Quick Bites: Untitled (The Restaurant, I Mean)

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  September 12, 2016]

I went through the MePa to a joint with no name.  Or something like that. You know, I thought Untitled was a dumb name for a restaurant, even given the arts reference, when it first opened at the old Whitney up on Madison.

But after five years, and in its new home in the sparkling new Whitney, it's well enough established that the name doesn't matter any more. I kept looking through the big windows while waiting to get into the Stuart Davis show this summer, and decided I should check it out.

It may have no name, really, but it has a name chef, Michael Anthony. Anthony, who I first met years ago at Blue Hill, is also--of course--executive chef at the grander Gramercy Tavern. But I can vouch that he spends a lot of his time here.  Not that I do: but I've seen him in the galleries in his chef's whites checking out the art, and he's been known to Instagram the art too.

One evening last week, he was on the civilian side of the kitchen, in a busy, buzzing (but not unduly noisy) high-ceilinged room. It was hot out, so for once I was in the mood for the light, fresh, "vegetable-forward" cooking which is Untitled's focus.  Nice that they pour sparkling wines into large goblets rather than force them into flutes. 

A sweet start to the meal with just-warm cornbread and what I'll call "inaudible" jam (the server had a whisper, but I think it involved strawberry).  Pleasant, although I'd prefer something more savory for a meal opener. 

Although there was a bread plate, no more bread showed up. And no, there's no bread and butter on the menu.

The cornbread theme continued with corn cakes scattered with grilled white shrimp and a bunch of crunchy beans and other diced veg.  The corn cakes, like the corn bread, were just warm, but the garnish cooled them fast. Like the cabbage dumplings and fish lettuce wraps on the "snack" menu, these are priced per piece: three was about right. Interestingly, there's no "appetizer" section on the menu: just those three snacks and a ricotta/heirloom tomato dish.  Presumably you could order from the vegetable sides to kick off (oh, and there's a raw bar too).

The wine-list, to my surprise, is very, very heavily French. Almost no Bordeaux, a few pricey Burgundies, but mostly mid-priced, mid-stream. I like a Cab Franc by the glass, but it could have been a slightly heavier pour.

But of course every New York restaurant is very conscious of the margins these days, and understandably so.  There were two pork dishes available: a special of pork shoulder with tacos, and the country rib. Both dishes were priced around $30, and neither of these cuts are expensive (there's also a beef short rib and a couple of fish dishes at $34).

The country rib was smartly grilled, with some real flavor-imparting char.  I suspect it had been rubbed or marinated in something savory too.  It came with another vegetable shower, this time heavily featuring corn as well as beans.  'Tis, after all, the season. The meat itself, as I'd expect with this cut, did have some fat and gristle, and some chewy passages. That's country rib.

This is a sleek spot with good service and an able kitchen.  Three courses will top $80 before you drink anything except tap water, so it's really a three figure pp check. That's what a three figure New York restaurant looks like now.