2/25/2008
Gramercy: 43 E. 19th St (between Broadway and Park) - (212) 780-0880
Price: High End
Rating (1-10): 8
Given the hype that has built up around Craft and its chef/owner Tom Colicchio, Craft invites a higher level of critique than most other restaurants. At the same time, with the prices being what they are – around a $100 tab for a full meal – high expectations are a given. And when you jump into the TV limelight like Colicchio has, it is understood that his flagship restaurant is gonna be under greater scrutiny.
That said, Craft is a restaurant that would please almost anyone. The atmosphere is a relaxed, casual kind of formal with a balance between sleek, clean design and homey warmth – perhaps echoes of Colicchio’s experiences at Gramercy Tavern. Classic rock and more modern hits bump at a comfortable volume and the dishes are presented in the middle of the table to promote a “family-style” meal. All of the food was at least good and came in pleasing portions – and the desserts were a particularly nice end to the meal. However, the service was an obvious weakness and lacked the soul and spirit of both the surroundings and the food. If you can get past an attentive but potentially way-overserious server, then Craft is a fun place where you’ll be treated to satisfying dishes and feel comfortable and cool in the process.
The food is strongly seasoned (pretty heavy on the salt) and representative of Colicchio’s locavore, simple style. It takes a good deal of culinary intelligence and understanding to know the kind of subtle twists to make uncomplicated dishes outstanding, memorable, and unique. Colicchio has made a career out of his ability to do this and commands respect the food world over, for this reason. Our sweet potato agnolotti was a great example of this – sweet potato filled pockets of pasta in a butter sauce. The server described the pasta as pillows, and this turned out to be an excellent description of this incredibly soft, fluffy pasta. The sweetness of the potato was controlled perfectly and a crispy, salty starch crusted on top the pasta added exactly the desired kick of salt.
If you’ve got a spending appetite, the guinea hen ravioli with black truffle is an extravagant appetizer featuring two large ravioli, served in a jus, and topped with a healthy serving of truffle shavings. The gamey flavor of the hen takes precedence over the black truffle, which nonetheless adds an irreplaceable earthy aroma and subtle irreplaceable flavor. Is it luxurious? Yes, and I think that’s why you should order it; it just doesn’t get that much more lavish. Sometimes it’s important to just let go and say, ‘when in Rome…’
The best value items were the vegetable sides – for example, the hen of the woods mushrooms sides: a surprisingly generous portion of crispy, yet meaty pan-fried mushrooms. It seems like this quantity (one order was enough for two) and quality of these raw mushrooms alone would cost this much in a store. I’m not complaining.
Sweetbreads entrée is served as one giant, crusty, pan-fried piece in a huckleberry jus. There’s something satisfying about seeing the sweetbread presented in this way, like a fat steak; often, sweetbreads are served as a bunch of smaller nuggets, but the big hunk of sweetbread just looks bolder, gutsier (no pun intended). The sweetbread is juicy and tasty although the huckleberry sauce is somewhat flavorless. The diver scallops entrée features a few large, seared scallops which works fine but not anything to write home about. The shallot butter sauce is nice but otherwise, Colicchio doesn't give you a particularly compelling reason to orde it. Scallops are scallops and the most important part is the sourcing. These were good enough but something the home cook could execute these just as well. Meh.
Desserts at Craft were utterly satisfying. The blood orange sorbet hits with powerful essence of the fruit, strong tartness, and controlled sweetness. I loved this sorbet. Chocolate soufflé isn’t a new creation of course, but you kind of have to tip your hat when a dish of this delicacy is nailed. Consistency is so important to a soufflé and in this case, it was perfect: fluffy, soft and substantive and not foamy or 99% air. Again, this dessert is not oversugared, and so you get the true flavor of the chocolate.
The service at the table was for me, the lowlight of the experience. The servers were well-dressed, quick, attentive, and extremely knowledgeable about the menu – but unflinchingly rigid and borderline unfriendly. Our main server explained that the “paradigm” of ordering off the Craft menu was for each person to get an appetizer, main course, and side dish. Not only was his guidance somewhat obvious, “paradigm” seems like a word better saved for discussions about the political world order or solutions to the financial crisis. Our servers just looked like they weren’t having any fun. Hamsters in a wheel. One of our servers did not crack a smile once, which wasn’t so much rude as it was strange. Fortunately, they’re good at doing their jobs efficiently and invisibly, so you don’t have to get pulled down into their own personal gulag. I’d chalk this up to an aberration because a restaurant of this quality would never last in New York if the service and the atmosphere were always so badly mismatched.
As of late, Tom Colicchio has become a superstar in the culinary world thanks to the hit tv show TopChef and his ever expanding restaurant empire, which includes a steakhouses (CraftSteak), high-end sandwich restaurants (‘Wichcraft), and several Crafts across the country. I certainly can’t blame him for cashing in on his fame. He has paid his dues and worked hard to get to the top of this brutal industry. At the same time, you wonder if the individual establishments take a little bit of a hit in quality; dilution of the top chef’s attention usually does that.
Since I did not go to Craft in its early days, I can’t say whethere there has been a decline. But it seems that Craft, despite its strengths, doesn’t have the excitement or energy of a restaurant gunning for #1 in NYC. It’s good but not great and there are newer restaurants of a similar style that I’m more excited about. Granted, these are restaurants that might owe their existence to Colicchio and the culinary trends that he helped foster: well-seasoned, seasonal, ultra-fresh food; simple but difficult cooking; and emphasis on a few elemental ingredients in each dish. But I can’t help feeling that Craft is no longer on the vanguard of this movement; rather, it is a solid restaurant amongst a growing crowd. Colicchio has expanded into other business lines and avenues to promote his food philosophy; Craft has reached cruising altitude, which most any restaurant would certainly envy.
At Craft, you can reliably expect great food in a fun place – service not withstanding. I'd give it a try but at this price level, there's a lot of places in town to try too.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Café Corporate
Anonymous Office - New York, NY
Price: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 2
The Case Against Eating Local
There are actually quite a few eateries in the city that are a stressful experience. They're those places where you just tolerate the bad part, because the food is just that good. But I can't think of that many food establishments where there is the stress, and sometimes aggravation, but no real payoff to make it remotely worth it, ever. The line at Katz's is a zoo but the pastrami is about as good as it gets; the Spotted Pig requires a comically crowded wait, but for good reason; Lucali's regularly has a crowd huddled just outside the door in eager, prolonged anticipation of some of the city's best pizza. And at Café Corporate, the cafeteria in my office building run by Aramark, you circle the cafeteria several times wracking your brain for some kind of combination of food that might bear resemblance to something that is appetizing - and you either walk out with nothing, as I often do, or begrudgingly file into line at the register with some matter to put into your stomach.
With descriptions like "wild mushroom consommé," "Lasagna Bianco," or "Risotto with Edamame and Mushroom," Café Corporate might arouse false hope in the unwitting customer…only for him/her to find that the mushroom consommé is standard cloudy mushroom soup, the lasagna is now just penne with bad red sauce, and the risotto is a neon yellow mush with no trace of either vegetable. One can't really be upset with Café Corporate for shooting high. I think they mean well. But by simplifying the menu, focusing on less ingredients and doing more straightforward dishes, the end result would likely be better and we would avoid horribly failed attempts at creating something that is more fitting for the menu at a Harry's or some other slightly upscale place. In part, this is a matter of knowing your clientele: the customers aren't expecting or looking for fancy NYC food. They're looking for something satisfying, and hopefully healthy (but that’s just a plus). That's why Zigolini's is such a hit - simple sandwiches with decent ingredients and maybe a small twist. There's no reason Café Corporate can't pull that off: They have a monopoly on lunch space in the above-ground floors of a massive office building housing a customer base with deep pockets - just about the easiest set up imaginable in the industry. But the execution is not there.
Like many lunch cafeterias, there are stations throughout the room to chose from, each serving something different and terrible, in their own ways. The sandwiches can sometimes be ok but mostly tend to be dry and boring. Almost every sandwich on "feature" is put in the panini press, including a chicken caesar salad wrap which turns into a hot wilted green mess. The hot and cold counters of prepared foods are usually laughable, and it's not uncommon to see friends pointing at the food and laughing like it's a joke. Their meat selections often sit in a pool of orange grease - not only is that gross, it's a fairly surprising lack of effort / act of negligence. When there is something good at these counters - and sometimes the cold salads such as the antipasti do look good - you will find the stuff is overpriced. Today, three spoonfuls of a soggy, withered corn salad cost $2.81. Potatoes - not exactly a luxury item - are always unreasonably expensive due to their weight, making this starch the most profitable line of business at this financial institution. A full lunch for me from the hot/cold counters will cost a minimum of $8.
I have kept a minimum five foot radius from the grill station where they display raw tuna the color of sidewalk pavement, as well as marinating salmon or flank steak, which thankfully don’t look as bad. The best things tend to be the things that you have some agency over - make your own sandwich, make your own salad, make your own fruit cup, etc. The soup and salad station is basic and may be the best item because at least it's healthy, even if boring. The Premium saltine crackers are excellent. Again - simple is better for Café Corporate. With the salad, be sure to get your dressing on the side or ask to limit the quantity - or else your lunch might be more like dressing with a side of salad.
Breakfast can be ok if you're in the mood for an average bagel or toast. However, the process of toasting requires dealing with the most annoying, inefficient toaster of all time. A simple household toaster would be far better than the conveyer belt mess that merely warms whatever you put in it, unless you put it through thrice. The eggs and omelets are passable usually but it won't really surpass that. To be fair, eggs are very difficult to cook well, and good short-order cooks are wizards. Café Corporate cooks are slow and just don't have the training to do what pros do in the delis of New York. For example, my order of two eggs over easy with salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese proved to be outside the scope of the cook's skills. Immediately after cracking the egg on the skillet, the cook sprinkled cheese on the raw egg and then asked another cook what over easy was. The effort failed. It's not their fault but they need better training - that's on Aramark.
What's aggravating and perplexing to me is that the best items are consistently eliminated. The rotisserie chicken was the best item in Café Corporate: well-seasoned with crispy skin and juicy meat, usually. The buffalo chicken panini was really good for lunch and something I looked forward to with a pickle on the side. Their BBQ chicken panini wasn’t bad either. Indian food Thursdays (catered from another place) had become a ritual for me before they took it away. What a great idea and it was actually good, if greasy, Indian food. All these things: gone. Maybe they weren't economically feasible - but then again, it's hard to imagine enough people buying the other stuff in the hot food station to make those things profitable.
