Good Prospects For Fort Greene's Prospect

[Pigging by Wilfrid: June 10, 2013]

I've often walked up that gentle slope of Fulton Street, looking for somewhere to eat and drink after dropping by the remarkable Frank's Cocktail Lounge.  Never found much; usually ending up with a stein at Schwarze Kölner.

But there's a restaurant-bar on the strip which has truly found its feet.  Open about eight months, Prospect is now worth a journey for its tasting menu, and worth a look for locals for the carte and bar snacks.

A note on photos: I won't use flash in restaurants, nor will I bring intrusive camera gear and turn dinner into a photo-shoot.  Although Prospect has reasonable lighting for a bar, there's not enough light directed on the tables to make the food photographable with the discreet camera I use.  I am offering some pictures here just to indicate the style of plating.

And this is where I pause to identify, with all the specificity I can muster, what now counts as a significant New York dining trend.  Back in 2010, I highlighted the birth of the "American bistro," observing that the role previously taken in the mid-priced dining scene by French and Italian restaurants was increasingly restricted to the home-grown (yes, the movement had older roots in Marlow & Sons, et al, but around 2010 it broke out).

It's time to add a new creature to the bestiary, but what to call it?  How about "homestyle fine dining"?  Where the bistros typically offer a raw bar, charcuterie and cheeses, a burger, meat and fish from the grill, in robust portions, simply served, the "homestyle fine dining" venues push out carefully composed, artistically plated dishes, and sport service which--while casual--retains some of the tropes of swankiness.

Okay, you need details.  But first let me list some candidates.  Gwynett Street and Battersby make the cut, with The Pines and the original incarnation of Isa mixing this category with some new Scandinavian aesthetic. 

And indeed at Prospect, we find executive chef Kyle McLelland and chef-de-cuisine Vinson Petrillo turning out a highly creative five course tasting, with correct service, in a restaurant which actually takes reservations.  It's also, basically, a jolly neighorhood pub with a long bar serving meatloaf "burgers," truffled eggs, and lobster rolls.

I visited once and ate from the carte, the returned for the tasting--and I'm glad I did (incidentally, not only was I recognized on my second visit by the greeter and my server, but my server remembered everything I'd ordered first time, and was able to tailor the tasting accordingly).

One highlight of my first dinner at Prospect was chunks of suckling pig, with glowing, lacquered spring, and stuffed dates.  The garnish had changed to stone fruits and ramps for my second visit, and I was tempted to order it again.  There was a soup of young garlic and peas, poured tableside over a bowl containing young vegetables and a slice of hamachi.  There was a crisply roasted quail special.

I was planning to report that this was a great neighborhood spot, but there was no need to travel from parts of Manhattan or Brooklyn with equally good options.  The tasting, however, was something else: (some) ingredients and techniques from the carte, but with an extra layer of luxury and excitement.

It was obvious from the first dish.  The dinner menu, predictably, features softshell crab with house kimchi and buckwheat noodles.  The tasting swapped out the crab for softshell crawfish, something I've never eaten before and am eager to eat again.  The whole critters, gently crunchy and deeply flavorful.

Then a bowl of juicy heirloom tomatoes, tossed with shelled razor clams and bay scallops.  Bay scallops can be boring,  but these were sprightly and unusually sweet.  The collation was pungently seasoned with Mexican oregano.

The kitchen then beat that with a sumptuous surf and turf--Hudson Valley foie with equally rich and meaty slices of hamachi.  I'd like the slab of hamachi in the soup, so I was pleased to meet it again.

There was passion fruit to add acid, and an earthy sort of amaranth granola at the base of the dish.

What I usually think of as the fish interlude was kicked into gear by creative use of diced pork belly, an English pea emulsion, and roasted shisito peppers.  The fish itself, Atlantic black bass, was neatly crisped.

The 28 day aged sirloin was well-flavored, but the chewy texture was a little disappointing.  You can, of course, get tough and tender meat from the same batch.  The sauce was classic bordelaise.

After a palate cleanser--lavender-mint sorbets--pastry chef Annika Loureiro personally delivered a rich, cigar-shaped Luxardo cherry and chocolate tart, garnished with more cherries and vanilla ice cream.

The tasting menu is $80, and with wine, tax and tip, you will find yourself headed to the $150 mark and beyond.   But you will not be surprised by the price-tag, despite the tavern setting.  This is a sleeper, but word is spreading.  Put it on your list.

Here's the website.