The House-Made Hot Dog at Elettaria

Note: Elettaria closed in August 2009, after the owners could not negotiate a lease extension.

News of a Hot Dog, of all things, sent me back to Elettaria last week. According to the Feedbag, chef Akthar Nawab spent months perfecting it.

Actually, there are two hot dogs on Elettaria’s bar menu, either $2.50 or $4.50. The latter, which we ordered, resembles a hefty bratwurst sausage—house made, of course.

We enjoyed the robust, spicy flavor of the hot dog and the warm, toasted bun, but they weren’t made for each other. The bun needed to be about twice the size to wrap its way around the sausage. We did our best, but this beast would have been better with a knife and fork.

It’s a great hot dog, though, and a bargain at $4.50. If Nawab can just find the right bun, it would be perfect.

The kitchen comped a crab cake (right), which wasn’t anywhere near as memorable as the bratwurst. An order of meatballs ($5), served on a skewer, had a mild curry flavor, but they weren’t tender enough.

These items are served only at the bar, along with an alluring selection of cocktails. I’ve been meaning to go back for the Zombie, allegedly so potent that they won’t serve you more than one. I was headed for a show, so I gave that one a pass.

Elettaria (33 W. 8th Street at MacDougal Street, Greenwich Village)

Review Preview: Minetta Tavern

Are you feeling withdrawal over the death—or at least, suspension—of Eater’s BruniBetting, and the end of our weekly competition? Yeah, us too. As recompense, we launch “Review Preview” (pronounced “REEview PREEview”), in which we’ll showcase the weekly Times review, either by Frank Bruni or his successor.

This week’s subject: Keith McNally’s Minetta Tavern makeover, and Bruni’s first review as a lame-duck critic.

The Skinny: We’re not sure how Keith McNally got to be so good at turning out one hit after another. Fine dining ain’t his thing—his restaurants hover somewhere in the nether-regions between one and two stars. But somehow, wherever he lands, he attracts a gaggle of celebrities, often to neighborhoods not previously considered dining destinations.

And his restaurants stay hot, years after he opened them. We’ve still never been to his flagship, Balthazar — the trouble of getting in just never seemed to be worth it. Our one visit to Pastis left us unimpressed. We walked by Schiller’s Liquor Bar recently, and kept right on walking, deterred as we were by the ridiculous crowd.

McNally has never had a failure in New York (at least that we’re aware of), but his Italian restaurant, Morandi, has never caught on the way the other ones did. McNally is still smarting after Bruni slammed it with one star. He accused Bruni of hating women chefs, but he fired the chef, Jody Williams, anyway.

At Minetta Tavern, McNally takes no chances. The restaurant has been in the heart of Greenwich Village since before most of us were born. Formerly an undistinguished formula Italian place, McNally acquired it, spruced up the décor, and installed the same kitchen team that runs Balthazar.

McNally must be the only guy who could replace one formula restaurant with another, and still have a big hit. Service probably has a lot to do with it. We were impressed with the coddling we received when all we did was order a burger at the bar.

The Prediction: One or two stars are the only plausible outcomes here. Most of the critics have been impressed with the Minetta Tavern reboot. Frank Bruni seldom goes against a solid consensus, so we assume he’ll be impressed too. We predict that Frank Bruni will award two stars to Minetta Tavern.

BruniBetting: Cashing our Chips

Eater announced today that it is formally ending its famed BruniBetting feature, or as they put it, “we’ve remanded BruniBetting to its creator, odds expert Ben Leventhal.”

We present the final standings below:

	Eater		NYJ
Total	$128.50		$149.67
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Won–Lost	58–26 (69%)		60–24 (71%)

Our record was slightly better than Leventhal’s. In all fairness, we had a significant advantage, as our bet was always placed with the knowledge of what Leventhal had already done. (That was because Leventhal announced the odds and Eater’s own bet in the same post.)

If Eater has dropped the feature in deference to Leventhal (who is no longer affiliated with the blog), it probably means we’ll see a revised version of it somewhere else. When that happens, we’ll reset the score to zero–zero, and start again. Looking forward to it, Ben!

Lunch at Jean Georges

Note: Click here for a more recent review.

For years, I’ve heard about the remarkable lunch menu at Jean Georges: any two courses, $28; additional courses, $14 each; desserts just $8 each. It also includes the same amuses-bouches and petits-fours served at dinner.

