The wording "farm to table" has long been used to describe a direct relationship between restaurateurs and their supplies. Another phrase, "nose to tail," refers to using as much of an animal as possible, rather than just selected cuts, as a food source. A corollary is the idea of whole animal butchery, a kitchen breaking down and using as much of a single animal as possible. All three concepts, aligned in their emphasis on sustainability, are key at Persephen, a restaurant in Uptown Phoenix that is all three: farm-to-table, nose-to-tail, and whole animal.
smoked salmon board
Persephen, a play on the word "perception" indicated by a dictionary-style pronunciation guide on the sign identifying the restaurant, is found on Central Avenue halfway between the light rail stations at Central and Campbell. Central/Camelback offers a slightly shorter walk to and from the train, and bike racks are found behind the restaurant's entrance, near the patio and the parking lot. The restaurant occupies a distinctive standalone building that combines an A-frame structure with a large hexagonal window that allows abundant natural light into the dining room.
escargot
The interior is rustic and rough-hewn with wooden furniture and a large chandelier made from a deceased tree suspended over the restaurant's largest and most central table. Reservations are encouraged but need to be made via phone or email since Persephen does not currently participate in any online reservation networks. Almost all tables have a direct view of the open kitchen where the chef and co-owner, Jason Dwight, easily recognized by an American flag bandana covering his hair, runs the show. His wife and partner Katherine is in charge of pastry.
summer squash
Persephen's menu changes weekly to reflect ingredient availability and seasonal flavors. The document is printed on a single page without clear distinction into arbitrary categories such as appetizers and entrees. Instead, dishes are listed in more-or-less increasing order of portion size and cost, with the smaller items on top and the large plates farther down. For the most part, that's also the order in which dishes are served, although there is no formal delineation of courses here. The sole exception is dessert, which does have its own place at the bottom.
fingerling potatoes
Smaller plates can include classics like escargot, presented out of the shell with the classic accompaniments of garlic butter and crusty baguette, or seasonal innovations like a summer squash dish, which exemplifies the kitchen's approach of using related ingredients in different ways. On the generous platter, the squash blossoms are not fried, so they actually retain their own taste and texture. At the same time, striped delicata is sliced lengthwise and grilled, zucchini is cut into sticks, and Mexican gray squash is seared and seasoned with a bit of feta.
arugula salad
The vegetable bounty continues with an arugula salad that features abundant leaves of the peppery green under a creamy citrus vinaigrette, shredded Dubliner cheese, and pistachios for some crunch. Starchier choices include crispy fingerling potatoes with a parmesan chili foam and a soft duck egg that can be mixed in much as one might do with a bowl of ramen. Polenta street fries are crisp slabs of corn meal with an exterior like tempura and more yielding interior. Pickled onions, cotija cheese, cilantro, and a drizzle of chipotle crema add a Mexican influence.
polenta street fries
Dishes that approach more traditional entree territory generally include one or two pasta dishes at any time. A lamb birria raviolo is essentially a giant pocket of pasta stuffed with tender braised meat and surrounded by a pool of consomme and accessorized with kernels of corn, pickled onions, bits of squash, tortilla strips, and goat cheese. Other recent pasta items have included linguine with grilled shrimp and a meatless dish of hand cut noodles with roasted tomatoes. Arborio rice instead of pasta is the carbohydrate base for a paella with scallops and chorizo.
lamb birria raviolo
Given the emphasis on using the whole animal, charcuterie is unsurprisingly a strength here. There is always a board on the menu, literally a big piece of wood with generally five different types of cured or smoked meats, some of them presented as sausage and others taking the form of a pate or rillettes. Crackers, pickled vegetables, and house-made mustard augment the salumi. Likewise, a salmon board contains five different preparations of the popular fish in both belly and loin cuts, some smoky and some more like sashimi, with different accompaniments.
poached pear
Desserts focus heavily on chocolate. Chewy chocolate chip cookies are offered daily and often make a good take-home treat. A larger format of lightly cooked dough is offered in a skillet, and a chocolate cream pie concentrates dark energy and intense flavor in a crisp shell. As satisfying as these choices are, the kitchen excels with seasonal, fruit-based selections like a poached pear in which the fall fruit is soaked in pear cider before being served half intact and half sliced in an aesthetic presentation with rhubarb marmalade, candied pecans, and strawberry cream.
Aye Chihuahua
Persephen does not have a full bar, but it does offer a rotating selection of batch cocktails, including Aye Chihuahua with reposado tequila, grapefruit, and tamarind. Mezcal also makes an appearance in an adventurous insectivore drink with a grasshopper and worm salt. Wine and beer selections include many local purveyors, consistent with the restaurant's mission. That purpose, which brings together related trends in sustainable sustenance, creates a feeling of variety and abundance, whether based on using an entire animal or the bounty of local farms.
4700 N. Central Ave., Phoenix AZ 85012
http://www.persepshenarizona.com
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