The service is generally friendly at Café Corporate and the people manning the registers are, for the most part, pleasant as you walk out. Even if you get the occasional scowl, more often than that, you get a nice greeting and friendly attitude; besides, you can't expect people to be super happy friendly everyday working in a subpar eating establishment. The only complaint is that on occasion I've noticed varying prices for the same product. Prices should fluctuate in the stock market but not in Café Corporate. Regardless, the disgruntlement results not so much from person to person interaction but rather the prospect of eating what's on display.
The highlight of Café Corporate - and perhaps the highlight of my day - is the musical medley that imparts feelings of joy and fulfillment that the food does not. It's unclear who the mastermind behind the tunes is but I dare say he/she borders on musical genius. Who knew I'd like Eiffel 65's "Blue" along with breakfast? A remake of "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper? I didn’t even know that existed! I'm not being sarcastic - the music actually appeals to my peculiar penchant for random throwbacks and remakes of out-of-date songs. I could make a better omelet than Café Corporate but I couldn’t make a better mixtape.
Music aside, one thing you have to tip your hat to is Café Corporate's consistency. Monday thru Friday, it will not be good. At the end of the day, there are no surprises, so I'm the idiot for going back. It's not like they're pulling some kind of crazy bait and switch on me. As they say, "Fool me once…" In the end, recommendation to you: go downstairs, get a breath of fresh air and something that will make you happy about eating. Recommendation to Café Corporate: keep the soup station; add several different types of panini to the sandwich station; bring back rotisserie chicken; add simple pasta station and baked pastas; create customized grilled chicken and burger station; create fresh vegetarian food platter station (cous cous, grilled and steamed vegetables, lentil/bean dishes, etc.); add brick pizza oven; add better salad dressings; add soft serve station; don't put raw meat out; don't put everything in the panini maker; ditch the rest.
Note: The name of this eating establishment has been changed for anonymity's sake.
Price: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 2
The Case Against Eating Local
There are actually quite a few eateries in the city that are a stressful experience. They're those places where you just tolerate the bad part, because the food is just that good. But I can't think of that many food establishments where there is the stress, and sometimes aggravation, but no real payoff to make it remotely worth it, ever. The line at Katz's is a zoo but the pastrami is about as good as it gets; the Spotted Pig requires a comically crowded wait, but for good reason; Lucali's regularly has a crowd huddled just outside the door in eager, prolonged anticipation of some of the city's best pizza. And at Café Corporate, the cafeteria in my office building run by Aramark, you circle the cafeteria several times wracking your brain for some kind of combination of food that might bear resemblance to something that is appetizing - and you either walk out with nothing, as I often do, or begrudgingly file into line at the register with some matter to put into your stomach.
With descriptions like "wild mushroom consommé," "Lasagna Bianco," or "Risotto with Edamame and Mushroom," Café Corporate might arouse false hope in the unwitting customer…only for him/her to find that the mushroom consommé is standard cloudy mushroom soup, the lasagna is now just penne with bad red sauce, and the risotto is a neon yellow mush with no trace of either vegetable. One can't really be upset with Café Corporate for shooting high. I think they mean well. But by simplifying the menu, focusing on less ingredients and doing more straightforward dishes, the end result would likely be better and we would avoid horribly failed attempts at creating something that is more fitting for the menu at a Harry's or some other slightly upscale place. In part, this is a matter of knowing your clientele: the customers aren't expecting or looking for fancy NYC food. They're looking for something satisfying, and hopefully healthy (but that’s just a plus). That's why Zigolini's is such a hit - simple sandwiches with decent ingredients and maybe a small twist. There's no reason Café Corporate can't pull that off: They have a monopoly on lunch space in the above-ground floors of a massive office building housing a customer base with deep pockets - just about the easiest set up imaginable in the industry. But the execution is not there.
Like many lunch cafeterias, there are stations throughout the room to chose from, each serving something different and terrible, in their own ways. The sandwiches can sometimes be ok but mostly tend to be dry and boring. Almost every sandwich on "feature" is put in the panini press, including a chicken caesar salad wrap which turns into a hot wilted green mess. The hot and cold counters of prepared foods are usually laughable, and it's not uncommon to see friends pointing at the food and laughing like it's a joke. Their meat selections often sit in a pool of orange grease - not only is that gross, it's a fairly surprising lack of effort / act of negligence. When there is something good at these counters - and sometimes the cold salads such as the antipasti do look good - you will find the stuff is overpriced. Today, three spoonfuls of a soggy, withered corn salad cost $2.81. Potatoes - not exactly a luxury item - are always unreasonably expensive due to their weight, making this starch the most profitable line of business at this financial institution. A full lunch for me from the hot/cold counters will cost a minimum of $8.
I have kept a minimum five foot radius from the grill station where they display raw tuna the color of sidewalk pavement, as well as marinating salmon or flank steak, which thankfully don’t look as bad. The best things tend to be the things that you have some agency over - make your own sandwich, make your own salad, make your own fruit cup, etc. The soup and salad station is basic and may be the best item because at least it's healthy, even if boring. The Premium saltine crackers are excellent. Again - simple is better for Café Corporate. With the salad, be sure to get your dressing on the side or ask to limit the quantity - or else your lunch might be more like dressing with a side of salad.
Breakfast can be ok if you're in the mood for an average bagel or toast. However, the process of toasting requires dealing with the most annoying, inefficient toaster of all time. A simple household toaster would be far better than the conveyer belt mess that merely warms whatever you put in it, unless you put it through thrice. The eggs and omelets are passable usually but it won't really surpass that. To be fair, eggs are very difficult to cook well, and good short-order cooks are wizards. Café Corporate cooks are slow and just don't have the training to do what pros do in the delis of New York. For example, my order of two eggs over easy with salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese proved to be outside the scope of the cook's skills. Immediately after cracking the egg on the skillet, the cook sprinkled cheese on the raw egg and then asked another cook what over easy was. The effort failed. It's not their fault but they need better training - that's on Aramark.
What's aggravating and perplexing to me is that the best items are consistently eliminated. The rotisserie chicken was the best item in Café Corporate: well-seasoned with crispy skin and juicy meat, usually. The buffalo chicken panini was really good for lunch and something I looked forward to with a pickle on the side. Their BBQ chicken panini wasn’t bad either. Indian food Thursdays (catered from another place) had become a ritual for me before they took it away. What a great idea and it was actually good, if greasy, Indian food. All these things: gone. Maybe they weren't economically feasible - but then again, it's hard to imagine enough people buying the other stuff in the hot food station to make those things profitable.
The service is generally friendly at Café Corporate and the people manning the registers are, for the most part, pleasant as you walk out. Even if you get the occasional scowl, more often than that, you get a nice greeting and friendly attitude; besides, you can't expect people to be super happy friendly everyday working in a subpar eating establishment. The only complaint is that on occasion I've noticed varying prices for the same product. Prices should fluctuate in the stock market but not in Café Corporate. Regardless, the disgruntlement results not so much from person to person interaction but rather the prospect of eating what's on display.
The highlight of Café Corporate - and perhaps the highlight of my day - is the musical medley that imparts feelings of joy and fulfillment that the food does not. It's unclear who the mastermind behind the tunes is but I dare say he/she borders on musical genius. Who knew I'd like Eiffel 65's "Blue" along with breakfast? A remake of "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper? I didn’t even know that existed! I'm not being sarcastic - the music actually appeals to my peculiar penchant for random throwbacks and remakes of out-of-date songs. I could make a better omelet than Café Corporate but I couldn’t make a better mixtape.
Music aside, one thing you have to tip your hat to is Café Corporate's consistency. Monday thru Friday, it will not be good. At the end of the day, there are no surprises, so I'm the idiot for going back. It's not like they're pulling some kind of crazy bait and switch on me. As they say, "Fool me once…" In the end, recommendation to you: go downstairs, get a breath of fresh air and something that will make you happy about eating. Recommendation to Café Corporate: keep the soup station; add several different types of panini to the sandwich station; bring back rotisserie chicken; add simple pasta station and baked pastas; create customized grilled chicken and burger station; create fresh vegetarian food platter station (cous cous, grilled and steamed vegetables, lentil/bean dishes, etc.); add brick pizza oven; add better salad dressings; add soft serve station; don't put raw meat out; don't put everything in the panini maker; ditch the rest.
Note: The name of this eating establishment has been changed for anonymity's sake.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
2008 Year in Edible Review
12/31/2008
Dear Readers:
2008 was a year of truly remarkable events – sea change moments that we collectively thought we would perhaps never see. We saw: the demise of a handful of venerable financial giants, and subsequently, investment banking as we knew it; the first truly viable female presidential candidate; arguably the greatest Olympic feat ever – 8-gold medals in a single Olympic games by the same person; billions of dollars worth of fraudulent activity orchestrated by mere individuals; and of course, the event that became this country’s (and the world’s) fixation over the course of the year, a phenomenon that transcended race, religion, and conventional thinking as to what is possible, and, I dare say, the reclamation of a lost faith in the American Dream…this, of course, was the creation of the Edible Review.
I had mulled over the idea of a food blog focused on restaurants for quite some time but only in early 2008 did I decide that I should just jump in and do it. Although I have no illusions (despite what is written above) about the size of my readership, it has been a wonderful learning experience and an opportunity to express and hone my thoughts on food, restaurants, and hospitality. I hope that it has also been as worthwhile for the five or so people who have read my entries. The point, as the title of the blog suggests, is first and foremost to be useful. If anyone has learned anything from it aside from me, that makes me quite happy.
Here are some random thoughts that come to mind as I look back on 2008 and also look forward to what will surely be the year in which the Edible Review supplants the Michelin guide as the world’s most renowned restaurant guide:
- The breadth and energy of the NYC’s food industry never fails to amaze me. It’s an education in food, and no one is above it, certainly not food writers.
- Food writers have it a whole lot easier than the people making and serving the food. I try not to get on my high horse too much for several reasons. Chiefly, even though this blog isn’t the New York Times, anything you put in front of the public eye has potential to affect a business, and thus someone’s livelihood. Most industries don’t have this level of exposure and vulnerability, and it’s not something to take lightly. The big other reason is that I don’t think we respect and appreciate enough, the difficulty of running and working in a restaurant. The reality is that I don’t have the guts to do it myself and so here I sit comfortably up on my perch. I feel like a coward, and even a jerk.
- It will be interesting to see how the food industry reacts to the economic woes – it’ll be survival mode in an already tough industry. But there is so much passion in the food industry that, I don’t doubt for a second that the culinary evolution will continue unabated.
- There’s nothing that satisfies quite like slow-cooked meats.
- Soccarat was my favorite new restaurant of 2008 and probably my favorite overall.
With that, I say thank you – restaurants and readers - and happy 2009.
