[Pigging by Wilfrid: December 14, 2007]
"It's just one meatball," he said. And so it was.
I didn't expect to end up facing a meatball in the Gramercy Tavern "Tavern Room". But I didn't much object, either.
Scroll down for the Bar Room at The Modern and 'wichcraft.
The meatball, as you see, was oozing hot Fontina cheese, and put back together it was about the size of a baseball.
A series of misfirings left me at a loose end in the Flatiron, and I confess I tried the bar at Craft first. Nothing doing. At the Tavern, fortune shone; a party had put it's name on the table, promising to return, but were now tardy. If they didn't show in five minutes, it was ours. Hopefuls arriving immediately behind us were offered waits of over an hour.
Always have a reservation in this town. Don't believe what they say - always have a reservation.
I did dine in the Restaurant around the beginning of this year, shortly after Blue Hill alumnus Michael Anthony took over the reins of a kitchen which had begun to show some real shabbiness in the absence of Tom Colicchio's attention. A pleasant dinner it was, but that was pre-Pink Pig, or B.P.P. as people will one day doubtless say. A few dishes from the shorter, simpler Tavern menu were sampled on this occasion.
Masquerading as "risotto", an orange and carroty stew of farro was both savory - cheesy - and slightly sweet. It was served in one of those popular but nonetheless silly portion-control dishes, and set off with pine nuts (apparently soya beans too, although I didn't particularly notice them).
I don't much like my vegetables being weird-colored, but this blue cauliflower - heirloom of course - was crisply roasted and served with almonds, raisins and capers. A similar sensibility at work in these appetizers, and this dish was as good of its kind as you'd want.
I got a small taste of pancetta-wrapped trout, but devoted my fuller attention to the big meatball feller. This was a last minute substitute for a special featuring some far-flung part of a veal calf's ribs, the cap, which sounded very tasty - but I missed the last portion.
I feared boredom, but the molten cheese, onion marmalade, and smear of mashed potato made the giant albondiga quite comforting. No dessert but several glasses of wine (offered in two sizes, by the way), and at around fifty dollars a head before additions, you could do a lot worse.
Busy Bar Room at the Modern
We surveyed this hugely popular addendum to The Modern back in May. A recent visit, mid-late evening, revealed some of its weaknesses. Seated promptly, unlike some other grouchy parties, it was good to be fed promptly too. But corners are being cut. The steak tartare with quail's egg came out as a brick on a fancy plate, obviously straight from refrigeration. The flavor was relatively muted, not least by the temperature of the dish.
Seared foie, with an imaginative dark beer reduction, appeared as speedily and ought to have suffered too; but in fact it didn't, although it must have been turned in the pan very fast.
Duck confit, which I've ordered here before was a little flabbier, less crisp. The potatoes had been fried in duck fat, and to be honest were a little funky. Now, this was not the bad dinner I might be making it seem. Everything was pleasant enough, and the price point - yes, very good, everything except the foie priced in the teens.
But it makes me reconsider the justice of the fine dining room next door operating under a two star Times rating, while the Bar Room merits three. I don't expect Pierre Gagnaire from a Times three star restaurant; but shouldn't I expect steak tartare mixed to order? Hey, the seats are filled as soon as they're empty, so what do I know?
'wichcrafty
The opening of yet another of Tom Colicchio's fancy sandwich stores - this one in Rock Center, making it a round dozen in New York alone - led me to place my first 'wichcraft order since the Bryant Park booths first opened.
The ingredients are fine, and it's always been pricy, but a grilled cheese (Gruyere) 'n' onion...
Seven dollars eighty six cents. Could they throw in a soda?
Welcome to New York.
