The entire premise of this site is that sometimes a dish sticks with you and for a cook, that can be an opportunity to learn something…
This dish hit me. It’s not just that it was delicious, but also that I’m not likely to ever eat it again. Most of the dishes that are and will be featured here are ones that I’ve eaten over and again. These few treasured bites, however, will likely only live in my memory. I won’t have the ability to return to it, to savor and evaluate it.
There could be, hell, probably should be a blog based entirely on the wonderful meals shared around the charming dining room table of Andrew Smith and Devoney Mills.
In my several trips, I’ve been impressed at how inventive 100% of the dishes have been. That’s not to say I’ve loved them all, but watching someone explore their up to the moment interests and sharpen their ethos in real time can be an exhilarating experience.
There have been a few dishes from that table that I’ve talked about for days, but only a few that have lingered in the back of my mind for weeks and weeks like the shrimp roll I had on my mid-summer visit.
Af my first fine dining job, I was always taught that if you wanted to make something TASTE like a thing, that you should go for it. “This doesn’t taste like anything”, was a common refrain.
This roll is a spirit bomb of shrimpiness.
Every bite coalesces into a perfect harmony of textures. The bread, enriched with butter infused with the flavor of shrimp shell, was perfectly toasted (and whittled adorably). It was rich, flavorful and extremely satisfying.
The Shrimp was perfectly cooked, bouncy and backlit by a gently acidic mayo that’s also bolstered by shrimp shells (and I’d guess a little MSG) as well as crunchy aromatics and herbs which lay just outside the reach of my memory.
Most seafood rolls are about the salad. The bread, no matter how artisanally made, is just a vehicle to get it into your body. This roll was a different matter all together. Everything element of the dish is from and in service to that shrimp.
I can’t recommend a night at Roy’s Avenue to eat this dish. The temporary nature of the experience is part of what makes it so special. But, given the care that is lavished on all of the dishes by Andrew and the lush and inviting atmosphere created by Devoney, I can provide a full-throated suggestion that you get yourself on the list for an invite and treat yo-self to a home cooked luxury experience.