Bone marrow is usually one of those dishes on a menu that you look at and immediately consider the work that needs to be done to eat it. But in Vesta's rendition, chef Nicholas Kayser does all the work for you.
Rather than serving it traditionally, he removes entire marrow chunks from the bone and sears the fatty meat to be eaten easily. He fills the hollowed center with short rib marmalade.
He begins the dish by seasoning the short rib. A quick sear in an oiled pan adds texture and flavor and then it braises for 16 hours. After cooling, the liquid is strained and the ribs are pulled apart.
That liquid, combined with red wine vinegar and sugar, reduces down for a few hours and is incorporated into every piece of the plate. It's poured back over the pulled meat, creating a marmalade that is piped into the bone center. It's also used to caramelize the shallots and as a finishing sauce when the plate is complete.
"It's huge for me to use it all over the plate. It's different presentations of the same component. It's the same idea as using short ribs and marrow together; different parts of the same animal," explains Kayser.
It is a rich plate, but the small green apple and parsley salad that accompanies it is perfect to cut through. "I like to think of it as a nice exclamation point on the dish."
"I think this dish is warming, elegant, and playful. It definitely fits the rest of the menu but filled the 'unique' component we were looking for."
Get it at Vesta every day of the week, opening at 5 p.m.