THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Oxheart

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Oxheart Restaurant Review:

Oxheart, located in a tiny space downtown that seats just 31 for dinner, has a modern industrial feel. The cooks, doubling as waitstaff, are clad in leather aprons and there are custom-made knives, the work of area artisans. It’s a very personal effort from chef/owner Justin Yu and his wife, baker Karen Man. The restaurant serves two tasting menus, both designed and crafted with locally sourced products. Yu excels at vegetable preparations and one of the menus is always vegetarian. The precisely plated dishes might include roasted and puréed beets sprinkled with granola and almonds, or cooked heirloom carrots seasoned with spices, coconut, avocado and coriander. With the food comes Man’s bread, perhaps a warm rye served with sunchoke pudding with a hint of molasses, yogurt and fresh strawberries. But meat-lovers need not fear; the late spring seven-course option included a tartare of smoked beef leg with kombu (an East Asian kelp) aspic and a guinea hen --- poached white meat and braised dark meat with sour cream and turnips. There's typically a selection created by fishmonger P.J. Stoops, too, who's well-known for his Gulf Coast by-catch offerings. Sweets are always available --- see the aforementioned rye bread with pudding --- as is a nice lineup of beer, cider and wine.