Seafood, Swine, and Wine at Old Major

One of the ways I can tell a restaurant is great is by looking at waiters' reactions when they deliver food to the table.  At places like Mizuna, Frasca, Babbo in NYC, The French Laundry in Yountville you can spot waiters looking over their shoulders as they leave the table because they can't wait to see your reaction to the incredible concoction they just placed in front of you.  I love it when that happens.  I mean wait staff at The Olive Garden don't hand you a bottomless salad bowl with the same conviction.

That's the way it was at Old Major (3316 Tejon) last night.  The place is the latest creation of the same team that brought us Masterpiece Deli.  Is there any sandwich in town better than the Cuban at Masterpiece?  No, unless it's the brisket sandwich at Masterpiece.  Old Major specializes in Seafood, Swine, and Wine as their slogan states.  That slogan is what made me want to try the place out.  The guys who have created Old Major started out their Denver career with Frank Bonanno at Luca d'Italia, so their credentials with swine have an impressive pedigree.  And a couple of years ago they tried to open an upscale seafood place on 17th Avenue someplace, but ran into partner and rent troubles.

The place occupies a pretty large space with a black facade, the name barely visible.  But you can tell you've arrived at the right place by the line of cars in front of the parking valet.  (Thank god for that.  Without the valet parking, parking,  just like on any evening in Highlands, would be close to impossible.)  The mob of people seen milling around the bar area through the huge sheets of glass looking out on Tejon is also a sign that something is happening here.

I'm assuming the inside is supposed to be evocative of a combination of industrial--exposed air ducts, pipes on the wall, exposed hardware on industrial strength tables--and farmhouse--huge banks of bench seating lining the walls and filling up some of the middle areas made from distressed barn wood (or faux barn wood), rough hewn floors, some foods delivered on weathered looking cutting boards, and all the rest--motifs.  In other words, it is kind of a Kitchen-liberal-locally-sourced-uses-old-cooking-oil-to-fuel-car kind of place.

Another reason I felt compelled to go is that as an old literature teacher, I felt it incumbent upon me to patronize a restaurant specializing in pork clever enough to call itself Old Major.  I was a little worried before I got there and saw the menu that they might try to continue the Animal Farm theme by having menu items named after Orwellian characters.  Like a pork confit dish cleverly named Napolean, or how about a plate of trotters and fries helpfully named Snowball.  Just be careful of any meat dish called Boxer!

But that wasn't the case.  It was a simple menu with small plates, a vegetarian three course tasting menu, pork dishes, one beef steak, and seafood.  All of this was being churned out by a huge showcase kitchen with busy chefs butchering hogs in one corner, others whipping out sausages in another, everyone else working on the line.  It reminded me a little of the kitchen vibe at Alice Water's place, Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, only this one must be twice the size.

Our waiter gave us an iPad on which we scrolled through wine, beer, and cocktail choices, reasonably priced and not overwhelming in sheer numbers.  It was an interesting change, but I'd rather have a physical wine and drink list.  That's at least human for Christ's sake.

But even with all that atmosphere oozing out of every corner, the food remains the star here.  House made pretzels accompanied with a mustardy butter start the meal.  I began by ordering 5 oysters from the Atlantic coast of Virginia.  They rivaled the oysters I've gotten on restaurants on either coast for freshness.  They tasted just like the sea and they were big and juicy.  Kathie had an endive salad that was as delicious as it was beautiful.  Kathie chose the lobster pot pie appetizer as her main.  I'm always a little skeptical of things like lobster pot pie.  First, because I'm not that wild about lobster, but second because usually such creations have about three decent chunks of lobster accompanied by lots of random vegetables.  Old Major's version was luxuriously filled with lobster in every bite.  Great choice.  I had the trout.  I always order trout if it is on the menu.  This one was perfectly cooked, crispy with Wondra on one side, and translucent and flaky every where else.  For dessert we shared a terrific beignet dish.

The final bill was something like $114.  For a place like that I think that's cheap.  Postpone all further activites and go to Old Major.