Josh Watkins is in Fine Form at The Driskill
One of our traditions in the Balon family is to stay home on Valentine’s Day (would you believe home-made Philly Cheese Steak hoagies) and dine out the evening after. Such was the case with our last meal at The Driskill Grill.
Josh Watkins, who took over the reins from David Bull last year, was in the kitchen that night as we worked our way through a delicious 10-course tasting menu. Some of the highlights included a stunning Poached Lobster Salad with Bibb Lettuce, Tasmanian Honey, Radish and Rosemary butter. Equally superb were the Australian Prawns done with Grilled Chorizo, (a perfect offset to the shrimp) Charred Tomatoes, Coriander and Corn Butter. At first bite these reminded me of Dan Haverty’s Shrimp Harisa at the Shoreline Grill which is a dish that features flavors of North Africa. But no, Josh’s prawns were unique and easily the rival of the Shoreline’s superb dish.
Another nice dish was the Pistachio Crusted Sea Scallop. The Hedgehog mushrooms and the Truffle Herb salad created a seamless mélange of flavors that made this dish so hard to ignore. And the final leg in our personal 10k of tastes was an amazing seared Broken Arrow Ranch Antelope paired with Red Wine Braised Cabbage, Salt Potatoes, and Lignonberrries. The texture of the antelope flesh was damned near perfect and the taste was quite subdued: not at all gamey.
Have I made you hungry yet? Hell, I’m getting hungry for another pass at the Driskill Grill by just writing this. I do miss David Bull, but the transition to former Sous Chef Watkins has been seamless.
