Chef/Restaurant Updates

I felt an update was in order on three prior stories.

    First, on a post written long, long ago. It appears that Thomas Keller is unfortunately not in fact opening an Ad Hoc restaurant in Manhattan anytime soon. Although he did recently tell NBC that he would "love to do a Bouchon Brooklyn." Keep hope alive.

        Second, I recently reviewed Tom Colichio's newest restaurant, Colicchio & Sons. In a nut shell, I was disappointed and unimpressed. I never like to give a restaurant a bad review, but I was happy to see that I was not alone. New York magazine's Adam Platt, Time Out New York, the New Yorker, The Village Voice, among others, agreed. And then there was the down right cruel review from the Columbia Spectator which has gained a lot of attention. However, I was shocked when Sam Sifton gave the restaurant 3 stars in his recent New York Times review. Which shows how different ones perception can be and also the inconsistency of a meal at Colicchio & Sons. Also, after changing the menu from al a carte to a $78, 3 course prix fixe, customers complained enough that it was recently changed back to the original a la carte.

        And lastly, Michael Psilakis, whom I wrote about for Eat Life, has since left his Michelin starred restaurant, Anthos. This is the second restaurant owned by Psilakis and partner Donatell Arpia that he has left recently. The other being Mia Dona.

Gnocchi

    During the Fall and Winter months, it felt like I saw gnocchi everywhere I looked. Of course there were the usual suspects, like Frankie's (Gnocchi Marinara & Fresh Ricotta) or Supper (Spinach Gnocchi, Marinara Sauce, Roasted Garlic Cream). But I also found Parmesan Gnocchi at BLT Steak; Ricotta Gnocchi, Kobocha Squash, Chanterelles, Onions, Pepitas, Parsley Pistou at Flatbush Farm; Gnochetti, Ruby Red Shrimp, Controne Bean Puree, Rosemary at Marea; Gnocchi, Chestnuts, Bone Marrow, Black Truffles at Colicchio & Sons; or Ricotta Gnocchi, Snow Peas, Wild Mushrooms, Chesnits, Brandy Cream at Metrazur.

Once I had the "Gnudi" at Mia Dona, my perception of gnocchi changed for good. Instead of heavy potato based gnocchi, then chef Michael Psilakis, used ricotta cheese and the result is a light, fluffy gnocchi that can really pair with anything (as you can see how it being served at the restaurants above).

That meal inspired the gnudi dish I made for my menu project during school and my recent recipe for Food2.com (above). Check it!

Big Thank you to David Needleman for the photographs! And for being my guinea pig.

Colicchio & Sons

A journey to the Meat Packing district can go one of two ways. Either
you have a great night, or vow to never return. Although the
neighborhood has quite a stable of excellent restaurants, the
neighborhood as a whole seemed to feel more like Vegas in New York,
than actual New York. The restaurants are sprawling and flashy. And so is Tom Colicchio's new restaurant, Colicchio & Sons.

As far as big name chef-tv personalities go, Tom Colicchio, is one of the most recognizable. Even a household name to some. His credentials to this day are still impressive. As Executive Chef he opened the now Manhattan landmark, Gramercy Tavern, which lead to his first of several James Beard Awards. This time for Best Chef-New York in 2000. After setting out on his own to open the groundbreaking Craft, suddenly, success came rolling. Craft has spawned, Craft Bar, 'wichcraft and Craft Steak with locations in Los Angeles, Dallas and Atlanta. And last but by no means least, he is known to the masses as the co-host and head judge of Bravo's Top Chef.

When traffic at restaurants were slowing down due to the recession, Colicchio made some moves at his. At Craft, taking advantage of the under-booked private dining room, he created "Tom: Tuesday Dinner" where he himself would create and prepare multi-course menus. Also at Craft, his executive chef, Damon Wise, started "Frugal Fridays" and at Craft Steak it was "Half Steak", a half priced menu in the restaurant's bar area. While these were all interesting and incredibly smart ideas, they were not enough to keep Craft Steak's New York location a float. A few months ago it reopened as a new venture, Colicchio & Sons. Seemingly it's genesis being the Tom: Tuesday dinners.

Although the Vegas style and feel is not unique to Colicchio & Sons (see neighbors Del Posto or Morimoto), here, one is initially greated by a warmth that seems in contrast to it's size. Maybe its the new addition of a wood-burning oven up front? Maybe its just the low lighting. The front bar area, now referred to as the Tap Room, which is easily the size of many other restaurants, has ten or so tables where you can order from the Tap Room's menu, featuring a la carte items such as warm octopus and potato salad with paprika and capers or bone marrow with egg and white anchovies. The Tap Room also offers an extensive and interesting beer selection including North Coast Brewing Co.'s Brother Thelonious Abbey Ale.

The true enormity of the space is revealed upon entering the main dining room, where the intimacy quickly dissolves. And it is here, in the main dining room where the disappointments begin. The menu was recently changed to a $78, 3-course prix fixe and includes 13 appetizers, 11 entrees and 8 desserts. For a new restaurant, that seems excessive. Nevertheless, the meal began with an amuse buche of smoked fish. Velvety, smokey and unfortunately the highlight of the meal.

    The Sea Urchin & Crab Fondue and the Squid with Cavalo Nero (Black Kale) Risotto, Spicy Tomato & Cacao Nibs were delivered shortly after the amuse. The fondue was pleasantly creamy, sweet and briny, but would have benefited nicely from the accompaniment of some crusty bread or crackers of some sort. The squid on the other hand was overcooked and rubbery. The bitterness of the kale dominated the flavors including the sweetness of the otherwise excellent spicy tomato risotto.  

 

Entrees of Roasted Rabbit with Fennel & Olives (below) and Striped Bass with Razor Clams & Pea Shoots (very top) continued to underwhelm.

        The rabbit and the bass, like the squid, were overcooked. The rabbit was tough and bordered on flavorless. The bass was dry and under seasoned. 
    Colicchio is way too talented a chef and restaurateur for this meal to be an accurate reflection of what can or should be expected at Collichio & Sons. A chef of his caliber returning to the kitchen, is something to rejoice in. And that's exactly where he was, as I discovered when I snuck into the kitchen after my meal. The most noticable misstep might be the amount of dishes on the menu. The size of the menu seems to fall in line with everything else Vegasy about this and the other restaurants in the neighborhood, too big. They might be biting off more than they can chew. Also, what appears to be the idea or theme of the restaurant, is at odds with the space. The desserts below were delicious but certainly not enough to rescue the meal. Banana-Pecan Upside-Down with Rum Caramel Banana Sorbet & Malted Milk Ice Cream and the Sorbet trio.

The neighborhood, the size and the price, not the food, are all deterrents for a second chance at Colicchio & Sons.You can file this trip to the Meat Packing under "vow to never return."

BLT, minus the LT.

    Never a dull moment. While this week's media coverage was heavily dominated by Keith McNally and Nate Appleman's soon to be opened Pulino Pizzeria, there were actually other things also going on in the restaurant world. Florence Fabricant reported for the New York Times yesterday that another well known chef, Laurent Tourondel, (the LT in the BLT chain of restaurants), finds himself out at the very restaurants that bare his name.

Just days shy of their sixth anniversary, Tourondel and his partner Jimmy Haber have divided their restaurants in what they both call an amicable split. 

Tourondel will continue to be executive chef at BLT Market in New York and other BLT restaurants that are located in hotels, including among others BLT Burger in Las Vegas and BLT Steak in Miami. The chef says the split was his idea so that he could set out on his own. Seems a little strange, no? Um, the restaurants are named after you!