Passing on the $40 fondue, we ordered a few small plates to start, and a feast selection to end. It also should be noted that with 16 small plates to choose from, you can easily make a meal solely from that section of the menu.
Lobster and a standout salad
First was the lobster crude with Tokyo turnip and seaweeds. The ingredients were all thinly sliced and delicately plated, and there was a simple yet luxurious feel to the crisp turnip and fresh, translucent lobster. The unctuous richness of black sesame was befitting to a plate that tasted deliciously like the sea.
It’s rare for me to find a salad as the night’s standout, but Cultura’s fought to be my favorite dish. Crisp green leaf lettuce, cashews, a generous sprinkle of alligator pepper and thin slices of Victor’s cheese were all deliciously coated in a strawberry vinaigrette that was as savory as it was glaringly pink. It was a plate I almost didn’t order but left overwhelmingly thankful I did.
The lobster crudo at Cultura is served with black sesame, Tokyo turnip, and seaweeds. Buy Photo
The lobster crudo at Cultura is served with black sesame, Tokyo turnip, and seaweeds. (Photo: ANGELI WRIGHT/ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES)
I thought the wilted carrots, served with ricotta, dates, and sourdough, would be a favorite. However, it was overly dressed in what tasted like a bold shellacking of harissa.
The pecan and ricotta gnudi, a dish of few ingredients, must be timed properly or the whole thing goes wrong. Cultura got it right — really right. Covered in thin shavings of white and black truffle, then drizzled with olive oil and pecorino, this dish, with its equally indulgent salad of shaved white asparagus, was easily some of the best gnudi I’ve had to date.
On to the feasts
Col. Hester’s Bucket of Birds came last from the feast menu. It simply lists smoked and fried chicken, but also comes with house-made fermented hot sauce, herbed honey, grilled corn and a few sections of what appeared to be potatoes dauphinoise and delectable sweet potato gravy. A standout addition, the potato foam was less foamy than silken and lush.
A feast of Cnl Hester’s Bucked of Birds at Cultura with small plates of pecan and ricotta gnudi, wilted carrots and Evan’s spring greens. Buy Photo
A feast of Carl Hester’s Bucked of Birds at Cultura with small plates of pecan and ricotta gnudi, wilted carrots and Evan’s spring greens. (Photo: ANGELI WRIGHT/ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES)
The kitschy paper bucket contained a mix of fried and smoked poussin. Both were wonderful, but I reached for the smoked more often. It’s novel to have the mix of the two preparations, but a poussin that had been smoked and then fried might have been the winner.
Dessert was also another almost non-order, but I was curious about how Cultura interpreted this course. We ordered the cheesecake, described as ricotta, black pepper, walnut, and caramelized whey. Resembling slightly dry crumbled sections of cake, the flavor was good, but the deconstruction element felt a little timeworn and not up to par with the rest of the meal.
The cheesecake at Cultura has ricotta, black pepper, walnut, and caramelized whey and is served using liquid nitrogen. Buy Photo
The cheesecake at Cultura has ricotta, black pepper, walnut, and caramelized whey and is served using liquid nitrogen. (Photo: ANGELI WRIGHT/ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES)
The little service ceremonies that began with amuse bouche ended with a serving of house-spun cotton candy. While whimsical, be forewarned that you might not be alerted until served that the cotton candy is dusted with CBD powder (this year’s shishito pepper) and grapefruit powder.
That doesn’t take away one bit from the fact that the Cultura experience is a very good one, and one that should be taken possibly sitting in one of their feeder booths. Credit:www.citizen-times.com