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“THE STRONG BUZZ for November 5th: The News (Mermaid West, Pop Burger, Clubhouse, Bacaro, Radegast, Dixie, and more), Events, My Dinner at Bun”

Hello and Welcome to this week’s edition of THE STRONG BUZZ! The News (Mermaid West, Pop Burger, Bacaro, Clubhouse, Radegast, Dixie Returns, and more), Events, My Dinner at Bun.

The Strong Buzz on Bravo—Read about my experience at Fergus Henderson’s Dinner at The Spotted Pig!

THE NEWS

The Mermaid Inn
Danny Abrams is having quite a Fall. He opened Smith’s last week with partner Cindy Smith, and this week he opens the second branch of his East Village New England-styled fish house, The Mermaid Inn (formerly owned with partner Jimmy Bradley). Set on the Upper West Side, the restaurant has that same Mermaid feel, with dark wainscoting, vintage maps of the sea, and an expanded raw bar. The restaurant also boasts garage-style roll up doors that give the place an al fresco Barbuto feel. The menu, from chef Laurence Edelman (The Red Cat, Barbuto), charters mostly new territory, other than the signature lobster sandwich (a lobster roll on a big fat buttery brioche bun, $24), the spaghetti with a salad on top ($18, actually a Red Cat signature dish), and the wedge salad ($8). To start, you’ve got grilled oysters with pork sausage, fresh lemon and extra virgin olive oil ($11), a crispy salt cod cake with green goddess dressing and toasted black pepper ($10), and sauteed potato gnocchi autumn squash, butter ($11). Main courses offer whole roasted fish with green herbs and fried Idaho potatoes ($23), seared salmon with French beans, milled artichoke and olives ($20), and sauteed skate wing with Israeli couscous, fish broth, dried figs and lemon ($18). Just like the East Village location, dessert is a free cup of pudding. The Mermaid Inn is located at 568 Amsterdam Avenue, 212-799-7400, http://www.themermaidnyc.com/.

POP Burger
POP Burger, Roy Liebenthal’s uber-modern burger joint in the Meatpacking, will open in mid-November in the heart of midtown east. The restaurant is massive—a multi-level 600 square-foot, 300-seat space designed by Ali Tayar (designer of the 9th Avenue store) with a late night lounge and billiards room. The kitchen will serve the same roster of irresistible snack-sized burgers and fries, alongside a larger menu of lobster nachos ($15), baby crab cakes ($18), grilled fillet mignon with Yukon gold potatoes ($28) and grilled baby lamb chops ($22). The restaurant has a full bar so you can have a vanilla shake or a Union Cocktail (tequila, casis and lime, $12) with your burger box. Pop Burger Midtown is located at 14 East 58th Street (between 5th and Madison), 212-991-6644. Hours: Take out from 11am-4am seven days a week, and will open for dinner from 5pm-4am, also seven days a week.

Bacaro
In Venice, the tradition of cichetti mirrors Spain’s tapas—with small plates washed down with (what else?) wine, in cozy tavernas called bacaros. To replicate this bacaro tradition, the owners of Peasant, Frank DeCarlo and his wife Dulcinea Benson, have opened Bacaro, a two-story wine bar with a sunny top floor with a long marble bar framed with picture windows, and a more cavernous and romantic downstairs decked out in vintage pieces and reclaimed wood that give the place a snuggle-up-and-get close vibe. There’s also a salami room (that’s bigger than the average studio apartment), and two vaults for larger groups to get together and feast on the menu that includes cured meats, cheeses selected by Lou DiPalo (he’s the guy responsible for that wonderful creamy ricotta), octopus and potato salad ($9), rise e bisi (rice balls, $9), snails with garlic and parsley ($9), lasagna layered with smoked mozzarella and radicchio ($14), and chestnut-stuffed quail ($14). On the wine list you’ll find 75 bottles from Valpolicella to Amarone curated by Benson to reflect the wines of Venice and the surrounding regions. Bacaro is located at 136 Division St., near Ludlow St., 212-941-5060.

Clubhouse Café
This new theater district restaurant offers something rather rare—a clubby casual bar atmosphere serving a kosher menu. Clubhouse Café is the second project from chef Jose de Meirelles, owner of Le Marais NY, a kosher steakhouse and brasserie located just across the street from his new place.

The bar at Clubhouse Cafe

The menu offers snacks like duck empanadas, sliders, and chicken wings, alongside mains like fish & chips ($19), olive-oil roasted salmon with basil and warm potato salad ($21), spicy beef chili with avocado relish ($16.50), burgers ($13.50), and Southern fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy ($18). Clubhouse Cafe opens November 11th at 55 West 46th Street, (212) 354-3838. For catering inquiries call (212) 869-4910.