Dear Readers:
2008 was a year of truly remarkable events – sea change moments that we collectively thought we would perhaps never see. We saw: the demise of a handful of venerable financial giants, and subsequently, investment banking as we knew it; the first truly viable female presidential candidate; arguably the greatest Olympic feat ever – 8-gold medals in a single Olympic games by the same person; billions of dollars worth of fraudulent activity orchestrated by mere individuals; and of course, the event that became this country’s (and the world’s) fixation over the course of the year, a phenomenon that transcended race, religion, and conventional thinking as to what is possible, and, I dare say, the reclamation of a lost faith in the American Dream…this, of course, was the creation of the Edible Review.
I had mulled over the idea of a food blog focused on restaurants for quite some time but only in early 2008 did I decide that I should just jump in and do it. Although I have no illusions (despite what is written above) about the size of my readership, it has been a wonderful learning experience and an opportunity to express and hone my thoughts on food, restaurants, and hospitality. I hope that it has also been as worthwhile for the five or so people who have read my entries. The point, as the title of the blog suggests, is first and foremost to be useful. If anyone has learned anything from it aside from me, that makes me quite happy.
Here are some random thoughts that come to mind as I look back on 2008 and also look forward to what will surely be the year in which the Edible Review supplants the Michelin guide as the world’s most renowned restaurant guide:
- The breadth and energy of the NYC’s food industry never fails to amaze me. It’s an education in food, and no one is above it, certainly not food writers.
- Food writers have it a whole lot easier than the people making and serving the food. I try not to get on my high horse too much for several reasons. Chiefly, even though this blog isn’t the New York Times, anything you put in front of the public eye has potential to affect a business, and thus someone’s livelihood. Most industries don’t have this level of exposure and vulnerability, and it’s not something to take lightly. The big other reason is that I don’t think we respect and appreciate enough, the difficulty of running and working in a restaurant. The reality is that I don’t have the guts to do it myself and so here I sit comfortably up on my perch. I feel like a coward, and even a jerk.
- It will be interesting to see how the food industry reacts to the economic woes – it’ll be survival mode in an already tough industry. But there is so much passion in the food industry that, I don’t doubt for a second that the culinary evolution will continue unabated.
- There’s nothing that satisfies quite like slow-cooked meats.
- Soccarat was my favorite new restaurant of 2008 and probably my favorite overall.
With that, I say thank you – restaurants and readers - and happy 2009.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Ten Penh
12/6/2008
Washington, DC: 1001 Pennsylvania Ave, NW - (202) 393-4500
Price: High End
Rating (1-10): 6
Full Review:
Ten Penh is a large-scale Pan-Asian restaurant that has been playing host to power brokers of the DC downtown scene since its opening in summer 2000. The food is interesting and well-executed. But Ten Penh is more abut about the overall fun of the experience, plates, and drinks. It’s good for big group dinners or catching up with friends, or before a night on the town. It’s not DC’s best in culture, refinement, or sophistication; but it's a taste of those things, it’s satisfying, and most importantly, it’s a good time.
In my mind, the descriptor “Pan-Asian” is usually a tip-off that it's not really Asian. It’s like saying a restaurant is European: a mile wide, an inch deep. At Ten Penh, the menu is described as Pan-Asian, but it’s essentially an American style of Asian that caters to a penchant for large portions, dramatic plating, and strong flavors. Like the colorful, large décor and high ceilings of this showy restaurant, the food lacks a bit of subtlety – ironically, one of the few traits that one might correctly be able to qualify as Pan-Asian.
While the menu thankfully isn’t a regurgitation of typical Asian style dishes – chicken pad thai, drunken noodle, sukiyaki, chicken satay with peanut sauce, kobe beef, chicken and cashew, etc – it’s more about glitz than true culinary impact. Most of the plates tend to wow with presentation and size – for example, a lot of deep-fried stuff piled to impressive heights. I can appreciate the effort and the creativity in the visual, but sometimes I’m weary that it’s a substitute for the quality of the cooking itself. That said, it all came out pretty well. The lamb was cooked and seasoned/spiced well, the Chilean sea bass was light and tender, and the lobster was mostly soft accompanied by a flavorful jus.
It’s not perfection, certainly. Their Thai shrimp curry was a bit too sweet on account of over-pineappling. The duck roll appetizer was too dry all around – the wrapper and the duck – but still tasted good. The salad was passable and the short ribs were a bit on the sweet side but bold in flavor and tender, with an appetizing carmelized sheen. Overall, they're satisfying, hearty dishes, not overly heavy and pleasing to the taste buds.
But again, I believe the goal of this place centers on the experience – and to their credit, the service is friendly and accommodating. They went out of their way to make our experience fun and memorable, not only accommodating a large size table but allowing us to pull a “surprise” birthday party near our table. The restaurant made specially printed menus recognizing the birthday, and allowed us to bring our own cake and champagne (though with plating and corking fees). It’s this kind of flexibility and hospitality that leaves you walking away happy for the selection of Ten Penh for dinner.
By now, the name Ten Penh is widely recognizable to residents of DC - a downtown power lunch spot, pretty good food. That seems about right but I think there’s more to it than that - I believe the people at Ten Penh care about quality of the food and the experience. Just take a look at the wares, which are of a surprisingly nice quality (Laguiole knives, individual heavy cast iron pots, etc.). At some point, there was a conscious decision made to spend the extra cash to provide top notch stuff. That said, on second look, they’re also slightly worn, chipped, or broken from heavy usage – not quite what they once might have been. Similarly, it seems like Ten Penh may also have already seen its heyday. We’ll see if they can keep it fresh, new. As far as Pan-Asian restaurants go, it’s one that I’d root for.
Ten Penh is a large-scale Pan-Asian restaurant that has been playing host to power brokers of the DC downtown scene since its opening in summer 2000. The food is interesting and well-executed. But Ten Penh is more abut about the overall fun of the experience, plates, and drinks. It’s good for big group dinners or catching up with friends, or before a night on the town. It’s not DC’s best in culture, refinement, or sophistication; but it's a taste of those things, it’s satisfying, and most importantly, it’s a good time.In my mind, the descriptor “Pan-Asian” is usually a tip-off that it's not really Asian. It’s like saying a restaurant is European: a mile wide, an inch deep. At Ten Penh, the menu is described as Pan-Asian, but it’s essentially an American style of Asian that caters to a penchant for large portions, dramatic plating, and strong flavors. Like the colorful, large décor and high ceilings of this showy restaurant, the food lacks a bit of subtlety – ironically, one of the few traits that one might correctly be able to qualify as Pan-Asian.While the menu thankfully isn’t a regurgitation of typical Asian style dishes – chicken pad thai, drunken noodle, sukiyaki, chicken satay with peanut sauce, kobe beef, chicken and cashew, etc – it’s more about glitz than true culinary impact. Most of the plates tend to wow with presentation and size – for example, a lot of deep-fried stuff piled to impressive heights. I can appreciate the effort and the creativity in the visual, but sometimes I’m weary that it’s a substitute for the quality of the cooking itself. That said, it all came out pretty well. The lamb was cooked and seasoned/spiced well, the Chilean sea bass was light and tender, and the lobster was mostly soft accompanied by a flavorful jus.It’s not perfection, certainly. Their Thai shrimp curry was a bit too sweet on account of over-pineappling. The duck roll appetizer was too dry all around – the wrapper and the duck – but still tasted good. The salad was passable and the short ribs were a bit on the sweet side but bold in flavor and tender, with an appetizing carmelized sheen. Overall, they're satisfying, hearty dishes, not overly heavy and pleasing to the taste buds.But again, I believe the goal of this place centers on the experience – and to their credit, the service is friendly and accommodating. They went out of their way to make our experience fun and memorable, not only accommodating a large size table but allowing us to pull a “surprise” birthday party near our table. The restaurant made specially printed menus recognizing the birthday, and allowed us to bring our own cake and champagne (though with plating and corking fees). It’s this kind of flexibility and hospitality that leaves you walking away happy for the selection of Ten Penh for dinner.
By now, the name Ten Penh is widely recognizable to residents of DC - a downtown power lunch spot, pretty good food. That seems about right but I think there’s more to it than that - I believe the people at Ten Penh care about quality of the food and the experience. Just take a look at the wares, which are of a surprisingly nice quality (Laguiole knives, individual heavy cast iron pots, etc.). At some point, there was a conscious decision made to spend the extra cash to provide top notch stuff. That said, on second look, they’re also slightly worn, chipped, or broken from heavy usage – not quite what they once might have been. Similarly, it seems like Ten Penh may also have already seen its heyday. We’ll see if they can keep it fresh, new. As far as Pan-Asian restaurants go, it’s one that I’d root for.Thursday, November 6, 2008
Momofuku Ko
11/6/2008
East Village: 163 1st Ave (between 10th and 11th St)
Price: Break the Bank
Rating (1-10): 8
Momofuku Ko is a fun experience for anyone who wants to do some adventurous eating. While fun doesn’t always lead to success in the dishes, Ko isn't something you come across everyday. If you like asking questions about food, being in a kitchen, and interacting with the cooks, this is your place, because you will sit right in front of the cooks and literally feel the heat off the stove. The now iconic Chef David Chang (2008 James Beard Award Best Chef for NYC) has put a lot of thought into this very intimate experience and the set multi-course menu. Prepare for ingredients you hadn’t ever heard of (pine needle oil). Be sure to peer over the counter as the cooks assemble your next dish with painstaking care and detail. Take a guess at what you think is going to be next (you’ll be wrong). Ask yourself, “who the f thinks of that?” By the end, it’s likely you’ll be pretty exhausted from a full stomach and a mental challenge. Truth be told, it’s not the kind of meal that I’d want on a regular basis, but if you’re in the mood to experiment and enter a food playground, where at least some of the things will please the palate, check it out.
The Ko offerings are complex and involve ingredients you’d have to be a true expert to know. It’s one thing just to put a cool, little known ingredient on a plate, and say “Tadaaaaa!” It’s a whole other thing to use take that ingredient and use it intelligently and with purpose. In most of the dishes at Ko, there was a “wow” moment when you taste why certain ingredients are there, and how they pull the dish together – and that is impressive. The shiso leaf and the pink lemon pull together the lobster and shrimp ceviche, the best I’ve ever had. The mustard greens on top of the braised lamb belly are a great complement, and add surprisingly strong mustardy flavor. The candied nuts in the famed foie gras / lychee / Riesling gelee dish give a nice crunchy texture and add sweetness to balance out the alcohol in the gelee as well as the richness of the foie. A bit of chive on top of the raw fluke is the perfect complement to the fish and white soy - poppy sauce. The bits of coffee together with the venison are awesome. The “pretzel” flavored ice cream desert (who the f thinks of that?) works alongside the refreshing green apple puree underneath. The dishes seemed to “turn” on these ingredients.
