A little bit about the name. It's a made-up word, devoid of meaning but suggesting, the owners hope, a sense of playful sophistication. The style is embodied in an appetizer of poached artichoke hearts, with olives and bits of preserved lemon over a slab of aged goat cheese, a nice mix of textures and flavors.
Shellfish starters are outstanding.
Hefty black mussels arrive piping hot in a rich tomato broth fortified with andouille sausage, leeks and plenty of garlic. Hosmer's quail salad is a minor variation on a salade Lyonnaise, offering meaty deboned quail pieces with a collection of wilted spinach, dressed with a pancetta vinaigrette and crowned with a poached hen's egg. Excellent osso buco comes with a tangerine-sage gremolata and perfectly cooked Tuscan white beans. Grilled NY strip steak with mushroom quiche might seem like an odd pairing, even a retro effort, but there's a nimble comedic mind behind this dish. Maybe you had to be there, but I thought it was clever.