When it opened I thought of Tallulah—Troy Gravess comeback from Meritage—as a relative bright spot on Lincoln Squares increasingly mediocre restaurant row. Now with Eve it seems hes bringing the same relief to the Viagra Triangle. Touted as a more refined version of Tallulah, now closed, Eve is accordingly pricier and similarly congested--a condition slightly ameliorated by decorative smoke and mirrors, or rather sky blue paneling and mirrors. The food reflects the chefs predilections for serious meat (short ribs, suckling pig, foie gras) as well as his generosity in portioning. In some cases thats overgenerous, particularly in the appetizers and early courses such as a rich and heavy yet sweetly acidic roasted turnip puree thats more than enough by half. A grilled lobster sausage sprawls across the plate atop cold chanterelles and hot bacon dice, garnished with a large branch of thyme someone forgot to string with Christmas lights. For all Graves's intriguing combinations--mussels in ice wine, foie gras with grilled blood orange and snap pea salad, pomegranate-glazed prawns with toasted chestnut panna cotta--he has a tendency to sabotage himself: Some attractive-sounding sheeps milk ricotta dumplings turned out to be dense, dry concussion grenades mining an otherwise enjoyable lamb ragout with Swiss chard. Still, theres enough to like here to consider Eve a relatively progressive provocation to the neighborhoods Axis of Mediocrity.
Price: $$$
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