Few luxury restaurants come close to offering that kind of deal at lunch. Le Bernardin, for instance, is $68. The Modern is $55. Eleven Madison Park recently started offering two courses for $28, but Jean Georges was doing it before there was any recession. And Jean Georges has four stars.

For such a low price (the normal dinner menu is $98), you’d expect limited choices, but that’s not the case. There are twenty-one options (just two carry supplements), and most are recognizable versions of those offered at dinner. The list isn’t divided into the standard appetizers and entrées, just a long list: if you want two meat courses, you’re welcome to have them.

Even more remarkable, the prix fixe in the adjoining Nougatine, the casual front room, is $24.07, so the dining room is charging only a four-dollar premium for considerably more ambitious food. A friend and I had lunch there today. We ordered the standard two courses each and shared a third, bringing the savory total to $63. After a couple of glasses of wine, the bill was just $98, including tax.

The trio of amuses-bouches was nearly identical to those my mother and I had at dinner last month: a disc of homemade mozzarella, a crab fritter in mushroom sauce, and an herbal chicken broth. After we tasted the crab fritter, my friend said, “The wonderful thing about Jean Georges is that he never makes a mistake.” Then we tried the chicken broth, which tasted like dishwater.

A Warm Green Asparagus Salad was just fine, but overly simplistic. My friend’s appetizer of Tuna Ribbons with avocado, spicy radish, and ginger marinade, seemed a lot more interesting. We shared the Foie Gras Brulee, a Jean Georges staple, which must be the best foie dish in the city. It has been perfect both times I’ve had it.

For the main course, my friend had the same remarkable Goat Cheese Gnocchi with baby artichokes that I tried last month. He was equally impressed. I loved the Red Snapper crusted with seeds and nuts, and served in what appeared to be a stew of baby heirloom tomatoes.

It used to be that Jean Georges was my least favorite of the four-star restaurants. More than the others, it seems more prone to the inevitable minor screw-up (in this case, the dishwater chicken broth). But I have to admit the place is growing on me.

Vongerichten himself was in the house and came over to say hello. The dining room was full (as was adjoining Nougatine), which makes me wonder why the chef is quite so generous at lunchtime.

Jean Georges (1 Central Park West at 60th Street, Upper West Side)

Food: ***½
Service: ***½
Ambiance: ***½
Overall: ***½

The Burger at Primehouse

  

The recession has forced us to abandon steakhouses—no small sacrifice, as ribeye steak is practically our favorite dish. We make an exception for burgers. With that as our mission, we revisited Primehouse New York last week.

On our last visit, we noted that Primehouse has one of the most comfortable bar stools in the city, with a soft cushion for your derrière and firm, cushioned back. I know plenty of places where the dining room isn’t as comfortable as the bar at Primehouse.

In an era where $16 burgers are routine, the $12 charged at Primehouse must be considered a bargain. I can’t remember the last time I had a burger that cheap at a fine-dining restaurant. Although it’s the least expensive entrée (available only at the bar), they serve it with a flourish and all the fixin’s, marching to your table with the same wheeled cart they’d use if you’d ordered the $79 seafood platter.

For $12, you’re not getting a custom blend of organically-raised grass-fed Wagyu, but it’s a respectable burger I’d happily eat again. My only complaint is that the patty needed to be a bit broader, with less of a “dome” on top.

On a Tuesday evening, the dining room wasn’t at all full, but the bar was doing a brisk business. Evidently others have figured out that it’s the best way to enjoy Primehouse.

Primehouse New York (381 Park Avenue South at 27th Street, Gramercy/Flatiron)

Does Bruni have another 4-star review in him?

Over at Eater.com, Ben Leventhal asks the existential question:

The biggest question is, Will The Brunisimo inaugurate one more restaurant into the four star club before he leaves? He confirmed Daniel’s four stars in January, but hasn’t put a new restaurant into the club since Masa in late 2004. Frequent dining companions of his whisper about the man’s quiet interest in finding one more perfect restaurant before he departs. And these critics, they like to leave a mark, which to me means we’ve got one more four star review coming if any restaurant even comes close to getting it done.

We totally agree with Leventhal that Bruni must be itching to play king-maker one more time. Indeed, we’ve noted before, Bruni currently holds the record for the longest interval between new four-star reviews. Awarding four stars—not reaffirming, as he did with Daniel, but awarding—is a critic’s signature moment, and he has kept his powder dry for the last 4½ years.

