Polytechnic ON20 Restaurant

I'm obsessed with trying new food. Sometimes that means heading to an understated hole in the wall that only locals know about. But I have to admit, I love a snooty meal at the latest swanky restaurant where lunch costs 100 bucks (and that's without the wine pairing). ON20 is the latter. BUT it's worth every penny. I found the place while googling molecular gastronomy. I was on a quest to try a flavored foam I had seen on Bravo's Top Chef.

ON20 used to be an exclusive club. But times are tough and they opened the restaurant to the public. Very few people know about it. They are located in the Hartford Steam Boiler building with large windows overlooking the Connecticut River. The view is absolutely breathtaking, even for Hartford (no offense).

I went with my friend Nick who is a photographer. He took the photos of me. But the pics of the food are from my camera. Sorry Nick but you don't need to have a fancy camera when the food is already a work of art!

The Golden One Hour Poached Egg (left) was by far, my favorite savory dish. It looks weird topped in gold, sitting on a piece of brioche drenched in beet juice. Yes, beet juice. It sounds nasty, I know! But somehow all the flavors come together beautifully. I can't explain how. You just have to try it! My favorite desert in the planet is the passion fruit tart (below). The dish is accompanied by homemade raspberry sorbet, yuzu FOAM and it's all drizzled with olive oil. Who knew you could put olive oil on dessert?

I included a photo gallery of all the ridiculous pictures Nick Caito took of me. I got a stain on my white dress before the lunch was done. Typical. That explains the "sad face" pic. ENJOY!