Restaurant Notebook: January 11, 2006

Here we go again.   Another recap in which I demonstrate for the internets that I spend an insane amount of money on food and wine. Here's to my out of control hobby/passion/addiction.  I think I need an intervention.

Recommended, You'll Love It

Telepan - The new restaurant (it's about 2 weeks old at this point) from former JUdson Grill chef Bill Telepan is off to a strong start.  I tasted two appetizers.  Nantucket bay scallops in a rich, creamy butter sauce with hedgehog mushrooms, roasted garlic, spinach
and toast.   Perfectly cooked scallops that were not seared but gently heated through in the creamy base.  Tasted great, but god knows that much butter/cream always does.  An appetizer of hen of the woods mushrooms was killer.  You know how I like 'em.  Charred, crusty 'shrooms served with a poached egg on mustard frisee.   Next, a slow cooked, large ravioli filled with braised pork with ricotta and pesto garnish.  The braised pork had very nice flavors, but was a bit too dry.  The pesto and ricotta did nothing to help add much needed moisture to the dish.  This was a bit of a miss.  Heritage Pork Cassoulet was an amazing dish for pork passionates.  At first, it appears so austere and simple that on my first few bites I didn't get the magic immediately.  But then you begin to appreciate the superior quality and porky, gamier flavor of the Heritage pig.  The loin, served unadorned, is a perfect example of why mass market pork is flavorless.  A piece of sausage was deeply flavored with more of this wonderful pork flavor, crumbling out of the casing and clearly handmade at the restaurant.  A braised rib was moist and again haunting in flavor.  Bacon slices from the belly were poached in milk, resulting in a melt in your mouth consistency (though very fatty, of course).  The porky beans served on the side were very nice if overly creamy for what I'd personally like for a cassoulet tribute. A peanut butter, chocolate mousse cake had layers reminiscent of a Kit Kat.  Served with a peanut butter ice cream, a very nice ending to an excellent dinner. Sleek atmosphere (if not stuffy), ample seating for casual eating at the bar, attentive service.  A great addition to the UWS.

 

Barca 18 - I wanted to give Barca a try since I've read some inconsistent reviews thus far. Restaurants that are great in some aspects but average in others fascinate me.  I'm weird like that. Well, we were dealt nothing but aces here all night long.  To me, Tia Pol is my standard for tapas in NYC, and Barca comes up very strong in comparison if just a notch below.  We chose to skip entree-like items, instead just sharing from the tapas section of the menu.   We had the blistered green peppers I love - just as good as Tia Pol and my eating throughout Spain. The  papas fritas, I agree with Andrea Strong, are not as good as Tia Pol but they are still damn tasty.  The octopus with pepper confit and olive oil was insanely good.  I can't recall eating octopus as tender and flavorful.  Ham and potato croquettes are just as you'd expect, though I enjoyed the ones at Casa Mono a bit better (not enough ham in the Barca version). The chorizo and pan con tomate on the charcuteria board are off the charts.  But the absolute star of the show is without doubt warm lobster chunks, drizzled with a creamy bechemel like-sauce and sandwiched between paper thin, crunchy flat bread.  Rich, creamy, crunchy and lobster.  So money.

Momofuku - I don't know what took me so long to get to this much discussed Japanese noodle bar.   I dig on swine, and Momofuku is committed to all things pork as well.  Do yourself a favor.  Go there on a cold winter afternoon and order the Momofuku Ramen. It sounds over the top.   Berkshire braised pork shoulder, braised belly, ramen, spinach, a poached egg and nori.  But the kicker for me is the broth.   Clean and light in the mouth, but exploding with pork flavor.   This was the best noodle soup I've had in a while. 

Recommended, But....

Via Emilia - I can't come out and say that Via Emilia serves the best lasagna in the city, but that's only because I haven't tasted all the lasagna in the city.  But I have tasted lasagna all over Bologna, including a Michelin starred restaurant, and I can tell you Via Emilia's lasagna is virtually unbeatable.  Sausage, a cheesy bechemela sauce with a noticeable dash of nutmeg, fresh, soft yet distinguishable pasta layers. Simple + refined = perfect.   I have eaten at Via Emilia over five times.  The only reason I can't recommend it outright is just that I find the appetizers a bit limiting and overall not that strong, though the tortellini in brodo is very nice. I have only been able to order average wine to go with that amazing lasagna as well. I wavered on putting this in Recommended, You'll Love It category so you shouldn't hestitate going.  Plus, it's cheap (but cash only!).

Comments

[gahyan]

Maybe I caught Momofuku on an off day but I thought it was terrible! The broth was lukewarm and tasted like the soup packet from instant ramen noodles. Good ramen broth should take like it has been on the stove for 5 days straight. It should have a thickness and deepness to its flavor but not necessarily its texture. Noodles were overcooked ... condiments were plain. Even the berkshire pork was pretty tasteless, dry and chewy.

In addition to the weak meal ... the chef was in the kitchen and was cursing his 2 sous-chefs the whole time I was sitting at the bar. ... I'd take Minca any day over this place.