How glad are we! Friends and family at Tipsy Parson.
The opening of a new restaurant is certainly an acceptable reason to head out into a rare October lightning storm, and the opening of Tipsy Parson is a fantastic reason. Here at PW4B, we take our food very seriously and it's a pleasure to meet others that feel the same. The brains and brawn behind this new joint are Julie Tara and Tasha Garcia-Gibson, two ladies that very much fit the bill. Ever since I had the mac & cheese at their first restaurant Little Giant, I was hooked on their food, and ever since I met them, I've been hooked on their hospitality.
So it was obviously with great anticipation that we headed out to the friends and family night at Tipsy Parson in Chelsea.
We showed up just in time to see a few good lightning bolts streak across the western sky, ducking into the inviting bar area just as the rain began in earnest. Now normally, I'd head straight for the bar to check out the cocktail offerings but they were ready to serve and we were hungry so we went straight to the table to devour the menu. Delving into the cocktails will have to wait until next time.
For starters, it was tough to decide between the chicken-fried chicken livers, the cornmeal-battered fall vegetable fry up, the sticky-spicy lamb ribs, or the Chrisfield Point oysters with pepper bacon in a tarragon vinaigrette. It all read deliciously. In the end, I had to indulge the inner carnivore and went with the lamb ribs, which were everything that the title promises. A heaping small plate of lamb spare ribs came to the table, sticky & spicy (as promised) with an excellent fennel-apple slaw. Enersy went with the oysters which were plump and nicely textured with a big hit of tarragon.
For the main course, it wasn't really even a choice. I had to get the pork. Little Giant has always had their "Swine of the Week" on the menu which has been my order a good count more that half the time I've dined there, so I had to see if Tipsy's pork dish live up to its older cousins. It did of course, but to be fair, when's the last time you tasted a pork shank with stone ground grits, in an apple-butter glaze with roasted apples and prunes, and it didn't taste amazing?
Enersy had the trout, roasted whole with mushroom and kale. Not being a huge fan of whole fish, she had to muster some strength but toughed it out, popping the head off quick and then proceeded to enjoy the rest. It was excellently cooked and served with a green goddess sauce on the side.
Dessert was the grasshopper pudding with chocolate crumbles just like on a Carvel cake. This was my second chance to try this, as we were given a sneak peek a month ago when we stopped by Little Giant for my birthday while they were recipe testing.
Between the two of us, Tipsy's gets four thumbs up. Now before I'm accused of undue bias, let me admit that my bias exists but it is not undue. Julie and Tasha have delighted everyone I've ever sent to Little Giant and they have thoroughly and gracefully satiated Enersy and I on countless occasions. They love and respect food as well as the tradition, culture, and love behind every morsel they serve. These are the kinds of people that we here at PW4B model ourselves after.
Best of luck ladies!