We doubt, though, that Bruni will pull the trigger unless he’s convinced. In a post late last year, he mentioned recent visits to Eleven Madison Park and Del Posto—clearly looking for an excuse to promote them to four stars, but finding both wanting.

Here are the restaurants that Leventhal thinks could break the string, with Eater’s trademark odds:

Marea: 3-1
Aureole: 10-1
Del Posto: 18-1
Blue Hill, Stone Barns: 19-1
Babbo (Bruni’s first review): 75-1
Momofuku Ko: 298-1
Le Cirque: 500-1
Locanda Verde: 5,000-1

We do not think Marea is designed to compete with the likes of Le Bernardin and Jean Georges. In flusher times, Chris Cannon and Michael White would no doubt have liked to, but by all appearances it seems they (wisely) hedged their bets. The new Aureole, even if it ultimately gets four stars, is probably opening too late (not till June, by most reports).

Del Posto needs to be crossed off the list for now, based on Bruni’s year-end comments. Babbo? I doubt that even Mario Batali thinks it’s a four-star restaurant. We certainly agree that Le Cirque is the longest of long-shots, and Locanda Verde is (by its creators’ admission) intended to be a neighborhood place.

In our view, that leaves only Momofuku Ko and Blue Hill Stone Barns as plausible candidates. We think BHSB is a near-perfect restaurant, but even if Bruni thinks that, would he award four stars to a restaurant that is not even in New York City?

That leaves Momofuku Ko. Bruni has been curiously silent about the ambitious lunch menu that was launched after his original review. That lunch menu would certainly provide the excuse for a re-review, and if the inconsistencies he wrote about have been smoothed out, perhaps Ko would be the place.

Given Bruni’s long-standing shine for everything Chang, we have to think that Momofuku Ko is the best candidate.

Edit to Add: I am not saying that I believe Momofuku Ko will be (or should be) upgraded to four stars. I am only saying that if Bruni files another four-star review, Ko is a more likely recipient than any other.

Dear Bill Keller (in re: Bruni)

Dear Bill,

Today, you announced that Frank Bruni, the Times restaurant critic, will be leaving his post in August, when his memoir is published.

I have to ask: Do you seriously believe that Frank Bruni was an “inspired” choice? I can only hope that, despite your praise for his “ambitious feats of criticism,” you recognize that the Bruni experiment was not altogether successful.

Bruni, to be sure, is a very good writer (not quite “exquisite”), a top-notch journalist, and a smart guy. Like anyone with those attributes, he naturally had some successes. Over time, he nearly mastered the job. He also had a long, painful, unacknowledged apprenticeship, during which much of his criticism was just plain embarrassing.

The fact is, the best critics are normally those who bring a lifetime of experience to the subject matter—something it was simply not possible for Frank Bruni to have had. That’s not the only requirement, but it is an essential one. There is no substitute for it.

When we read The New York Times, we expect not just exquisite writers, but writers who have deep background in the beat they are covering. Although Frank Bruni is a better writer than I am, I never thought that he knew more about restaurants than I did. That’s because his background for the job was the same as mine: he had none.

However, I am an amateur. Frank Bruni’s work was marketed as a professional product, and it wasn’t, because he lacked one crucial attribute: expertise.

Of course, there were other problems with Frank’s work. He consistently overrated Italian restaurants (the one cuisine in which he was arguably an expert). And you always got the sense that high-end restaurants—the kinds that get 3 and 4 stars—held little joy for him. Even when he rated them highly, these restaurants seldom brought out his passion the way a great pizzeria did.

It’s awfully telling that you cite his nationwide tour of fast-food restaurants as a highlight of his tenure. That piece is emblematic of everything that was wrong with Frank Bruni as a fine dining critic.

So Bill, I wish you luck in your search for Frank Bruni’s replacement. But this time, please choose someone with a solid track record in the field. Is that too much to ask?

Very truly yours,
Marc Shepherd
New York Journal

Falai Panetteria

Note: Falai Panetteria closed in December 2011. It rebooted briefly and then closed once again. It is now Marm Cafe.

*

Last Saturday, Falai Panetteria helped turn a near disaster into one of the best casual meals we’ve had in quite a while. We had reservations elsewhere, but after our taxi driver took a wrong turn and got stuck in traffic he never should have been in, we were half-an-hour late. Just as he pulled up to the restaurant’s front door, the host called to say that they wouldn’t be able to accommodate us.

