Opinionated About Dining: New York Creative & Bistro Dining

WD-50 - I don't think there is another restaurant in the city that can rile me up as much as this laboratory of modern cuisine; my meals here have ranged from stunning to maddening. Dishes like the bay scallops with a chorizo flan and the roast cod with smoked mashed potatoes and pepper oil are among the greatest dishes in contemporary American cuisine. But other dishes include flavors so challenging that they take the joy out of the dining experience. Of course, not everyone agrees with me—some people like dishes that are focused on intensely bitter flavors or which pair fishy flavors like anchovies with foie gras. But when the kitchen is on and the flavors are balanced, this is the most compelling dining experience in the city. It is a restaurant with the potential to move into a more serious category of dining, if Dufresne ever decides he wants to run a more serious restaurant. A

Wylie Dufresne's Cod with Smoked Mashed Potatoes, Red Pepper Oil, and Shiitake Mushrooms

Blue Hill - 2003 wasn't a very good year for restaurants which serve a market-based cuisine. A poor growing season meant the ingredients never quite ripened the way they should have. For Blue Hill this was nearly fatal in terms of my patronage. Dishes that were compelling to eat in 2002 were lackluster in 2003, although they were made using the same ingredients from the very same sources. Then, the planned 2004 opening of Blue Hill at Stone Barns saw Chef Mike Anthony leave the Greenwich Village restaurant in order to run the Stone Barns kitchens; with Chef Dan Barber spending much of his time there as well, Blue Hill looked like it might be on the ropes. But fans of the restaurant didn’t have to worry. Chef Juan Cuevas stepped up to the plate, and you won’t realize that Mike and Dan are not in the house. Late last summer, Juan served us two of the better dishes I had in 2004: an heirloom tomato salad with tomato sorbet and fried zucchini blossoms, and a poached Stone Barns-raised chicken, which was probably the single best chicken dish I've ever had in the U.S. A-

Heirloom Cherry Tomato Salad with Tomato Sorbet, Tomato Water, and Fried Zucchini Blossoms

Mas - One of the great finds of 2004. I've had three meals at this twelve-table restaurant in the West Village and every one of them has been a pleasure. Chef Galen Zamarra (ex-Bouley) serves a French farmhouse cuisine (hence the name), but he executes it using the most modern culinary techniques. His poached lobster served in a sweet carrot consommé was one of the great dishes of the year. $68 for a four-course tasting menu is great value. The excellent service and one of the friendliest welcomes anywhere make this one of the best dinner choices in town. B+

Galen Zamarra’s Poached Maine Lobster in Sweet Carrot Consommé with Snow Peas

Lupa - For my money, because of the way that Babbo consistently underperforms, I think this is the best restaurant in the Mario Batali-Joe Bastianich empire. It's a simple enough concept: platters of salumi, assorted salads, and platters of Italian cheeses. Then add a half-dozen pastas, a half-dozen warm plates like a duck leg with golden raisins, and an excellent wine list and you have a highly enjoyable trattoria experience. The downside is that the formula is so popular it's hard to get a table for dinner. They could use a larger space. B

Craftbar - When Marco Canora was the chef at Craft and Craftbar, I used to find the food here a bit minimal for my taste. But after he left Craft to open Hearth, where he expanded the Craftbar concept into a full-blown menu, Craftbar oddly enough followed suit and they started serving a greater choice of entrées. It was a big improvement, and of the two I prefer Craftbar; maybe because in addition to the cooked food, Craftbar offers platters of charcuterie and cheeses which add a grazing dimension to the meal. You can follow up with more substantial dishes like sautéed sweetbreads, sage leaves stuffed with minced boar and deep fried, and a pan-roasted veal chop with figs and a balsamic glaze. The whole thing adds up to one of NYC's best casual meals. They are going to be moving to the old Morrell Wine Bar space on Broadway which means that the menu is probably going to go through another overhaul. B

Craftbar's Roasted Sweetbreads

Prune - Gabriella Hamilton seems to have been influenced by Fergus Henderson of St. John. She even serves his famous roast marrow bones with toast and a parsley salad. The rest of her menu leans heavily toward meat, with dishes like fried sweetbreads with bacon and capers, and homemade merguez sausage. And when they are in season her, double-cooked chestnuts served with a dollop of ricotta cheese are sinful. Unfortunately, it's a cigar box of a place, and the cramped quarters keep me from going back more often. But she certainly has the right spirit. B

Shortribs in a Vietnamese-Style Broth at Prune

Hearth - Marco Canora works wonders at cranking out a fairly sophisticated Italian-influenced cuisine that's at a slightly higher price point than his East Village location might normally tolerate. As a result, foodies who favor this style of cooking flock there from all over. And if you want a special treat, maybe you will be lucky enough to sit at one of the three stools at the counter facing the kitchen where Marco will serve you himself. But it isn't without a downside. Sometimes the food can be rather plain. And when Marco isn't in the kitchen, you will eat less well. Personally, I liked his cooking better at Craft. B-