Radegast Hall & Biergarten
Sometimes people think of really wonderful contraptions that can make life so much better. In this age of global warming, when nights alternate between balmy and brisk even into early November, the retractable roof is one of them. It’s in full use at Radegast, a new Williamsburg beer hall opening next week owned by Ivan Aohut (who helped open the Bohemiam Beer Garden to the public in 2001) and his partner, Andy Ivanov who built the place to feel like an authentic turn of the century Austro-Hungarian beer hall, with communal tables made from reclaimed barn wood. The “Hall” features 32-foot ceilings and a 75-foot long bar, while the “garten” (equipped with retractable canopy) offers 2000 square feet of drinking and eating space with an outdoor grill.

Named for the Czech god of hospitality, fertility, and crops, and well, apparently beer, Radegast Hall offers 13 beers on tap—choices like Dentergems Witbier (BEL), Weihenstephaner Dunkel Weisse (GER), Krusovice Lager (CZE), BrouCzech (CZE), and 38 choices in bottles. Have a seat at one of the picnic tables and you can feast on a menu that offers roasted pork tenderloin with prunes and porter beer sauce served with potato dumplings and red cabbage ($16), veal schnitzel with scallion sour cream potato salad ($17), braised rabbit a la radegast served over Viennese gnocchi ($18), baked palacinki (blintzes) stuffed with spinach and shallots, topped with manchego cheese ($12), and for dessert, poppy seed and apple strudel ($6). The seasonal grill menu offers everything from classic burgers, to Weisswurst, and Rabbitwurst and lighter fare like Turkey burgers as well. Radegast Hall & Biergarten, which will open (hopefully) later this week, is located at 113 North 3rd St (at Berry), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 718-963-3973.

Belinda Chang at The Modern
Belinda Chang is the new sommelier and wine director at Danny Meyer’s The Modern, Cafe 2 and Terrace 5. Belinda most recently served as Corporate Director of Wine and Spirits for Chef Rick Tramonto’s Cenitare, in Chicago. She will officially start in mid-November.

Baraonda
Baraonda, the long-running Upper East Side Italian restaurant, has moved from 1439 Second Avenue at 75th Street, to a larger space on 85th and Second, with a new upstairs lounge and a new chef—Christian Fantoni—who was last the executive chef at Fiamma (as well as Michael White's Chef De Cuisine for the four years before White's departure from Fiamma). Baraonda is located at 1640 Second Avenue, at 85th Street, (212-288-8555).

New Orleans’ Dixie Brewing is Coming Back
Dixie Brewing, the 100-year old NOLA brewer of Blackened Voodoo, Dixe Lager, Jazz Amber Light, and Crimson Voodoo Ale, was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Like the city of New Orleans, this brewery is making a big comeback, rebuilding not only the brewery but adding an authentic old world beer garden. The Dixie Beer Garden will be located on a wide stretch of space on the roof of the brewery with unparalleled views of New Orleans. The new facility is expected to be completed in 18-24 months. Stay tuned.

STRONG BUZZ CLASSIFIEDS OF THE WEEK! The Spotted Pig needs line cooks, a private chef is available for Thanksgiving and all your Holiday cooking needs, another private chef is in need of a sous chef for the holiday rush, an Upper West Side restaurant is available for lease, and Harlem Vintage Wines is looking for a Wine Associate! Check out the Strong Buzz Classifieds now for more jobs and to post your own ad!

EVENTS, written by Colu Henry

Happy Hour at Provence

Vicki and Marc have started Happy Hour at Provence (38 Macdougal Street) from 5-6:30 p.m. Their idea of “happy” includes champagne ($8) with two-buck oysters (12 oysters per person). I might add fries to that mix, as well. Makes me happy.

Braise Fest at Village
Welcome the brisk autumn weather, which has thankfully arrived with hearty, braised dishes from chef/owner Stephen Lyle of Village restaurant. For three weeks beginning Wednesday, November 14th through Wednesday, December 5th, Lyle will feature a collection of bistro-inspired, soul-warming dishes like Niman Ranch pork shanks with horseradish, tarragon spaetzle and sauerkraut; beef cheeks cabernet with chanterelles and a gratin of cardoons; brined cured duck legs with caraway, crème fraiche and cabbage and neck of lamb with canellini beans, rosemary, and truffle butter. Entrées start at $23 and wine pairings will also be available for an additional supplement. For the slow-cooking inclined, Lyle will also offer recipes and braising tips for home chefs at the restaurant’s website, www.villagerestaurant.com. Village is located at 62 West 9th Street (at 6th Avenue). For reservations, please call 212-505-3355.

