Proof + Pantry, located in One Arts Plaza, in the space that once housed The Greek and before that The Commissary, is now open. The highly anticipated restaurant is the product of Michael Martensen, the barman previously behind The Cedars Social and Smyth, and his business partner Driftwood co-founder Sal Jafar II.
The food menu is limited, with dishes divided into four sections. "Bulk" offers family-style share plates, including a whole chicken with salsify (a root vegetable in the dandelion family), asparagus and mushrooms ($44). "Soil" is filled with vegetarian dishes like melon soup ($12), cauliflower with soft cheese and black truffles ($16) and heirloom tomato salad ($14). "By Land" offers bone marrow ($19) and a day-old duck egg with lamb belly and frisee ($16). And the final section, "By Sea," offers seafood. There's a shrimp cocktail with lemon gel and horseradish ($24), raclette tart with smoked salmon roe, honey creme fraiche and green onions ($16) and snapper crudo ($17).
See also: An Interview with Michael Martensen
There are cocktails too, of course. Craft cocktails range from $11 to $14, and while there is undoubtedly an old fashioned on the list, the menu branches out into creative territory with concoctions like the "Love Them Ginger;" apple brandy, Bonal, ginger infused vermouth and lemon oils, and the "Blossom Trail;" dry sherry, sweet sherry and peach shrub.
Here are the photos from our visit last week:
