Little Pumpkin has grown up so much in the last seven years, it received an upgrade to three bells last week. The tiny BYO's dining room has undergone a handsome makeover, with salvaged planks on the wall, antique tin on the ceiling, and a couple fewer seats, giving the remaining 26 more breathing room.
But it's the addition of talented chef de cuisine Christopher Kearse to co-owner Ian Moroney's kitchen that has ratcheted the culinary ambition here to new highs - and a surprisingly elegant embrace of molecular gastronomy.
But all that foaming and liquid gelling hasn't gotten in the way of good flavors. Consider the sweet potato veloute: Pure root-veggie essence is poured tableside into a still-life bowl of supporting players - jellied apple, smoked honey miso dots, pumpernickel crumbs, and a white dome of cider foam that melts in the orange flow. Drama? For sure. But it's still one darn tasty bowl of soup.