Most of the dishes were enjoyable (and gone in a matter of seconds) – lobster and shrimp ceviche; smoked soft-boiled egg with caviar; long island fluke sashimi; mandarin orange fruit and sorbet. But a couple that were surprisingly off. Thin-sliced porchini mushroom and egg noodle with mushroom broth poured over top sounded wonderful but the broth was intolerably salty, with way too much soy sauce. Instead of subtly enhancing the flavor of the fresh porcini, the broth drowned it. And a pine needle oil that was supposedly in the dish was completely wiped out. This seemed to be an error in execution, rather than conception; if the broth were prepared well, this would have a great dish. By contrast, monkfish served below a delicious piece of uni (sea urchin), and resting in a shellfish broth, was problematic in conception as well as execution. What was most unappealing was the cold uni paired with hot fish; the contrast in temperature was a bit gross. Overall, the monkfish was rubbery and forgettable, the shellfish broth was fine, and I thought – as I often do with seared tuna – that I’d rather just have had the uni in sushi form.
Although, for the most part, I liked the courses individually, as a full meal, the experimental menu is a bit incoherent and perplexing to the stomach. Ko may be trying to take you on a adventure but the ingredients and dishes were so wide ranging that it left our party feeling strange, due to the intense variety along with a lot of heavy stuff (braised lamb, venison, fried cheese, foie gras). We were not a particularly faint of heart crew either; we tend to seek out the crazy stuff. Still, to be fair, this is what you sign up for.
What we did not sign up for, and what was most disappointing, was the service of the hostess/server. While the cooks do well at preparing the meals, conversing with guests, and entertaining simultaneously, the servers seem to be the ones dropping the ball. Or, as it were, the glasses, twice (once on my leg). They also turned off the lights in the restaurant without realizing it. But it’s not so much that they messed up – everyone does – but the only ones who really seemed to be concerned were the cooks across the counter. Throughout the night, the only truly personable service we received was from the cooks. From the “front of the house” side, the attitude was lax and nonchalant, and in addition, rude. For example, the wine menu, which we opted out of, was uncomfortably pushed on us, with a tone of expectation, rather than offering. How is that supposed to make you feel comfortable? As laid back as the Momofukus are intended to be, it’s still a high end meal and there’s a difference between being casual and being careless.
David Chang strikes me as a cook’s chef; he’s a no frills kind of guy who’s not in it for the celebrity. He understands a cook’s mentality: the perspective of the guys grinding it out in the kitchen trenches every day and night, getting paid beans, trying to develop their foundation of skills and ideas – while hoping that some day, they too will have an opportunity to run a kitchen. Chang encourages creativity and thoughtfulness in his cooks, and it seems to be his philosophy and mission to help them experiment, grow, and try to develop new culinary ideas. From what the cooks at Ko told me, they do indeed have the freedom to propose new dishes and collaborate on new menu items. In this high-end laboratory, the cooks also have the unique opportunity to get out of the “back of the house” and interact with the customers, across the quasi-sushi counter. They see the expressions of delight on your face and stand at the table with you. It strikes me as a very rare opportunity for an up and coming cook. Chang is putting a whole lot of trust in his cooks and he’s creating a style of mentorship all his own. Whether or not you like his food, I believe it’s something you have to applaud.
I’ve long thought that the numerous critics that gushed like cloned idiots over Ko without any real critique, have done this place a disservice. First, they have set expectations impossibly high. Please temper your expectations and know what you’re getting into. Second, they have sparked a general craze over this place that is borderline bizarre. They’ve made it into something that I’m not sure David Chang intended it to be: a scene. As a result, chances are against you that you’ll be able to get a reservation, at least for the time being. If you don’t get one, life has not passed you by, believe it or not. You can always go up the road to Momofuku Ssam for great David Chang food, where you’ll find dishes that are just as good if not better (pork buns – still the best). They might not be as quirky and adventurous as they are at Ko, and you won’t get to sit directly in front of the cooks when they’re making it – but I love that stuff, and even I would say, don’t go scouring Craigslist for a reservation. Go when the time is right and have fun when you do.
At the end of the day, my service experience aside, Ko is a wonderfully unique dining experience and for $100, it’s worth the money. You’ll be getting a great deal of personal attention from the professionals who make the food, high quality ingredients, and the opportunity to be a part of a kitchen lab that is pushing new culinary ideas forward. If you do have the opportunity, it’s one worth grabbing, provided you have some cash and an open mind.
East Village: 163 1st Ave (between 10th and 11th St)
Rating (1-10): 8
Momofuku Ko is a fun experience for anyone who wants to do some adventurous eating. While fun doesn’t always lead to success in the dishes, Ko isn't something you come across everyday. If you like asking questions about food, being in a kitchen, and interacting with the cooks, this is your place, because you will sit right in front of the cooks and literally feel the heat off the stove. The now iconic Chef David Chang (2008 James Beard Award Best Chef for NYC) has put a lot of thought into this very intimate experience and the set multi-course menu. Prepare for ingredients you hadn’t ever heard of (pine needle oil). Be sure to peer over the counter as the cooks assemble your next dish with painstaking care and detail. Take a guess at what you think is going to be next (you’ll be wrong). Ask yourself, “who the f thinks of that?” By the end, it’s likely you’ll be pretty exhausted from a full stomach and a mental challenge. Truth be told, it’s not the kind of meal that I’d want on a regular basis, but if you’re in the mood to experiment and enter a food playground, where at least some of the things will please the palate, check it out.The Ko offerings are complex and involve ingredients you’d have to be a true expert to know. It’s one thing just to put a cool, little known ingredient on a plate, and say “Tadaaaaa!” It’s a whole other thing to use take that ingredient and use it intelligently and with purpose. In most of the dishes at Ko, there was a “wow” moment when you taste why certain ingredients are there, and how they pull the dish together – and that is impressive. The shiso leaf and the pink lemon pull together the lobster and shrimp ceviche, the best I’ve ever had. The mustard greens on top of the braised lamb belly are a great complement, and add surprisingly strong mustardy flavor. The candied nuts in the famed foie gras / lychee / Riesling gelee dish give a nice crunchy texture and add sweetness to balance out the alcohol in the gelee as well as the richness of the foie. A bit of chive on top of the raw fluke is the perfect complement to the fish and white soy - poppy sauce. The bits of coffee together with the venison are awesome. The “pretzel” flavored ice cream desert (who the f thinks of that?) works alongside the refreshing green apple puree underneath. The dishes seemed to “turn” on these ingredients.
Most of the dishes were enjoyable (and gone in a matter of seconds) – lobster and shrimp ceviche; smoked soft-boiled egg with caviar; long island fluke sashimi; mandarin orange fruit and sorbet. But a couple that were surprisingly off. Thin-sliced porchini mushroom and egg noodle with mushroom broth poured over top sounded wonderful but the broth was intolerably salty, with way too much soy sauce. Instead of subtly enhancing the flavor of the fresh porcini, the broth drowned it. And a pine needle oil that was supposedly in the dish was completely wiped out. This seemed to be an error in execution, rather than conception; if the broth were prepared well, this would have a great dish. By contrast, monkfish served below a delicious piece of uni (sea urchin), and resting in a shellfish broth, was problematic in conception as well as execution. What was most unappealing was the cold uni paired with hot fish; the contrast in temperature was a bit gross. Overall, the monkfish was rubbery and forgettable, the shellfish broth was fine, and I thought – as I often do with seared tuna – that I’d rather just have had the uni in sushi form.
Although, for the most part, I liked the courses individually, as a full meal, the experimental menu is a bit incoherent and perplexing to the stomach. Ko may be trying to take you on a adventure but the ingredients and dishes were so wide ranging that it left our party feeling strange, due to the intense variety along with a lot of heavy stuff (braised lamb, venison, fried cheese, foie gras). We were not a particularly faint of heart crew either; we tend to seek out the crazy stuff. Still, to be fair, this is what you sign up for.
What we did not sign up for, and what was most disappointing, was the service of the hostess/server. While the cooks do well at preparing the meals, conversing with guests, and entertaining simultaneously, the servers seem to be the ones dropping the ball. Or, as it were, the glasses, twice (once on my leg). They also turned off the lights in the restaurant without realizing it. But it’s not so much that they messed up – everyone does – but the only ones who really seemed to be concerned were the cooks across the counter. Throughout the night, the only truly personable service we received was from the cooks. From the “front of the house” side, the attitude was lax and nonchalant, and in addition, rude. For example, the wine menu, which we opted out of, was uncomfortably pushed on us, with a tone of expectation, rather than offering. How is that supposed to make you feel comfortable? As laid back as the Momofukus are intended to be, it’s still a high end meal and there’s a difference between being casual and being careless.
David Chang strikes me as a cook’s chef; he’s a no frills kind of guy who’s not in it for the celebrity. He understands a cook’s mentality: the perspective of the guys grinding it out in the kitchen trenches every day and night, getting paid beans, trying to develop their foundation of skills and ideas – while hoping that some day, they too will have an opportunity to run a kitchen. Chang encourages creativity and thoughtfulness in his cooks, and it seems to be his philosophy and mission to help them experiment, grow, and try to develop new culinary ideas. From what the cooks at Ko told me, they do indeed have the freedom to propose new dishes and collaborate on new menu items. In this high-end laboratory, the cooks also have the unique opportunity to get out of the “back of the house” and interact with the customers, across the quasi-sushi counter. They see the expressions of delight on your face and stand at the table with you. It strikes me as a very rare opportunity for an up and coming cook. Chang is putting a whole lot of trust in his cooks and he’s creating a style of mentorship all his own. Whether or not you like his food, I believe it’s something you have to applaud.
I’ve long thought that the numerous critics that gushed like cloned idiots over Ko without any real critique, have done this place a disservice. First, they have set expectations impossibly high. Please temper your expectations and know what you’re getting into. Second, they have sparked a general craze over this place that is borderline bizarre. They’ve made it into something that I’m not sure David Chang intended it to be: a scene. As a result, chances are against you that you’ll be able to get a reservation, at least for the time being. If you don’t get one, life has not passed you by, believe it or not. You can always go up the road to Momofuku Ssam for great David Chang food, where you’ll find dishes that are just as good if not better (pork buns – still the best). They might not be as quirky and adventurous as they are at Ko, and you won’t get to sit directly in front of the cooks when they’re making it – but I love that stuff, and even I would say, don’t go scouring Craigslist for a reservation. Go when the time is right and have fun when you do.
