Rick Malir, co-founder and self-proclaimed “head pit boss” of City Barbeque, and I are longtime friends and, above many other things, aficionados of pork. I observe that Rick Malir is to piggery what Colonel Sanders is to chicken.
For the last few years, we have met irregularly eight or 10 times a year seeking out new, hopefully unique one-off places for lunch, always hoping to find a new porcine rendition not previously encountered.
We’ve experienced some winners and losers along the way. Restaurant reviews are the proverbial “dime a dozen,” and our mothers taught us to not say anything about someone (or something) unless it was nice, so CityScene’s “Arts, Entertainment and Style” rarely delves into the restaurant review arena. Rick observes that, “You can put your heart, soul and life savings into a restaurant, only to have it ‘beat up’ and potentially go out of business from just one bad day and one bad restaurant review.”
However, we recently had lunch at the Explorers Club on South High Street – heir apparent to the Galaxy Café – and both of us agreed it was such a truly exceptional dining experience that we needed to share it with the CityScene audience. We further vowed to never do a restaurant review on a regular basis, but to continue to write about only the truly exceptional good food experiences when we stumble onto them. So you may not hear from us for a while, but when you do, you will know that not only is the article worth a read, but the restaurant is worth your time, money and effort to get there.
The Explorers Club
With our usual minimal expectations, we ventured into the Explorers Club and found nothing of exception. The décor matches the neighborhood. No linen or crystal to be found here.
Both being more focused than most on good food at all levels, we admitted to being stumped by a few menu items. “Mofongo” was one term we did not know, and although I had heard of porchetta, I couldn’t remember what it was. We sheepishly asked, and server Beverly informed us that mofongo is a fried plantain-based dish of Puerto Rican origin. Porchetta is of Italian descent, and made with boneless pork shoulder (Rick should have known that).
We ordered:
- Sweet plantains with salsa yogurt dressing ($6.50)
- The Explorers Club: duck pastrami, house-cured bacon, porchetta, peppercorn aioli, Swiss cheese, shaved fennel, arugula and red onion, served with sweet potato fries ($12).
- The Mofongo Burger: jack cheese, jalapeno slaw, mofongo, 8 oz. beef patty, jalapeno mayo on a house-made bun with sweet potato fries and siracha ketchup ($11.50 and worth every penny!).
Everything is made in-house. Chef-owner Dan Varga cures and smokes all of the meats, and has a baker make all of the bread and sandwich buns on-premises every day. Dan is hoping to build a smokehouse in back of the restaurant to increase capacity.
The sweet plantain appetizer was faintly reminiscent of bananas Foster – mashed plantains glazed and fried, then drizzled with agave – and a good start to our meal.
We decided to share the sandwiches.
The Explorers Club (sandwich) was wonderful, and the duck pastrami an ethereal first, augmented by the flavorful bacon and porchetta. We love the taste of the habanero pepper, but its heat is usually too much for us. However, the accompanying sweet potato fries were a perfect foil for a light habanero glaze that was “just right:” plenty of habanero flavor with minimal heat.
As good as our first two dishes were, we both agreed that the Mofongo Burger was a contender for the, and possibly the, best burger either one of us has ever had – and thousands of burgers have been consumed by this duo. On first bite, we just paused and stared at each other, speechless, searching for words to convey this revelation. Juicy but not greasy, a tinge of heat but not hot, a bit of sweet but not too much. Explosions of flavors and textures heretofore unknown on a burger, with a bun as soft as a feather pillow – a true awakening.
Though we were much too full for dessert, server Beverly force-fed us the mascarpone tart – a delightful mix of mascarpone in a light shortbread shell with fresh macerated blueberries and strawberries topped with whipped cream. One bite and we forgave her transgression. It was light, fluffy, flavorful and a thousand other adjectives, but delightful beyond measure. We neglected to ask the price, but considered it priceless.
Chatting up Chef Dan, we were impressed with his culinary credentials and, most of all, his passion for creating a restaurant with food offerings that are truly different (where else can you get duck pastrami?). Dan is of Hungarian descent, and the second Wednesday of each month, he serves a Hungarian dinner menu. True to the name of the restaurant, Dan “explores” the cuisine of a different country each month.
Check out the Explorers Club at www.explorersclubmv.com.
Bon Appétit!
Chuck Stein is CEO of CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