Children of Bellevue: Cheers For Children
On Wednesday, November 14th, from 7-10 pm, the Children of Bellevue junior committee will host the Cheers for Children benefit at the Pink Elephant. In addition to complimentary cocktails, Ty Ku, the all-natural Asian liqueur, will host a cocktail competition with guest judge Anthony Caporale, from the “Art of the Drink” web TV series. The event will also feature light fare and a cash bar. Tickets are available for $75 online at www.childrenofbellevue.org through November 9 and $85 thereafter and can be picked-up at the reservation table the night of the event. Pink Elephant is located at 527 West 27th Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues). Children of Bellevue, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded in 1949 to initiate, develop, and fund special programs and to act as an advocate for children and their families within the Bellevue Hospital Center. For reservations or contributions, please call the development office at 212-562-4130.

Long Island Restaurant Week
The Second Annual Long Island Restaurant Week runs through Sunday, November 11th, 2007. Participating restaurants like the Seafood Barge in the North Fork and 75 Main in Southampton, are serving a three-course prix-fixe for $21.95 all night, except Saturday when it will be offered only until 7 p.m. For a complete listing of restaurants, visit http://www.longislandrestaurantweek.com/

Chocoholics Anonymous?
If you consider chocolate one of the major food groups (and why shouldn’t you), then head over to The Champagne Lounge at Country this week when it’s transformed into a Bon Bon Shop in celebration of the New York Chocolate Show. On November 6th, from 5-7 p.m., the hotel will host a tasting of the hand-crafted chocolates along with champagne in the lobby. Then, from the 7th through the 10th, Country’s pastry chef, Hsing Chen, will turn out a Willy Wonka festival of chocolates like Turkish coffee ganache with milk chocolate, red wine ganache with dark chocolate, salted caramel truffles, coconut white chocolate truffles, chocolate coated toffees, pistachio and cherry chocolate bark, and truffle lollipops. If you want it all (careful there, you know what happens when you get too greedy), go for the “Tasting of Chocolate” ($30), which includes a selection of the chocolates with your choice of a glass of Champagne, a Gold and White Chocolate Martini, a Fiery Dark Hot Chocolate, a Hot Butterscotch White Chocolate, or a Peanut Butter Milk Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow Cream. The Bon Bon Shop at Country will be open November 7-10 from 6 p.m. until 12 a.m. Reservations for table seating in the lounge at (212) 889-7100.

MY DINNER AT BUN
What Momofuku did for ramen (turn it into a cult favorite capable of inciting frequent foodie riots), Bun (say BOONE!) clearly hopes to do for vermicelli rice noodles. This sleek new Vietnamese restaurant—a lean wood-paneled space decorated with sleeping Buddhas located on a dark stretch of Grand Street, is named for these thin silky alabaster threads (vermicelli rice noodles are called Bun in Vietnam), and they show up in almost every dish served on this “small plates” menu. You’ll find them stuffed and rolled up into summer rolls, filling up cold bowls piled with shrimp, steak, Berkshire pork belly and fish, and swishing around in steamy broth bobbing with clams, hen meat and crab. In short, wherever you turn, chances are you’ll find your chopsticks anchored in a fluffy cluster of vermicelli noodles.

The chef moving vermicelli into the ramen spotlight is Bun’s owner, Michael Bao Huynh, who first splashed onto the scene with his melt-in-your-mouth short ribs skewered onto sugarcane at Bao 111 (from which he has severed his ties) and then expanded his empire to include Bao Noodles (from which he has also severed his ties) and recently opened Mai House—with Drew Nieporent, with which he is still associated. (Try to keep track, there may be a quiz).

What I found on my dinner visit last week, with a half dozen friends gathered together to welcome my brother to the city (he was visiting from SF), was that the focus on vermicelli is both a strength and a weakness of the restaurant. The strength lies in the fact that the dishes based on these noodles are uniformly good. Our welcome celebration started with “rolls”—more accurately fat rice skin wrapped snugly around a center of vermicelli noodles, and choices like duck, mustard greens, apple, and herbs with plum sauce ($6), shrimp, Berkshire pork belly, mint and peanut sauce ($5), and jicama with Chinese sausage, dry shrimp, egg, basil and peanut sauce ($6), and one simply vegetarian (my brother has been a vegetarian for three years now) filled up with mushrooms, jicama, and herbs with a soy dressing ($5). While we scarfed these down—enjoying the fresh, minty herbs and the cool chew of the noodles—somehow the fuller flavors of each of the fillings seemed to get lost in the shuffle. There was a rather uniform taste to these rolls that, while quite good, was disappointing because I wanted to taste the differences between them more than I did. I felt like somehow the noodles were taking the attention away from the more assertive and distinct flavors sharing space with them. Not necessarily a bad thing, just something to be aware of.