There may be a recession going on, but it hasn’t hit the Lower East Side. One restaurant after another was jammed—all except for poor THOR, which looked like it was ready to host a funeral. As we got to the corner of Rivington & Clinton, I saw Falai Panetteria with a couple of empty tables. I vaguely recalled that Falai was supposed to be good, so we walked in and were seated immediately. (Not that Falai Panetteria is doing badly: the remaining empty tables were taken within a few minutes.)

It turns out I had my Falai properties confused. There’s a fancy sit-down place down the street that got two stars from Frank Bruni in mid-2005. That’s the one I remembered, but Falai Panetteria is the casual follow-up that earned a rave from Peter Meehan in $25 & Under the following year.

Both Lower East Side restaurants, and a third that has since opened in SoHo, are the work of Iacopo Falai, a former pastry chef at Le Cirque 2000 who has graduated far beyond desserts. At Falai Panetteria, he can feed you all day long, from croissants and turnovers at breakfast, to sandwiches at lunch, to pastas and other hot entrées at dinner. It apparently does a lot of take-out business during the day, but there are also eight tables with space for around twenty diners. They take reservations, but it appeared to us that most of the clientele were walk-ins.

The menu is a short document, with five salads ($9–13), six antipasti ($5.50–14), three soups ($6–8), four pastas ($12–14), and just four entrées ($11–15). The restaurant was BYO when Meehan reviewed it for the Times, but it now has a beer & wine license. We had an enjoyable Chianti for around $40.

Of the pastas we tried, we liked best the squid ink tagliolini ($14; above right), with prawns, calamari, tomato sauce and red pepper. It had a strong, spicy flavor, without any of the ingredients overwhelming the others.

Pappardelle ($12; above left) caught my eye because it was supposed to include Brussels sprouts (one of my favorite vegetables), but there was barely a hint of that ingredient, and the dish seemed to be missing something.

For the entrée, we both had the veal meatballs (above left). I’ll allow myself the food-writer’s sin of calling them ethereal, because Peeter Meehan did too. They were soft, tender and buttery. If there’s a better meatball dish in town, we can’t imagine it. And they’re a whopping $11, up from $7 when Meehan reviewed them.

Naturally, there’s an abundant dessert menu, which we’d normally skip, but given Falai’s reputation we had to have one. Tiramisu ($5; above right) was wonderful, especially at the price.

For a restaurant this inexpensive, I cannot really complain about the service. There was a nice basket of bread and olive oil. Plates came out and were cleared at a reasonable pace. About the only solecism was the failure to replace silverware after the appetizers.

The space is one of those priceless Lower East Side storefronts, with an old tile floor, pressed tin ceiling, and chandeliers that probably date from the Hoover administration. For what it is, Falai Panetteria is a gem. Now we need to schedule a visit to the flagship down the street.

Falai Panetteria (79 Clinton Street at Rivington Street, Lower East Side)

Food: ★
Service: ★
Ambiance: ★
Overall: ★

Bar Stuzzichini

Note: Bar Stuzzichini, later renamed “Stuzzi,” closed in September 2012.

*

I’ve been catching up on intriguing restaurants that have been open a while, that we missed during the opening review period. For all but the most compelling places, the New York media pays attention—if at all—for only the first few months. The critics then move onto the latest New Thing, and the vast majority of places will never be reviewed professionally again.

Bar Stuzzichini is like that. In September 2007, Frank Bruni’s awarded one star, pronouncing it a “modestly, intermittently troubled” restaurant, but “an honorable effort worthy of note. Its dishes include more successes than failures.”

At age two, Bar Stuzzichini is surviving, if not quite thriving. At 6:30 p.m. on a Friday evening, we found the outdoor seating packed and most of the bar stools taken, but the large dining room only about 20% occupied. The food was all satisfying and worth a try if you’re in the area, but otherwise not particularly memorable.

The name refers to a broad selection of small plates that dominate the top half of the menu. (Bruni tells us that the Italian verb stuzzicare can mean “to provke,” “to stimulate,” or “to tantalize.”) There are about two dozen of these. They’re $4–10 à la carte, but most people seem to order platters of them. Any three are $18, a portion that is suitable for two to share.

If you order a cocktail during happy hour, you get one of the stuzzichini for free; I tried the Baccalà Fritto or Fried Salt Cod (below left; normally $6), which was nicely done: the fish had a salty brine, the breading was light and crisp.