Jefferson - Along with Anissa and Sumile, this is one of a trio of Asian fusion restaurants located in the West Village. One has to wonder how they ended up within six blocks of each other. Of the three, it is easy to notice that Jefferson is the least ambitious. But on the other hand, Simpson Wong's cuisine is more approachable than the others, and you will also find that he turns out the fewest number of dishes that miss their mark. If you go, try and have his crispy lobster in a creamy lime nage. It's a fusion cuisine classic that deserves a place alongside Douglas Rodriguez's sugarcane tuna chop and Rocco DiSpirito's Taylor Bay scallops, both dishes that are no longer available in restaurants. B-

Sumile - A very personal Asian fusion cuisine from Josh DeChellis in a supermodern setting on West 13th Street. Braised shrimp in a horseradish consommé was superb, as was a warm egg custard with clam dashi, duck confit, and morel mushrooms. But oddly enough the rest of the dishes went nowhere. I haven't had a desire to go back, which means the misses continue to loom large over the rest of the meal. B-

Savoy - Peter Hoffman's market-based cuisine is a throwback to another era. Fifteen years ago it was on the cutting edge, and as a result I frequented Savoy more than any other restaurant in the city. But nowadays the place seems a bit dated. Why eat here when you can go to WD-50 or Blue Hill—you will find most of the same ingredients but they are prepared using more modern techniques. C+

Slow-Roasted Pork with Tomatillo Sauce, Roasted Root Vegetables, Polenta and Corn Cake, and Kale

Aix - This restaurant frustrates me. Didier Virot can clearly cook. But he doesn't seem to be able to create interesting dishes that work. His modern take on Provencal cuisine seems somewhat awkward. You can have a great dish and then three clinkers in a row. I visited three times this year, and I can easily say that Aix does not mark the spot. C

Aix's Maine Salmon with Chive Crème au Beurre, Smashed Yukon Gold Potato with Jerusalem Artichoke and Peas, and Caper-Lemon Emulsion

Esca - I have heard claims of great meals at this Mario Batali-run Italian fish restaurant in Clinton. Unfortunately, I have never managed to have one myself. As with many of his other restaurants, there is something generic about the food at Esca that bothers me. How is it in a town where there is so much good sushi, someone can't make a terrific crudo bar? C

Fleur de Sel - There is a significant difference between what the menu projects at this Flatiron bistro and the way the food ends up tasting. On paper this restaurant looks great, and it gives the appearance that Cyril Renaud is a modern and creative chef. Unfortunately, it's all downhill from there, and it quickly becomes apparent that Renaud doesn't have the skills as a chef to pull it off. And yes, he was in the kitchen on the day I was there. You can even see what I am talking about it in the photo. The whole thing was somewhat amateurish and completely unacceptable for a restaurant with this reputation. C-

Pork Chop marinated in Coffee and Sugarcane at Fleur de Sel

A.O.C. Bedford - Using A.O.C. ingredients in a restaurant is usually a good idea. But it’s too bad that so few A.O.C. ingredients are actually available in the U.S. What it all means is that this restaurant tries to source high-quality local ingredients that evoke the spirit of the A.O.C. In simple terms it's a marketing gimmick; ultimately, this is just one more unremarkable French bistro trying to set themselves apart from the others. You won't eat badly, it just won't be anything special. C-

Hispaniola - Washington Heights residents are lucky to have this Latino-Japanese fusion restaurant in their neighborhood. I mean, why travel all the way downtown to Nobu when you can have an excellent miso-marinated butterfish on West 181st Street in the shadows of the George Washington Bridge? Not a destination restaurant, but a great choice if you are going to be in the neighborhood or passing through it. C-

Spice Market - If you didn't think that it could get worse than Cafe Gray, then head down to Gray Kunz's other restaurant in the Meatpacking District and go to Spice Market. It's an attempt to put the food you would find at hawker markets in southeast Asian into a trendy, partylike setting. A place that serious foodies should avoid. D

Cafe Luxembourg - The Odeon of the Upper West Side. It might be standard brasserie fare, but the quality of the food is decidedly substandard. Even the hamburger could have had a beefier flavor. This place should be better. D-

Restaurants Reviewed in Prior Years

Annisa - Anita Lo is a top chef, but she never fullfilled her potential at this Village restaurant. B

Wallse - Kurt Gutenbrunner can cook and his restaurant should be better known. The location might hurt. And the no-BYOB policy keeps me away. B+

Crispo - Good casual place. Polenta, proscuitto, and melted smoked mozzarella is a great dish, and they also grill up some good lamb chops scottaditta. C+

Etats-Unis - I never warmed up to this restaurant. I live in the nighborhood and have been exactly two times. C

Saul - Good for Brooklyn. But I wouldn't travel to eat there. C

Peasant - Good idea but ingredients aren't good enough to make it work. C-

Inside - Anne Rozenzweig does downscale. Completely off my radar. C-

L'Acajou - Subpar French bistro food in Chelsea. Why eat here? D+

Comments

Hey, I had a great 91 Chave blanc at l'Acajou there a couple of years ago for $130 or something...maybe you could try bringing your own lobe of foie? ;-)

Posted by: Vanessa | April 02, 2005 at 06:08 PM