Starting at Vanderbilt Avenue and running west along Bergen Street, 10 times deeper than it is wide, the newly opened Vanderbilt first presents an extensively windowed front room, given over to a few raised tables and a long bar. This area is strictly for tipplers, since a snack menu constitutes the only food available. Luckily, the snacks are excellent: More Malaysian than American, the sticky beef jerky pokes out of its coffee cup, an impressive quantity for $6. I also recommend the trio of crisp croquettes, their squishy insides flecked with Serrano ham; hard-boiled eggs pickled yellow, served in a slush of dark chutney; and, best of all, a new take on brussels sprouts ($5), wherein the small cabbages are roughly chopped and then sautéed, so that the crisp outer leaves fall off and become coated in sweet sesame sauce.
An extended row of tables marches deeper into the restaurant along an unbroken banquette—punctuated by lavish flower arrangements—toward the darkened rear dining room, which is clad in what look like railroad ties. But mid-restaurant, opposite the banquette, discover a beautiful counter of white Carrera marble. As if the focus of some Renaissance masterpiece, the counter is brilliantly illuminated. Perch on one of the stools and you can be Jesus, blessing the well-organized tumult of the open kitchen, as soups are poured and garnished, salads tossed, and entrées carefully positioned on their schmear of squash or potatoes.
Read more at http://www.villagevoice.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment