Kosher
As Brooklyn Restaurant Week approaches, the perennial “Kosher” anxiety reared its ugly head: will there be sufficient vegetarian/Kosher-friendly options on the menu? Can the chef prepare my butternut squash risotto with vegetable stock? Will a seared skate wing and poached langoustines be the only two seafood choices? Aiming to provide a (generally conservative) cross-section of a restaurant’s regular menu, dining at a participating restaurant during Restaurant Week can be a gamble. Thankfully, Applewood afforded three courses of veggie-friendly cuisine, although some of the dishes failed in concept and/or execution.
After washing my hands with a soft, fresh towel (no rough paper towels here; it’s all about the little things in life!), I returned to the table and reviewed my choices for dinner. Two options for the first course: a generic salad of mixed greens, pistachios (it should be noted that ingredients take on a Hindu-like quality here, reappearing in various forms across dishes) and a citrus vinaigrette, or a cream of butternut squash soup topped with freshly grated nutmeg. It was the first of a string of warm spring days, so I settled for the salad, unexciting as it seemed, in place of the iconic winter soup. However, a minute or so after placing my order, the very same salad arrived at an adjacent table; it resembled a lifeless heap of green rags drenched in a dull yellow liquid and studded with crushed chartreuse pebbles! I quickly weighed my options: Soup? Salad? Soup? Salad? Luckily for me, it wasn’t too late to switch my order (wish I could say the same for a certain Mr. Griffin). I requested a substitution, and my bowl of smooth, buttery golden goodness soon arrived. Perfectly aerated and pureed—perhaps even passed through a chinoise—the soup rivaled in texture a celery root velouté I recently had at a certain haute cuisine française establishment on the Upper East Side. The cream-to-squash ratio was just right, and the nutmeg added a welcomed spicy note.
Content with my first choice, I moved on to the second course, a porcini mushroom risotto. