“I order fried brussels sprouts, which come burnt and bordering on impossible to eat. The potato gratin is thick and heavy, with leeks adding a vegetable greenness but no savor and the Cantal cheese bAcchamel overpowering the delicate, layered slices of potato. It too is burnt, the surface having gotten the worst of the salamander’s heataE”bubbling up into a brown crust, shading over to blackaE”that does nothing good for the flavor. Just a touch of burnt cheese, like a whisper of scorched garlic, will ruin even the most carefully conceived dish.” Read Jason Sheehan’s full review of The Walrus and The Carpenter.Photos by Joshua Huston.Published on February 16, 2011

Cook Anthony Pane works on oysters.

Bulgar salad with artichoke, apricot, and pine nuts.

Fried oysters with cilantro aioli

Grilled sardine with walnuts, shallot, and parsley.

Cook Alex Barkley

Chicken liver mousse with fennel, pistachio, golden raisins, and a side of mustard

Sopressata daE™ abruzzo, hard-boiled egg, caper, and cornichon

Sopressata daE™ abruzzo, hard-boiled egg, caper, and cornichon

Sopressata daE™ abruzzo, hard-boiled egg, caper, and cornichon

Sopressata daE™ abruzzo, hard-boiled egg, caper, and cornichon

Sopressata daE™ abruzzo, hard-boiled egg, caper, and cornichon