Downtown West Palm Beach welcomes Jardin with wide-open arms, friendly smiles and high hopes. This new hot spot is owned by the newlywed chef duo, Jordan Lerman and Stephanie Cohen, both with impressive culinary backgrounds — Executive Chef Jordan at Eleven Madison in New York City and Pastry Chef Stephanie at Dominique Ansel, also in Manhattan. With their diverse cultural backgrounds and global travels, it’s safe to say these two know what they’re doing in the kitchen. The fresh, seasonal and inventive menu at Jardin certainly proves that.
To start, Jardin doesn’t serve just any plain ol’ bread — they serve savory madeleines. The flavors change daily. Ours were roasted garlic and mushroom, an tasty twist on what is usually a sweeter biscuit-esque cookie. This is such a great concept, and it’s especially fun to be surprised by new flavors each time you visit.
Though there are frequent changes to the menu, one item that will never leave is the Crispy Hummus. Imagine polenta fries, but with hummus. Creamy inside, crispy outside, and just downright delicious.
Lucky for me, there were a few great vegetarian and pescatarian-friendly dishes on the menu when I went. I decided on the seasonal fish dish, which was red snapper that night, served with slow-cooked tomato broth, avocado, forbidden rice and green chickpeas. If you’re unfamiliar with forbidden rice, also called black rice, it’s an ancient grain with lots of health benefits. I had ever seen nor heard of green chickpeas before, but they were a welcome new taste. It’s essentially a young chickpea, with just a little more bite. Every component of the dish worked well with each other and looked beautiful. As for the vegetarian plate, it looked like a garden — so many colors, shapes, and sizes. It was a work of art. The dish consists of smoked haloumi cheese, mushroom-stuffed tomatoes, summer squash, bulgar and charred corn. It was almost too pretty to eat, but I had to have a taste — and it was just as appealing to my palate as it was to my eyes.
You cannot, and I repeat cannot, leave Jardin without experiencing Chef Stephanie’s desserts. I was hesitant to order the panna cotta because it’s not normally something I like, but was convinced to go for it — and I am glad that I did! Buttermilk panna cotta, pistachios, strawberries and rhubarb, strawberry-hibiscus sorbet and a crumb topping. This is a dessert fit for a queen, a king and then some. I could not put down my spoon. I’ve never experienced a balance of flavors like this before and just could not get over how amazing it was.
Our meal was fantastic, but the best part was where we were sitting. Directly in front of the open kitchen is a counter with eight seats, allowing guests to get a full-frontal view of what goes on. I found myself mesmerized by Chef Jordan as he closely examined each and every dish before expediting, carefully wiping down plates for pristine presentation and making sure every component of the dish was positioned perfectly. You can see the love and passion that both Jordan and Stephanie put into their food, and seeing it up close was so cool to watch and felt super special.
Read the full post on Take A Bite Out of Boca.
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About the Author
Shaina was born and raised in South Jersey; she graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in journalism and media studies. After moving to Boca, Shaina created her own food blog, which has enhanced her passion for cooking, baking, sipping and savoring her way around South Florida. Shaina is involved in many of the region’s food and wine festivals and events. Follow Shaina’s foodie adventures every other Thursday at bocamag.com—and on her own blog, Take A Bite Out of Boca.
