David Ansill’s Doubling Up

Last month’s Jardins de Provence. Photo by Stephanie Smith.

David Ansill has quite the story (much of which we’ve chronicled): back in Philadelphia after his repose in Jamaica, he’s brought great food and drink to Bar Ferdinand, and now he’s taking on the kitchen at the Good King Tavern, alongside chef de cuisine Mike Blau.

But here’s the tricky part. He’s not leaving Bar Ferdinand to go to Good King. He’s actually going to be overseeing things at both places.

Running this double-duty seems kind of crazy, if you ask us. But then again, from the looks of things he seems to be handling it rather well: with a new menu and events in the works this month, the Good King is already getting a makeover under Ansill’s command.

Will the balancing act last? Who knows. But for now, details and a menu after the jump.

Before the menu, a bit on their events: Wednesday July 29th, Ansill is hosting the fourth Jardins de Provence at 7 PM. He’ll be pairing his plates with wines from Artisan’s Cellar; when we get a sneak peak of the menu, we’ll let you know.

Also on their calendar:

“Cellar Sunday: Popping Bottles, Pouring Wine”: Sunday evenings from 5 PM through 1 AM, they offer half off select bottles from their cellar. Wines will rotate, but are all small-production, exclusive-to-restaurants bottles.

“Neighborhood Hour”: Starting Monday August 3rd, they’ll feature food and drink specials on weeknights from 5 PM – 7 PM in celebration of the cozy, neighborhood vibes in Bella Vista.

Now, the full-time menu stuff you’ve been reading on so diligently for:

Starting July 24th, Good King Tavern is officially launching Ansill’s new menu, and the plan is to highlight French tavern fare and throw in a few modern twists as well as seasonal chalkboard specials. The offerings:

Starters

Olives $4

fennel seeds, orange zest

French Radishes $4

butter and sea salt

Socca $7

roquette, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt

Brandade Croquettes $8

parsley purée

Onion Soup Gratinée $9

baguette, gruyére 

Ratatouille Tart $9

fresh basil 

Escargots Au Pernod $10

garlic, hazelnuts

Goat Cheese Brik Pastry $11

saffron tomato coulis

Moules Mariniéres $12

shallots, white wine, parsley

Steak Tartare $12

purple mustard, quail egg, gauffrettes potatoes

Boards

Cheese Board $16

chef’s selection

Meat Board $19

cured meats, house-made charcuterie

Salads

Salade Verte $9

house green salad, dijon vinaigrette 

Marinated Beets $9

shaved fennel, orange

Endive-Roquefort $11

apple, red onion, roquefort crumble

Mains

TGK Burger $13

bacon, gruyére, frites

Chicken Leg Farci $15

veal, tarragon

Morteau Sausage $15

cabbage, apples, bacon, whole grain mustard 

Steak Frites $16

red wine, shallots

Duck Confit $16

fingerlings, cranberry compote

Salmon Niçoise $18

haricot gert, olive, potato, tomato, hard-cooked egg

Sides

Truffle Parmesan Frites $9

Garlic Haricot Verts $6

Potato Gratin $5

Lentils Vinaigrette $6

As always, Good King Tavern’s kitchen is open until 1 AM, and the bar until 2 AM, seven days a week. Saturday and Sunday brunch runs 11 AM to 3 PM, while the a la carte menu continues through the day.

Good King Tavern [f8b8z]