Inari’s, located on 336 Maine St. of Palisade, displays a sign with “Food for the Soul” written beneath its name and carries a self-described title as a house of eccentric cuisine. Inari’s offers a small yet diverse menu which mixes southwest, Indonesian seafood, chicken, lamb, and Italian flavors.
Inari’s has a comfortable dining area. Few tables are occupied on this Saturday night, so a food critic had room to get his mouth full and analyze the flavors of every bite. A bar and open faced kitchen is separate from the area where connoisseurs dine, allowing people to observe every sizzle and pop of their food’s preparation.
I ordered a plate of grilled sambuca rosemary shrimp, five plump black tiger shrimp marinated in Sambuca, a liqueur made from anise that tastes like licorice, wrapped in Prosciutto and grilled until crispy. Aioli sauce is comprised of mayonnaise, flavored with lemon, and garnished with parsley. The sweet floral taste of rosemary, salty and peppered spice of prosciutto, and twang of lemon, clash with the acidic yet spicy taste of garlic, creating a very vocal and enlivening flavor.
An initial aroma of grapefruit and sweet yet sharp scent of wine hits me just as my plate hits the table. Basa provides a porous base for holing the wine and lemon sauce, adding a flavor that does a dance that leaves two tastes intertwined. Bursts of lemon and the zing of wine pierce my taste buds, filling every corner of my mouth. The chicken stock in which the broccoli was boiled blends well with such a burst and my only complaint is that portions were too meager with either entrée or appetizer.
The service was brisk, the food came with excellent quality and preparation, and the food nourished mind and body while feeding the soul. Those who work the kitchen care about their jobs, food touched by their hands, quality, and providing the freshest ingredients.
Tasting the creation and feeding it to people, doing so with the freshest greens, the crispiest and juiciest onions, and most ingredients that can be obtained locally, are observably important elements of the workings of Inari’s.