— TheToothfish

Chickpeas & Cherry Madness at Leon’s Full Service

bone marrow, olive tapenade, orange citrus

I try to live by the rule that if I don’t like something, it’s because I haven’t had it prepared properly. Or maybe the chef didn’t know what he or she was doing. Anchovies is on my list of current dislikes. Bone marrow is also on there. The first time I had marrow was at Holeman and Finch, and for whatever reason, only the raw parsley kept my gagging reflex at bay (and yet the veal testicles were delightful!). At Leon’s Full Service (owned by the Brickstore people), I figured I might as well give marrow another go.

Thankfully, there was no gagging. But there was also hardly any flavor. Olive tapenade and orange dominated everything. In the meantime, I was sipping on a fantastic montelpuciano barbanera, montepulciano d’abruzzo. For $7 a glass, it’s a great bargain, even if it rings in as the cheapest red on the menu. 

burger | warm chickpea & cherry salad, basil, aged provolone, red wine vinaigrette

The burger was strictly middle-of-the-road, but my oh my those chickpeas. Since when have chickpeas ever tasted this sexy? One doesn’t think to combine cherries with chickpeas for a savory side but when gooey aged provolone and basil start to mesh with everybody, it’s game over. I’ll be figuring out this recipe soon enough because it’s the kind of dish that could turn a carnivore into a vegetarian.