Tusk

Tusk describes its food as "vegetable-driven Middle Eastern".  Opening in August 2016 to lots of hype, it has been pretty busy from what I hear.  One Monday evening in December, needing dinner before my rehearsal, I was in the mood for vegetables, and I had no problem getting a seat at the bar.

The space is light and pleasant and the bar was comfortable to eat at.  At the recommendation of the bartender, I ordered hummus, a skewer, and a vegetable.  The first dish was the Tusk Hummus, which came with flat bread.  I ordered the smaller portion, which was very generous for one person.  The flatbread was okay, but I thought the texture was a little gummy, however the hummus had a nice flavor.

Next up, beet salad (I'm always a sucker for beet salad), with avocado, sesame, poppy, and mustard oil.  It was a nice combination, but the mustard was strong and a bit of a surprise when I found it.

The whole grilled sardine was yummy and it's fun to get a whole fish.

And also at the recommendation of the bartender, for dessert I ordered the sunchoke salted caramel soft serve with maple, apple, and ginger granita on the bottom and halva sprinkled on top.  I'm not sure that the granita went that well texturally with the creamy soft serve, but the flavors were fine.  And halva is excellent.

Overall it was a nice meal and I'd definitely go back.