Perennial

Another night, another locavore temple. Perennial is so proud of it's location (right across the street from the Green City Market) and the provenance of it's ingredients (mentions of farms are liberally sprinkled throughout the menu, even the mustard seed's origins are revealed). But despite the genealogy, Perennial is a simple restaurant that lives in the now. Decor is current; unfinished woods, simple lines, taupe, a large patio on Lincoln St. The drink menu is the usual mixology concoctions, a dark and stormy was a little overpoweringly gingery. The food mirrors the setting; simple, clean flavors, the sort of thing that always seems to work. And everything did work. I had a tasting menu built around sweet corn. First was a velvety, rich corn soup with a fried ball of peekytoe crab and whipped honey (looks exactly like marshmallow fluff yet tastes of nothing but honey). Then, corn ravioli filled with corn polenta in a corn puree with kernels and bacon atop. This dish was the clear favorite of the chef; though it had the most corn of the dishes on the menu, the textures all worked together beautifully, the light puree, the rich polenta, and the crisp kernels were a fine showcase of what can be done to an ear of corn. Third was a scallop with a corn puree, greens, a bland spoon bread, and the mustard seed. Nothing special, just like it sounds. This dish was definitely a throw-in to get a protein on the tasting menu. Lastly, for dessert, a corn financier with salty sweet corn ice cream on an even saltier blueberry compote. The "financier", instead of being a pound cake, was indistinguishable from corn bread. In addition, it was leaden and flavorless. When I questioned the otherwise impeccable waitstaff about the dish, I was told that the waitress felt the same way. Regardless, the entire tasting menu was a mere $40, an excellent value. We were told that the chef intends to institute a tasting menu for a seasonal ingredient every month or so which absolutely gives me a reason to return.