After getting canceled on a few years ago by Schwa and several failed attempts to make a reservation before and after, I'd given up on going. But my interest was piqued last summer when reading Jeff Ruby's
excellent review and decided to give it another go. I called in early August hoping to make a September reservation. I was surprised when I got through on my first try, but figured that was a fluke when I was told they weren't taking reservations yet but that they'd call me when the books opened. When they called the following week, I didn't mention that I thought there was no chance they would actually call, but I did have to admit my possible September dates had vanished.
Cautiously optimistic that reservation difficulties were a thing of the past, I called back in October for November reservations, got through on my first try once again, and happily reserved a 4-top for a Saturday in November.
The number of courses, the number of elements in each course, and the number of drinks I enjoyed make a comprehensive recap impossible. I can say that, for me, this was an all-time great meal (#1 among meals that included neither beef nor pork) with great service in a wonderfully relaxed environment. Schwa is a genuinely special restaurant and I'd really encourage anyone put off by past reservation issues to give it another shot.
Chef Carlson was not in the kitchen that night but, as you can see, his team didn't miss a beat. I was able to document the whole meal. A few edited photos follow and, if you're interested, the full set of unedited photos
is here.
Schwa's rightfully infamous quail egg ravioli with truffle, pecorino, brown butter, other goodness. This was mind-blowingly delicious.
Pappardelle, tomato, zucchini, balsamic, squash blossom filled with burrata, other stuff - all incredibly delicious
Grapefruit in 3 forms, caviar, and a couple other ingredients made for a fantastic blend of sweet, acidic, and salty flavors
Kumamoto oyster and flower in 7-Up gel, which was eaten with a 7-up powder with some fizziness/pop rocks that were in a dish below the oyster