After we sat down, we had the Salumi Tasting ($28; below right), an ample portion for two. All four meats were excellent (Pork Shoulder, Sweet & Spicy salami, and 18-month prosciutto). My girlfriend was especially fond of the pork shoulder, while I preferred the spicy salami.

On the rest of the menu, salads are $8–9, pastas and soups $7–18, entrées $17–24, and side dishes $6–7.

Neither of our main courses was as memorable as the salumi. Braciole del Pizzaiola, or braised short rib in tomato sauce ($22; below left), had a hearty flavor, but I wouldn’t rush across town for it. Eggplant Parmigiana ($17; below right) was left in the broiler too long, and was a bit burnt.

The wine list is priced in line with the food, with plenty of bottles below $50 (though you can spend more if you want to). We were so delighted with a 2004 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva ($42; photo above) that we went home and ordered three more bottles of it online.

Service was efficient enough for this type of restaurant. It did not seem to be at all “distracted or perfunctory,” as Frank Bruni reported. We also liked the room and couldn’t at all fathom Bruni’s comparison to a “Midtown mess hall.” Actually, for a large space it is reasonably charming.

If you’re in the area, Bar Stuzzichini offers a refreshing and inexpensive diversion.

Bar Stuzzichini (928 Broadway between 21st & 21nd Streets, Flatiron District)

Food: *
Service: *
Ambiance: *
Overall: *

Bar Artisanal

Note: Bar Artisanal closed in mid-2010 after a brief, ill-fated Spanish-themed do-over. It is now the Mexican restaurant Pelea Mexicana.

*

Bar Artisanal is Chef Terrance Brennan’s quickie replacement for the doomed Trigo, which sank like a stone after barely four months in business. What a difference the right concept makes! Trigo was always empty; Bar Artisanal, at least in its early days, is always full.

This being a Brennan restaurant, cheese is naturally the focus. I dropped in on opening night for a glass of wine and four cheeses à la carte (left), telling the fromagier he could choose whatever he wanted, as long as they were soft and at least two were blue.

Although the name is suggestive of Brennan’s Artisanal Bistro in Murray Hill, the menu here is considerably different. Most of the selections are essentially “tapas” — about a dozen in a category called amuses-bouches ($4–15) and another dozen petits plats ($11–18). There are just five entrées ($16–20) and three kinds of burgers (classic, lamb, tuna; $13–18).

Yet another menu category is devoted to pissaladières, or a kind of pizza from the south of France. There are seven of these ($11–15), several with unusual toppings, such as “Duck” (Gizzard, Confit, Egg, and Cracklings) and “Bianca” (Asparagus, Ramps, Bottarga).

Brennan gets full credit for challenging his audience. He isn’t serving duck gizzards, lamb neck, sea urchin custard, and smoked paprika popcorn because diners demanded them. And it appears the menu will change frequently. On the current menu, ramps figure in three different dishes, and they are in season for only a short time.

Last week, I dropped in again for dinner with a colleague. The server encouraged us to order small plates to share—which we did.

Naturally, cheese figures in many of the dishes. We started with a hunk of fresh burrata ($12; above left). Octopus ($12; above right), perfectly cooked, was complemented with smoked paprika.

Skate ($12; above left) was spectacular. I am not sure what was in it, but it seemed to be stuffed with a spicy sausage of some kind (the menu said choucroute garni). Pork Belly ($12; above right) was so good we ordered a second helping. A minor complaint: if the plates are meant for sharing, why serve three pieces?

As he does at his other restaurants, Brennan offers several pre-composed “tasting flights” of cheeses ($16), or you can choose your own from a long list. The one shown at the right is called “Blue Notes” (blue, stilton, gorgonzola).

The wine list is priced in line with the menu, with plenty of reds below $50, and even a decent selection below $40.

There have been some reports of slow service here. Our food came out quickly, but servers weren’t always available when you wanted them, and a couple of times utensils didn’t arrive with the food. Management recognizes me, so I suspect we got slightly better service than the average patron.

There is much still to try here, but so far I am very impressed with Bar Artisanal. If the food program remains on track and the service glitches are smoothed out, this restaurant could have a happy future.

Bar Artisanal (268 West Broadway at Sixth Avenue, TriBeCa)

Food: **
Service: *
Ambiance: *
Overall: *½