The rice noodles—uncoiled into a beautiful glossy pile of hay and straw—are also the main ingredient in the bun bowls. My favorite was the hanger steak ($11). Served medium rare in ruby red rectangles, the steak is draped over a cool clingy cushion of rice noodles folded over sliced apples, Asian mustard greens and mint, then drizzled with plum sauce. It’s light and fresh and just a lot of fun to eat, with every bite using chopsticks to snatch up a bit of every ingredient to make a perfect bite. The shrimp bun followed the same formula, with juicy grilled shrimp and Berkshire pork mingling with cucumber and herbs ($10). Though my cousin Melanie loved it, my least favorite was the fish, rubbed with a too strong dose of tumeric tossed with cucumber and dill and anchovy sauce ($12). But again, after a few bites, everything sort of tasted the same.

This flavor ubiquity was not the case with plates that stood on their own, without the noodles. For instance, the roast black cod with tomato and fennel relish ($12) was, as it should be, luscious hunk of fish, vaguely Nobu-esque. The King crab spring rolls, stuffed with pork and water chestnuts, were also exciting in their distinction from the rest of the menu—sweet and salty nuggets snuggled inside a crunchy wrapper shaped like a Moroccan cigar ($9). The spicy coconut curried mussels were also terrific—mussels swelling outside their shells, steamed in a feverish curry broth anchored by hunks of smoked bacon. Huynh also breaks out those signature sugar cane skewers—serving his old time favorite short rib, as well as pork ribs (wonderfully sticky with honey mustard glaze, $10), and ground spiced lamb with a chutney of quince and pear in an anise sauce ($12). These were vaguely Turkish to me, and were my favorite of the skewered selection.

As you might notice, not many of the dishes at Bun are appropriate for vegetarians, which surprised me, considering Vietnamese fare often at least features a green papaya salad or a vegetable broth, perhaps with tofu. My brother is a trooper, but we did have to “special order” for him, so that he could have a dinner that was a meal not just a snack. Kudos to the staff at Bun, particularly their lovely manager Julio, who made every effort to construct dishes without animal stock or parts so that we didn’t need to do a tofu run after dinner. The vegetarian Bun soup (not on the menu but should be) was a warm and soulful broth loaded with meaty (in a veggie kind of way) mushrooms.

That being said, I was surprised that David (my brother) didn’t get up and take leave of the table when the casserole of—hold on—duck hearts and tongues ($8) arrived. This was a gift from the chef (someone who I have written about and know from the business). I’ve gotten many gifts in my life, and I can honestly say that this was the first one that consisted of duck hearts and tongues. I don’t really see this as a popular Red Envelope choice. While I shook my head and held my hands over my eyes, Alison boldly went in, proving to be the most adventurous of all of us. (Who knew?) She pulled a few tongues out of their small cherry red Le Creuset pot, and stared at them for a while and then licked them (claiming she was making out with the ducks) and then took a bite, very pleased with herself that she had tried them. I was impressed because I couldn’t do it. The tongues looked like distorted pinky fingers and the hearts were literally (yikes) heart shaped, but the size of sugarplums, I know it’s hypocritical to eat the duck and shun the heart, but I couldn’t do it. I know they were glazed in seven warm spices, with lime and chile salt, which sounded so good to me, but I am weak. Tony Bourdain I am not. There will be no hearts eaten by this critic.

I did partake of the duck confit, however, tucked inside an egg pancake (brilliant) served over a daikon radish and potato tortilla (as in Spanish tortilla) with a red vinegar and soy dipping sauce ($12). This is a must-have dish and something I hope I will see on a brunch menu somewhere soon.

All dishes at Bun are called “small plates”, and while they are smallish, they are still big enough to share with one or two friends. They are served as they are ready, which means your meal will be a rather randomly ordered hodge-podge of skewers, summer rolls, salads, plates, cold noodles and broths, which is fine. I don’t recommend Bun for groups of larger than four, because the narrow space is really not big enough. We were seven and occupied the long banquette up near the door, which was comfortable, but unfortunately, quite drafty. Toward the back, booths for four keep you cozy, and are a better choice when the nights get cold. But the main feature of the restaurant is a 60-foot dining bar overlooking the open kitchen, which would be my choice for dining with one friend, or even on my own. Like the bar at Momofuku (moving this week to its new larger digs), it is a theater of its own, and the food is the sort made for eating side to side at the casual nature of the bar, free to slurp and share, and repeat. Get ready. The next noodle revolution is upon us.

Bun is located at 143 Grand Street, near Lafayette, 212-431-7999.

And that’s The Strong Buzz for this week. As always, thanks for reading and until Thursday’s weekend buzz, READ IT AND EAT!

 

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Posted: November 5, 2007

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