At the end of the day, my service experience aside, Ko is a wonderfully unique dining experience and for $100, it’s worth the money. You’ll be getting a great deal of personal attention from the professionals who make the food, high quality ingredients, and the opportunity to be a part of a kitchen lab that is pushing new culinary ideas forward. If you do have the opportunity, it’s one worth grabbing, provided you have some cash and an open mind.Sunday, October 19, 2008
Blue Hill at Stone Barns
10/19/2008
Poncatino Hills, NY: 630 Bedford Rd - (914) 366-9600
Price: Break the Bank
Rating (1-10): 10
I think the most appropriate word to describe Blue Hill at Stone Barns is ‘idyllic.’ It says something when, even after waiting on your reservation for two months
at an already hyped restaurant, it utterly blows you away. If you have the opportunity and a bit of a budget, go - and make it an all-day affair. You’ll enjoy fresh varieties of food you never knew existed, presented delicately, playfully, and tastefully. You’ll learn about what you’re eating and where it comes from. You’ll be coddled by an army of smiling, earnest, and comfortably formal staff. You’ll see where everything comes from as you stroll the sprawling countryside before or after your meal. For a day, you’ll feel like a Rockefeller.
Of course, Blue Hill at Stone Barns has the unfair advantage of being situated on a picturesque upstate Rockefeller upstate. For a chef, for a restaurant, I could not imagine a more ideal setup: a fully functional farm to source natural, seasonal, and ridiculously local food, well-financed backers, a campus of beautifully preserved old stone structures, and a food-aware clientele. But they seem to have found the perfect chef for this set up: Dan Barber, who has become something of a hero within the local, natural food movement. Chef Barber splits his time between his restaurant in the Village and this restaurant and despite his rising national celebrity, he’s actually here, in the kitchen.
True to its mission, all parts of Blue Hill at Stone Barns work in rhythm with nature, a restaurant within a broader ecosystem. No wonder Chef Barber is so admired in the eat fresh, eat local Alice Waters movement. You don’t need signs telling you it’s “All Natural” or “100% Organic” or “Certified Free Range.”
That’s all a given. The restaurant fits so seamlessly into the farm, and follows and maximizes the environment it’s in. Somehow, being here brings a calm over you, some kind of Update New York Zen.
There are many wonderful restaurants in NYC with the same food philosophy as Stone Barns, but you just can’t get a truly living-off-the-land kind of experience in the Village, not even at Blue Hill’s NYC outpost itself. One server offered to go pick tea leaves to make tea for a nearby table. Kind of says it all.
It’s almost intimidating to walk into a place with such a depth of knowledge about the production and preparations of food and ingredients (in fact, it’s a learning institution than runs tours and educational programs for children and various groups). But it’s not in a snobby way, it’s just what they do and love.
For brunch, Blue Hill offers a tasting menu of several courses that aren’t laid out on the menu. Instead, the server asks some questions to gauge your preferences, eating restrictions, and adventurousness. And then the menu shifts, so what one table gets will probably differ from what the next table gets. It’s flexible, personable, and fun.
Our first dish was a roasted eggplant broth mixed with various wild mushrooms, a deeply yellow, creamy poached egg, and a type of spinach. The mushrooms are the main feature – large, earthy chunks in a savory, slightly acidic yellow broth.
Next up, freshwater, smoked eel in a Manhattan-style chowder with miniature cubed vegetables – carrot, celery, garlic, potato, maybe more, in a bright orange tomato broth. The veggies are crunchy and slightly sweet, and the eel, which is caught in northeastern streams, is a bit tough because at this time the eel are spawning, working hard, getting tougher. It’s a smoky, gamey, and oddly appealing.
A pork plate followed, with braised pork belly glistening with fat, pork sausage that reminds you how meat is supposed to taste, roasted mini apple (who knew?), apple puree, pork jus, and fresh collard green leaves. This is a pork lover’s dream but – and this is a small matter - a tad too much sweetness from the apple. On the next plate sat a fat chunk of braised lamb’s neck with jus, a squash blossom, and an assortment of shell beans – rich, salty almost corned beef flavor, layered with fat. The dish is wonderful to look at. But our (only) criticism was the choice of fat-laden braised meat dishes in two consecutive courses, which is a bit heavy.
For dessert, we got three plates for two people: a play on strawberry shortcake with mini strawberries, citrus, cream between two blinis, and vanilla bean ice cream and yogurt on the side; pumpkin and chocolate cake with a righteous piece of pumpkin, and ice cream; and an apple dessert layered with meringue and ginger ice cream on the side. This is some of the best dessert I’ve ever had with elements that blend beautifully together. The strawberry and the apple desserts were my favorites.
We enjoyed the meal along with several cups of tasty Brazilian bean coffee over the course of three swift but careless, leisurely hours. Blue Hill service is impeccable and friendly, and it seems like the staff flash a warm smile whenever they pass by your table. They clearly love the food and the mission here, and are happy to discuss the backstory of where it all came from, who is responsible for cultivating it, etc. It’s ‘you can do no wrong,’ bend over backwards, ‘no request is unreasonable’ kind of service. Their attention to detail and conversational manner add to a brand of hospitality befitting of the atmosphere. (And one thing I noticed – no ice in the water! Ice often makes water too cold and also clumsy to drink. Here, they don’t pour ice in your glass, a novel, smart idea.)
The entire estate is tastefully decorated with clean lines and modern furnishings while retaining the rustic outdoor feel. We sat in a banquette that looks out across the rest of the dining room which is surrounded by windows that stream in sunlight and surrounding scenery. The dining room features high ceilings, exposed buttresses, and great people watching as well as food spying on other tables. It’s comfortable and classy, clean and efficient. You want to be here. All told: the cost per person was $77. By any standard, this is more than fair.
After our meal, we took a kitchen tour, saw the herb garden, and the wandered surprisingly freely around the grounds and adjacent state park. You want to see where the pork comes from? Go check out the pigs. Beef? Cows. Arugula? Greenhouse. Chicken? Chickens. Honey? Bee farm. You get the idea.
Maybe it's the whole idea of going to Stone Barns and being in this setting that predisposes a visitor to being utterly taken by this place. That may be why I walked away with almost no thought to how it could have been better. One thing is clear: Chef Barber’s life is not bad. During our post-meal exploration of the Stone Barns grounds, he jogged by us down a winding path with fall foliage colors in the background – probably catching a breath of fresh air before heading back to his culinary playground to plan what items to showcase at dinner. You should really see it for yourself.
Poncatino Hills, NY: 630 Bedford Rd - (914) 366-9600
Price: Break the Bank
Rating (1-10): 10
I think the most appropriate word to describe Blue Hill at Stone Barns is ‘idyllic.’ It says something when, even after waiting on your reservation for two months at an already hyped restaurant, it utterly blows you away. If you have the opportunity and a bit of a budget, go - and make it an all-day affair. You’ll enjoy fresh varieties of food you never knew existed, presented delicately, playfully, and tastefully. You’ll learn about what you’re eating and where it comes from. You’ll be coddled by an army of smiling, earnest, and comfortably formal staff. You’ll see where everything comes from as you stroll the sprawling countryside before or after your meal. For a day, you’ll feel like a Rockefeller.Of course, Blue Hill at Stone Barns has the unfair advantage of being situated on a picturesque upstate Rockefeller upstate. For a chef, for a restaurant, I could not imagine a more ideal setup: a fully functional farm to source natural, seasonal, and ridiculously local food, well-financed backers, a campus of beautifully preserved old stone structures, and a food-aware clientele. But they seem to have found the perfect chef for this set up: Dan Barber, who has become something of a hero within the local, natural food movement. Chef Barber splits his time between his restaurant in the Village and this restaurant and despite his rising national celebrity, he’s actually here, in the kitchen.True to its mission, all parts of Blue Hill at Stone Barns work in rhythm with nature, a restaurant within a broader ecosystem. No wonder Chef Barber is so admired in the eat fresh, eat local Alice Waters movement. You don’t need signs telling you it’s “All Natural” or “100% Organic” or “Certified Free Range.”
That’s all a given. The restaurant fits so seamlessly into the farm, and follows and maximizes the environment it’s in. Somehow, being here brings a calm over you, some kind of Update New York Zen.
There are many wonderful restaurants in NYC with the same food philosophy as Stone Barns, but you just can’t get a truly living-off-the-land kind of experience in the Village, not even at Blue Hill’s NYC outpost itself. One server offered to go pick tea leaves to make tea for a nearby table. Kind of says it all.
It’s almost intimidating to walk into a place with such a depth of knowledge about the production and preparations of food and ingredients (in fact, it’s a learning institution than runs tours and educational programs for children and various groups). But it’s not in a snobby way, it’s just what they do and love.
For brunch, Blue Hill offers a tasting menu of several courses that aren’t laid out on the menu. Instead, the server asks some questions to gauge your preferences, eating restrictions, and adventurousness. And then the menu shifts, so what one table gets will probably differ from what the next table gets. It’s flexible, personable, and fun.Our first dish was a roasted eggplant broth mixed with various wild mushrooms, a deeply yellow, creamy poached egg, and a type of spinach. The mushrooms are the main feature – large, earthy chunks in a savory, slightly acidic yellow broth.
Next up, freshwater, smoked eel in a Manhattan-style chowder with miniature cubed vegetables – carrot, celery, garlic, potato, maybe more, in a bright orange tomato broth. The veggies are crunchy and slightly sweet, and the eel, which is caught in northeastern streams, is a bit tough because at this time the eel are spawning, working hard, getting tougher. It’s a smoky, gamey, and oddly appealing.A pork plate followed, with braised pork belly glistening with fat, pork sausage that reminds you how meat is supposed to taste, roasted mini apple (who knew?), apple puree, pork jus, and fresh collard green leaves. This is a pork lover’s dream but – and this is a small matter - a tad too much sweetness from the apple. On the next plate sat a fat chunk of braised lamb’s neck with jus, a squash blossom, and an assortment of shell beans – rich, salty almost corned beef flavor, layered with fat. The dish is wonderful to look at. But our (only) criticism was the choice of fat-laden braised meat dishes in two consecutive courses, which is a bit heavy.For dessert, we got three plates for two people: a play on strawberry shortcake with mini strawberries, citrus, cream between two blinis, and vanilla bean ice cream and yogurt on the side; pumpkin and chocolate cake with a righteous piece of pumpkin, and ice cream; and an apple dessert layered with meringue and ginger ice cream on the side. This is some of the best dessert I’ve ever had with elements that blend beautifully together. The strawberry and the apple desserts were my favorites.
We enjoyed the meal along with several cups of tasty Brazilian bean coffee over the course of three swift but careless, leisurely hours. Blue Hill service is impeccable and friendly, and it seems like the staff flash a warm smile whenever they pass by your table. They clearly love the food and the mission here, and are happy to discuss the backstory of where it all came from, who is responsible for cultivating it, etc. It’s ‘you can do no wrong,’ bend over backwards, ‘no request is unreasonable’ kind of service. Their attention to detail and conversational manner add to a brand of hospitality befitting of the atmosphere. (And one thing I noticed – no ice in the water! Ice often makes water too cold and also clumsy to drink. Here, they don’t pour ice in your glass, a novel, smart idea.)
The entire estate is tastefully decorated with clean lines and modern furnishings while retaining the rustic outdoor feel. We sat in a banquette that looks out across the rest of the dining room which is surrounded by windows that stream in sunlight and surrounding scenery. The dining room features high ceilings, exposed buttresses, and great people watching as well as food spying on other tables. It’s comfortable and classy, clean and efficient. You want to be here. All told: the cost per person was $77. By any standard, this is more than fair.After our meal, we took a kitchen tour, saw the herb garden, and the wandered surprisingly freely around the grounds and adjacent state park. You want to see where the pork comes from? Go check out the pigs. Beef? Cows. Arugula? Greenhouse. Chicken? Chickens. Honey? Bee farm. You get the idea.
Maybe it's the whole idea of going to Stone Barns and being in this setting that predisposes a visitor to being utterly taken by this place. That may be why I walked away with almost no thought to how it could have been better. One thing is clear: Chef Barber’s life is not bad. During our post-meal exploration of the Stone Barns grounds, he jogged by us down a winding path with fall foliage colors in the background – probably catching a breath of fresh air before heading back to his culinary playground to plan what items to showcase at dinner. You should really see it for yourself.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Socarrat
9/30/2008
Soccarat is one of the most exciting restaurants I have been to in a while and I recommend it without hesitation. It's not often that I'm sitting at the table not even mid-way through my food and thinking, "I can't wait to come back here." Socarrat is a cozy, narrow restaurant with a long communal table down the middle, friendly service, classy, quirky interior design, and food you love to love.
Our "Socarrat Paella" came with mussels, clams, beef, chicken, cuttlefish, and squid. The seafood was somehow tender and not overcooked and rubbery like it often comes out with inauthentic paella. It's strongly seasoned, perhaps a bit on the salty side, but I found myself scraping the pan for every last bit I could scoop. Other mouth-watering varieties are also available and come in serving sizes that have a minimum of 2 people. It's filling and little heavy so you'll be happy with these generous portions.
Chelsea: 259 W. 19th St (near 8th Ave) - (212) 462-1000
Price Range: High End
Rating (1-10): 9
Soccarat is one of the most exciting restaurants I have been to in a while and I recommend it without hesitation. It's not often that I'm sitting at the table not even mid-way through my food and thinking, "I can't wait to come back here." Socarrat is a cozy, narrow restaurant with a long communal table down the middle, friendly service, classy, quirky interior design, and food you love to love.Prior to this experience, I don't believe that I had ever had true paella, despite having ordered it off of numerous menus in multiple countries, including Spain. The great search is now over as this crusty pan of seafood-essence soaked rice lived up to the image I had always held for what it could and should be. The paella comes served in a large, circular black pan that is layered with rice (squid ink black rice also available) and mixed with various types of meats and veggies depending on your selection. It's quite a sight and the pictures on this website or the restaurants don't do the dishes justice. True to the name Socarrat, which refers to the cripy rice baked onto the bottom of the pan, there is delicious crunch, especially around the edge of the pan where it gets hottest. The rice has soaked up the seafood flavor which also is the smell you get as you walk into the wonderfully aromatic room. In terms of basic ingredients, paella is actually fairly simple - rice is the star of this dish. Just goes to show that sometimes, in fact, often times, the most basic thing done right is the most delicious thing.
Our "Socarrat Paella" came with mussels, clams, beef, chicken, cuttlefish, and squid. The seafood was somehow tender and not overcooked and rubbery like it often comes out with inauthentic paella. It's strongly seasoned, perhaps a bit on the salty side, but I found myself scraping the pan for every last bit I could scoop. Other mouth-watering varieties are also available and come in serving sizes that have a minimum of 2 people. It's filling and little heavy so you'll be happy with these generous portions.The prelude to the paella is a "I want it all" selection of tapas that entertains and satifies while you wait for your paella, which takes 30 minutes to prepare (a good sign) . The Calamar a la Plancha squid dish with garlicky butter sauce and lemon is flavorful, tastes of the sea, and leaves you with a pool of sauce that you can clean off with a piece of bread, like you would with some great mussels. The Tocino con Datiles - braised pork belly with slices of green apple, date puree and roasted potatoes - is wonderfully fatty, hearty pork seared to a fox-brown color. The date puree and potato are perhaps a bit superfluous, or just fail to come thru, but the apple adds a nice fresh crispy sweetness to the savory pork. Usually in a menu, there are a few dishes that just don't seem that interesting or appealing, but that wasn't the case with this tapas - I'd put my money on any item.
Either there's someone at Socarrat with a design background or a great eye for decor, as this thoughtfully adorned restaurant incorporates art, rustic ornamentation, and also some sleek features like a mirrored table. (Only downside is that it's not good for large groups unless you can get the round table at the front.) If you look around and in the bathroom, you'll see evidence of a lot of attention to detail. This kind of conscientiousness is also a feature of the service, which is hospitable, and relaxed. At one point, a server came by to help us scoop out the paella, encouraging us to keep eating. There was no pressure, and instead just friendly staff occasionally checking in while bustling around this busy little joint. If you get a chance, look around for a portly gentleman named Lolo (real name: Jesus Manso) - he's the owner of Socarrat (as well as nearby tapas bar La Nacional). A quick conversation with him and how he got here 24 years ago from northwestern Spain will reveal to you where the warmth, character, and passion of this place come from.
On the cover of the menu, is a definition of the word soccarat and on the restaurant website is this description: "The delectable crust that forms on the bottom of the paella pan when the liquid is rendered and the rice reaches its peak of succulence." I couldn't have said it better. THIS is paella. Does this restaurant have soul? Yes, and it shows through in every facet of the experience.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Lucali
9/28/2008
Lucali pizza is a top notch pizza operation with a cozy, fragrant, rustic setting. This is the kind of place that could easily be in the running for the oft-discusssed "best pizza in New York" distinction. In combination with the pizza itself, a very pleasant dining area, and it's one of the best pizza joints I've ever been to.
The bubbly, slightly burnt crust of the brick-oven pizza is fairly thin and crusty but also has a layer of soft doughy-ness to it as well. The sauce is a slightly sweet tomato sauce with a range of basic toppings: basil, mushrooms, artichoke, onions, olives, garlic, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, etc. But they keep it refreshingly simple, emphasizing the quality of the ingredients and the pizza crust. This pizza was light and I didn't feel weighted down like I had eaten a pizza dinner; in this respect, it reminded me a lot of Franny's, another outstanding Brooklyn pizzeria.
No way around it, Lucali's is awesome. If you're serious about pizza, you should make a visit.
Carroll Gardens: 575 Henry St (near Carroll St) - (718) 858-4086
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 8
Lucali pizza is a top notch pizza operation with a cozy, fragrant, rustic setting. This is the kind of place that could easily be in the running for the oft-discusssed "best pizza in New York" distinction. In combination with the pizza itself, a very pleasant dining area, and it's one of the best pizza joints I've ever been to.
The bubbly, slightly burnt crust of the brick-oven pizza is fairly thin and crusty but also has a layer of soft doughy-ness to it as well. The sauce is a slightly sweet tomato sauce with a range of basic toppings: basil, mushrooms, artichoke, onions, olives, garlic, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, etc. But they keep it refreshingly simple, emphasizing the quality of the ingredients and the pizza crust. This pizza was light and I didn't feel weighted down like I had eaten a pizza dinner; in this respect, it reminded me a lot of Franny's, another outstanding Brooklyn pizzeria.Other offerings on the menu are limited to calzones. So if you're not looking for pizza or calzone, obviously Lucali's is not the place to go. I appreciate the focus here as I think it only makes their craft better and more consistent. There is genuine effort put into a high quality product here - stemming from owner Mark Iacono, who built and opened the restaurant two years ago after deciding to jump into the world of pizza on no experience.
The eating area is separated from the kitchen by only a counter where uncut vegetables are displayed. Perhaps the radiant heat from the brick over is the reason it's a bit toasty in here. But it also adds to a nice sense of kitchen cozyness because you are in the kitchen. The dimly lit room is romantic and fun, with a slight buzz echoing through the high-ceilinged room. The decor is rustic, wood, just what you'd expect. Service at Lucali is relaxed, responsive, and very friendly. It's casual joint and the service keeps it chill as well.
A few other helpful tidbits: it's byob (which means you have to bring drinks and perhaps risk that they'll get warm while you're waiting - but also means a cheaper bill! There's a few bodega's a couple blocks away); it's cash only; and you'll have to wait, outside. Call ahead. You can also get to-go pizzas, although it's never nearly as good as eating it there.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Buddy's Burrito & Taco Bar
9/26/2008
Carroll Gardens: 260 Court St (near Butler St) - (718) 488-8695
Price: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 5
Buddy's Burrito & Taco Bar is a slightly above average Mexican food joint. It's better than a Chipotle or some kind of chain Mexican and affordable at about $3 per taco. But I also think it's more for the "I need to eat" situation rather than a "I want something awesome" situation.
The tacos come with two, tasty soft shells and you can get beef, chicken, shrimp, or fish. The chicken is fine, the beef was probably best, and the fish was not good. The steak is marinated and thin sliced with a nice char from the grill. The fish taco comes with a deep fried rectangular rod of fish. It always confuses me why a company would produce a product like this since we all know that there are no right angles on a fish. In any case, it tastes fishy and just reminds of what one might find in the frozen foods section of Costco. On the fish is a pinkish, spiced mayo-like sauce which does not add appeal to the taco.
My favorite part is probably the availability of several different types of sauces, red and green in varying degrees of hotness. I always find that these sauces are essential in adding a bit of flavor and heat, fresh feeling, and moisture to tacos. The eatery part of Buddie's is sort of hot and doesn't seem that clean - not the most pleasant dining area although not entirely objectionable either. If I had a nice spot outside or at a nearby friend's place, I'd get it to go.
Overall, I'd say I haven't found a better quick grab n' go style Mexican food joint (other than the Mexican ballfields in Red Hook) in Brooklyn.
Carroll Gardens: 260 Court St (near Butler St) - (718) 488-8695
Price: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 5
Buddy's Burrito & Taco Bar is a slightly above average Mexican food joint. It's better than a Chipotle or some kind of chain Mexican and affordable at about $3 per taco. But I also think it's more for the "I need to eat" situation rather than a "I want something awesome" situation.
