meal.

Good but not exceptional food. The Four Horsemen’s appeal is of course their wine list, but also the constantly changing menu. I can understand how they maintain regulars. If you like their cooking style, you can keep coming back every week and get something new each time. However, constant change means the dishes weren’t honed and refined through the years, so nothing will beat the “signature dishes” of other restaurants. When I arrived at 5pm on a Saturday, I was the first to sit at the bar. By 5:20pm the bar was full and they had to start waitlisting people. You can’t order food until 5:30pm. Plan ahead. Arrive early and enjoy a glass of wine while you wait. Some staff seemed much more knowledgable about the wine than others. One person made discovering new wine very fun. For fans of pavlovas, it’s extremely disappointing to order a pavlova to later find out it’s a meringue. A meringue is solid all the way through. A pavlova has a crispy shell and a gooey marshmallow-y center. Please label the dessert appropriately to spare future guests the disappointment.

Been here a few times and every single time this place impresses. Great for date night, a fancy night out with a friend, or a place to impress a family member. Most recent experience ordered a lot of the menu. Must haves were the warm bread, the Bruchi Pasta, and the Heirloom Tomato toast. Could’ve done without the marbled potatoes. The tuna, chicken, and squash blossoms were all pretty delicious but not must haves for the meal. Wines also are delicious, particularly great selection of natural reds. Service always amazing and atmosphere makes you feel like “you’ve made it”. Great time.

Pretty good food. The place is a cozy small spot. The bartenders are really friendly and helpful. The stand out dishes were the cod fritters and the ricotta with sourdough. The sourdough was great to go with that ricotta cheese covered in ramps and black trumpets. Would definitely reorder those. I did want more flavor from the other two dishes in the shrimp and the strawberry tart but they were still good.