The tacos come with two, tasty soft shells and you can get beef, chicken, shrimp, or fish. The chicken is fine, the beef was probably best, and the fish was not good. The steak is marinated and thin sliced with a nice char from the grill. The fish taco comes with a deep fried rectangular rod of fish. It always confuses me why a company would produce a product like this since we all know that there are no right angles on a fish. In any case, it tastes fishy and just reminds of what one might find in the frozen foods section of Costco. On the fish is a pinkish, spiced mayo-like sauce which does not add appeal to the taco.
My favorite part is probably the availability of several different types of sauces, red and green in varying degrees of hotness. I always find that these sauces are essential in adding a bit of flavor and heat, fresh feeling, and moisture to tacos. The eatery part of Buddie's is sort of hot and doesn't seem that clean - not the most pleasant dining area although not entirely objectionable either. If I had a nice spot outside or at a nearby friend's place, I'd get it to go.
Overall, I'd say I haven't found a better quick grab n' go style Mexican food joint (other than the Mexican ballfields in Red Hook) in Brooklyn.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Pinche Taqueria
9/21/2008
Pinche Taqueria is a fun spot to drop in and grab some cheap eats done well and light. It's casual and kind of hipster New Yorky but not in an annoying way. Prices are very fair and for around $10, you can grab a filling meal, and hang out in the small eating area or just outside (if weather is nice) and enjoy the SoHo scene.
The menu is pleasantly varied selection of tacos, burritos, salads, and other fixins - with fish, pork (braised and grilled), beef, shrimp, chicken - and the food comes out quick. It's mostly good but it's not a homerun. The braised pork taco (carnitas) has a porky flavor although tougher than most things braised. The chicken (pollo asado) had char flavor but a bit on the rubbery side and the fish taco (pescado), a deep fried piece of fish, is soft and tasty, especially with a squeeze of lime. The tacos are served with crispy onions, cilantro, a pleasantly unadorned guac, and a side of green or red salsa. (If you can get extra salsa, I'd recommend giving it an extra douse for extra flavor.) What's nice is that, thanks to the toppings, these tacos have a light, fresh feeling, even the deep fried fish. For what is essentially street food, it's comfortably above average in quality, taste and healthiness.
If you're looking for a quick and affordable bite or if you got a hankerin' for some Mexican food, I'd recommend popping in on Pinche Taqueria. Chances are, you'll at least think it's worth the ~$10 you spend.
Soho: 227 Mott St (and Spring St) - (212) 625-0090
Price: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 6
Pinche Taqueria is a fun spot to drop in and grab some cheap eats done well and light. It's casual and kind of hipster New Yorky but not in an annoying way. Prices are very fair and for around $10, you can grab a filling meal, and hang out in the small eating area or just outside (if weather is nice) and enjoy the SoHo scene.
The menu is pleasantly varied selection of tacos, burritos, salads, and other fixins - with fish, pork (braised and grilled), beef, shrimp, chicken - and the food comes out quick. It's mostly good but it's not a homerun. The braised pork taco (carnitas) has a porky flavor although tougher than most things braised. The chicken (pollo asado) had char flavor but a bit on the rubbery side and the fish taco (pescado), a deep fried piece of fish, is soft and tasty, especially with a squeeze of lime. The tacos are served with crispy onions, cilantro, a pleasantly unadorned guac, and a side of green or red salsa. (If you can get extra salsa, I'd recommend giving it an extra douse for extra flavor.) What's nice is that, thanks to the toppings, these tacos have a light, fresh feeling, even the deep fried fish. For what is essentially street food, it's comfortably above average in quality, taste and healthiness.
If you're looking for a quick and affordable bite or if you got a hankerin' for some Mexican food, I'd recommend popping in on Pinche Taqueria. Chances are, you'll at least think it's worth the ~$10 you spend.Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Song
8/27/2008
Song is a neighborhood "go-to" restaurant when you need take out, delivery, or a satisfying but cheap - yet somehow fancy - sitdown meal. It's solid, generously-portioned Thai food in a sleekly designed restaurant. I've enjoyed all my meals here - standard Thai fare: pad thai, masaman curry, green curry, fried rice, chili basil sauce krapow dishes, spicy noodles, etc. In short, it gives you your money's worth and probably more. If you're looking for Thai and you're in Park Slope, look no further. (If you're in Carroll Gardens area, you can call on its identical sister restaurant Joya).
Park Slope: 295 5th Ave (and 2nd st) - (718) 965-1108
Price Range: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 6
Song is a neighborhood "go-to" restaurant when you need take out, delivery, or a satisfying but cheap - yet somehow fancy - sitdown meal. It's solid, generously-portioned Thai food in a sleekly designed restaurant. I've enjoyed all my meals here - standard Thai fare: pad thai, masaman curry, green curry, fried rice, chili basil sauce krapow dishes, spicy noodles, etc. In short, it gives you your money's worth and probably more. If you're looking for Thai and you're in Park Slope, look no further. (If you're in Carroll Gardens area, you can call on its identical sister restaurant Joya).Of course, if you're being critical, Song isn't super gourmet and the menu doesn't change a lot so it could get old if you go too much. The service could be better and the music is sometimes too loud. It's not daring or innovative from a strictly culinary perspective...but it does what it does well.
The service is friendly enough and fast. The design of the place is
clean and contemporary and there's a nice, quiet backyard if you want the outside dining. You can also go to a pretty cool looking bar for a drink if that's all you want. All this for sub-$5 appetizers, sub-$7 pad thai/noodle dishes, sub-$8 curries, and moderately priced drinks.
clean and contemporary and there's a nice, quiet backyard if you want the outside dining. You can also go to a pretty cool looking bar for a drink if that's all you want. All this for sub-$5 appetizers, sub-$7 pad thai/noodle dishes, sub-$8 curries, and moderately priced drinks. The consistency, good taste, affordability, and "hip feel" of Song are make it one of the better cheap eats places I've been to in New York.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Barrio
8/9/2008
Park Slope: 210 7th Ave (and 3rd St) - (718) 965-4000
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 7
If you find yourself strolling around the Park Slope neighborhood or vicinity, you should stop by Barrio for a relaxed atmosphere and solid Mexican food. I thought a rating of 7 might be high but in the end, decided it fair considering for the atmosphere, the quality of the food, and the value.
The food is fresh and light - a pleasant change from other Mexican joints that, though satisfying, leave you feeling like jabba the hut. I enjoyed the flavors in all of the dishes that I tried - and the variety of flavors in particular: delicious calamari-conconut flavored rice with spicy grilled shrimp; a "chile arbol" peanut mole, which tastes strongly of peanut and goes with a roast pork; or a chicken enchilada in a red salsa puree with more typical heat and a bit of tanginess. The seasoned doesn't burn your mouth out or go crazy with one element - sweet, sour, spicy, etc - and offset the balance - in fact, the food both in taste, freshness, and composition achieves a nice balance.
The fish tacos appetizer - though small in portion - were light and pleasantly simple, letting the ingredients be themselves with cilantro, cabbage, and citrus. The Yucatan shrimp dish were meaty, juicy (and not rubbery), strongly seasoned, and nicely charred. And the chicken enchilada was gone in about 5 minutes - the cheese (a crumbled queso fresco), raw onion, red salsa sauce, along with the chicken and tortilla were simply a great combo that and no part of it was unpleasant.
Improvements could be made - such as the addition of a starch to the Puebla pork dish, which would have been better served over rice to catch some of the pork juice and sauce. And I do wonder about the authenticity of the menu - some of the stuff they could do without like the chile caesar salad or granola and yogurt served at brunch. The concern is not only that it makes it disappointingly generic, but also might bring into question the ability to produce real Mexican food. It strikes me as a lack of confidence to stick with one true theme.
As enjoyable as the food at Barrio is the atmosphere, particularly in the warmer weather with all the open windows and a large outdoor eating area, looking out onto the stoller-filled, but pleasant and spacious intersection at 7th ave and 3rd st. With relaxing music (which I can't name) playing through the speakers and friendly, personable, unpretentious servers, the ambiance is calming and struck me as a place you could come back to consistently, for casual dinners, dates, or just to chill and grab a quick drink or bite. Although the owners seemed to have gotten it right with a lot of things about Barrio, the color selection of the exterior awning is a bit odd - bright orange and pink. On the one hand, its loud and vibrant and is about energy, but it's a bit of a shock. They say that people go crazy sitting in a red room - sitting under the awning outside on a sunny day might be a good place to conduct that experiment. I opted to sit inside given the heat lamp-like glow. I'll go when it's nighttime.
When I first visited Barrio, the service was a bit cluttered since it was one of the first weeks of operation, but they have since gotten into rhythm and continue to be a friendly establishment. Although it is possible to rack up a hefty bill here, especially if you get into the drink menu, there are more than enough very reasonable items so that you don't get to the cusp of feeling a significant pinch on the wallet. Given the fun atmosphere, good value, and quality of food, I wouldn't be surprised if Barrio starts to build up a contingent of neighborhood "regulars." I'm considering it myself.
Park Slope: 210 7th Ave (and 3rd St) - (718) 965-4000
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 7
If you find yourself strolling around the Park Slope neighborhood or vicinity, you should stop by Barrio for a relaxed atmosphere and solid Mexican food. I thought a rating of 7 might be high but in the end, decided it fair considering for the atmosphere, the quality of the food, and the value.The food is fresh and light - a pleasant change from other Mexican joints that, though satisfying, leave you feeling like jabba the hut. I enjoyed the flavors in all of the dishes that I tried - and the variety of flavors in particular: delicious calamari-conconut flavored rice with spicy grilled shrimp; a "chile arbol" peanut mole, which tastes strongly of peanut and goes with a roast pork; or a chicken enchilada in a red salsa puree with more typical heat and a bit of tanginess. The seasoned doesn't burn your mouth out or go crazy with one element - sweet, sour, spicy, etc - and offset the balance - in fact, the food both in taste, freshness, and composition achieves a nice balance.
The fish tacos appetizer - though small in portion - were light and pleasantly simple, letting the ingredients be themselves with cilantro, cabbage, and citrus. The Yucatan shrimp dish were meaty, juicy (and not rubbery), strongly seasoned, and nicely charred. And the chicken enchilada was gone in about 5 minutes - the cheese (a crumbled queso fresco), raw onion, red salsa sauce, along with the chicken and tortilla were simply a great combo that and no part of it was unpleasant.
Improvements could be made - such as the addition of a starch to the Puebla pork dish, which would have been better served over rice to catch some of the pork juice and sauce. And I do wonder about the authenticity of the menu - some of the stuff they could do without like the chile caesar salad or granola and yogurt served at brunch. The concern is not only that it makes it disappointingly generic, but also might bring into question the ability to produce real Mexican food. It strikes me as a lack of confidence to stick with one true theme.
As enjoyable as the food at Barrio is the atmosphere, particularly in the warmer weather with all the open windows and a large outdoor eating area, looking out onto the stoller-filled, but pleasant and spacious intersection at 7th ave and 3rd st. With relaxing music (which I can't name) playing through the speakers and friendly, personable, unpretentious servers, the ambiance is calming and struck me as a place you could come back to consistently, for casual dinners, dates, or just to chill and grab a quick drink or bite. Although the owners seemed to have gotten it right with a lot of things about Barrio, the color selection of the exterior awning is a bit odd - bright orange and pink. On the one hand, its loud and vibrant and is about energy, but it's a bit of a shock. They say that people go crazy sitting in a red room - sitting under the awning outside on a sunny day might be a good place to conduct that experiment. I opted to sit inside given the heat lamp-like glow. I'll go when it's nighttime.
When I first visited Barrio, the service was a bit cluttered since it was one of the first weeks of operation, but they have since gotten into rhythm and continue to be a friendly establishment. Although it is possible to rack up a hefty bill here, especially if you get into the drink menu, there are more than enough very reasonable items so that you don't get to the cusp of feeling a significant pinch on the wallet. Given the fun atmosphere, good value, and quality of food, I wouldn't be surprised if Barrio starts to build up a contingent of neighborhood "regulars." I'm considering it myself.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Walter's Cafe
7/18/2008
Portland, Maine: 15 Exchange St - (207) 871 -9258
Steer clear of the caesar salad which was unremarkable and simply a head of romaine on a plate with some caesar dressing and cherry tomatoes. Zero points for ingenuity on a barely passing caesar. I would also not recommend the lobster pasta or the mushroom pasta, both of which come with a delicious sounding description but end up being somewhat boring. The ingredients - lobster and wild mushrooms respectively - sound amazing and then come out and are kind of ho-hum, maybe not the best usage (for example, I'd rather just have the lobster in the shell with butter and lemon).
The star here is the steak and I would definitely go back just for that. It comes with a stilton butter, which is very nice and adds that strong salty flavor. Also on the plate is sauce bordelaise, which is fine and doesn't hurt, but it's more just along for the ride. The meat is incredibly tender and delicious. I was savoring every bite and wish there was another. It has been a while since I've had a steak this good in a restaurant, and fortunately, it's not at steakhouse prices.
Walter's Cafe is a pretty good restaurant and it might suit your fancy but it's not a place that left a particularly strong impression or elicits a strong recommendation from me. Unless you're talking about the steak, which blew my mind.
Portland, Maine: 15 Exchange St - (207) 871 -9258
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 6Walter's Cafe is an enjoyable dining experience set in a nice space in the heart of the port area of Portland, Maine. The food is ambitious but is hit or miss, the wine list is good, and the service is decent. All in all, it's not bad but it's not great. You should go here for the ambiance and the steak, but several of the dishes were disappointing.
Steer clear of the caesar salad which was unremarkable and simply a head of romaine on a plate with some caesar dressing and cherry tomatoes. Zero points for ingenuity on a barely passing caesar. I would also not recommend the lobster pasta or the mushroom pasta, both of which come with a delicious sounding description but end up being somewhat boring. The ingredients - lobster and wild mushrooms respectively - sound amazing and then come out and are kind of ho-hum, maybe not the best usage (for example, I'd rather just have the lobster in the shell with butter and lemon).
The star here is the steak and I would definitely go back just for that. It comes with a stilton butter, which is very nice and adds that strong salty flavor. Also on the plate is sauce bordelaise, which is fine and doesn't hurt, but it's more just along for the ride. The meat is incredibly tender and delicious. I was savoring every bite and wish there was another. It has been a while since I've had a steak this good in a restaurant, and fortunately, it's not at steakhouse prices.
Walter's Cafe is a pretty good restaurant and it might suit your fancy but it's not a place that left a particularly strong impression or elicits a strong recommendation from me. Unless you're talking about the steak, which blew my mind.Standard Bakery
7/18/2008
Portland, Maine: 75 Commercial St - (207) 773-2112
Price: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 8
Standard Bakery is a haven for baked goods. Maybe it's a general thing about bakeries, but happiness just seems to pervade this place.
Standard is the kind of place that makes you look forward to waking up so you can stumble over and get a coffee and chose a treat of your choice - scone, croissant, cookie, or some other torturously good looking thing. It's probably not the most healthy thing in the world, but in small doses, it won't kill you. The breads, which are also served in Standard's upper-scale sister restaurants, are high quality as well and could be a satisfying meal by itself.
The staff is friendly and the atmoshere is warm, as a bakery should be, although as far as seating, there's only really a small patio area just outside of the front door. As long as you're not looking for an elaborate sitdown breakfast or brunch, this is all you need to chill out and enjoy a quick bite.
So if you're in Portland, Maine and looking for a simple breakfast or baked goods, this is the place to be.
Portland, Maine: 75 Commercial St - (207) 773-2112
Price: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 8
Standard Bakery is a haven for baked goods. Maybe it's a general thing about bakeries, but happiness just seems to pervade this place.
Standard is the kind of place that makes you look forward to waking up so you can stumble over and get a coffee and chose a treat of your choice - scone, croissant, cookie, or some other torturously good looking thing. It's probably not the most healthy thing in the world, but in small doses, it won't kill you. The breads, which are also served in Standard's upper-scale sister restaurants, are high quality as well and could be a satisfying meal by itself.
The staff is friendly and the atmoshere is warm, as a bakery should be, although as far as seating, there's only really a small patio area just outside of the front door. As long as you're not looking for an elaborate sitdown breakfast or brunch, this is all you need to chill out and enjoy a quick bite.
So if you're in Portland, Maine and looking for a simple breakfast or baked goods, this is the place to be.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Street and Co
7/17/2008
Street and Co is the kind of restaurant that seems to blend perfectly with a quaint costal town like Portland. The food is solid and comes out with exciting presentation, but above all, the ambiance gets you in the mood for a cozy New England seafood experience. Service is casual here and it's not particularly remarkable but it's friendly enough.
The plates get more dramatic with the entrees, headlined by the lobster diavolo: a mammoth two person pasta in a saute pan, loaded down with a red sauce packed with an assortment of seafood including mussels, squid, lobster in the shell. When you see this on the menu, you figure, "when in Rome..." The diavolo is good enough but the joy of this dish comes less from the taste of the food and more from seeing the presentation and all the stuff in the sauce. The food itself could use some refinement: the sauce was quite oversalted, for one. And when cracking the lobster claws, water came rushing out into the dish, watering down the sauce. Clipping the ends of the claws prior to putting it in the dish would drain a lot of this water. The more simple lobster with butter-garlic sauce over pasta is a similar dish that tastes better - but perhaps it's not as exciting or chaotic as the diavolo. But one thing to emphasize is that with either one, and most any other dish I saw, is that you get your money's worth. These are very generous portions and they don't sacrifice the quality of the ingredients. I like places like this because it feels very hospitable.
The service is a bit scattered but not intended to be super-high end anyway. They might forget a thing or two that you ask for, or more than one person might come over and ask you the same question. But the weaknesses are not egregious and the bottom line is that you come to have a good time, and in places like these, you don't hold the staff over the fire. You get friendly, warm atmosphere and pleasing food for good value. Of course, for Street and Co to take it to the next level and really be a place that grabs a spot in your heart, it'll have to improve the personability and attention to detail in its service.
Portland, Maine: 33 Wharf St - (207) 775-0887
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 7
Street and Co is the kind of restaurant that seems to blend perfectly with a quaint costal town like Portland. The food is solid and comes out with exciting presentation, but above all, the ambiance gets you in the mood for a cozy New England seafood experience. Service is casual here and it's not particularly remarkable but it's friendly enough. Dim candle light, exposed brick, bunches of dried herbs hanging from wooden ceiling beams, simple white tshirt server uniforms, and an extremely aromatic interior all contribute to a rustic, warm atmosphere. It's a lot easier said than done to create this kind of environment without it being cheesy or forced or pretentious. The 'organic' feel is kind of trendy right now but Street and Co feels like a place that was onto it long before.
The food is more or less Italian with heavy doses of seafood, which you expect and want, being on the water in lobster capital USA. Many of the dishes (presumably those cooked on the stovetop) come out served in an actual beat-up saute pan, which adds to the simple and straightforward idea - no dots and swirls and Miro-looking dishes here. The mussels appetizer is truly delicious, with a rich, garlicky broth. You could just dip bread (which is from nearby Standard Bakery and also delicious) into this broth all night and leave totally happy. The crab and avocado appetizer is uncomplicated and fresh with a very generous serving of crab; it's a good selection if you're looking for light, healthy, unadulterated taste of the sea - the only downside is that the meat is mostly broken up and you don't get the large lumps o' crab that offer big, meaty bites.
The plates get more dramatic with the entrees, headlined by the lobster diavolo: a mammoth two person pasta in a saute pan, loaded down with a red sauce packed with an assortment of seafood including mussels, squid, lobster in the shell. When you see this on the menu, you figure, "when in Rome..." The diavolo is good enough but the joy of this dish comes less from the taste of the food and more from seeing the presentation and all the stuff in the sauce. The food itself could use some refinement: the sauce was quite oversalted, for one. And when cracking the lobster claws, water came rushing out into the dish, watering down the sauce. Clipping the ends of the claws prior to putting it in the dish would drain a lot of this water. The more simple lobster with butter-garlic sauce over pasta is a similar dish that tastes better - but perhaps it's not as exciting or chaotic as the diavolo. But one thing to emphasize is that with either one, and most any other dish I saw, is that you get your money's worth. These are very generous portions and they don't sacrifice the quality of the ingredients. I like places like this because it feels very hospitable.
The service is a bit scattered but not intended to be super-high end anyway. They might forget a thing or two that you ask for, or more than one person might come over and ask you the same question. But the weaknesses are not egregious and the bottom line is that you come to have a good time, and in places like these, you don't hold the staff over the fire. You get friendly, warm atmosphere and pleasing food for good value. Of course, for Street and Co to take it to the next level and really be a place that grabs a spot in your heart, it'll have to improve the personability and attention to detail in its service.When you go visit Portland, Maine, I think it's this kind of dining experience you're looking for. You come to the town because you want to cozy, quaint, relaxed feel - and you want to get hit over the head with seafood. Street and Co delivers well on all of those things.
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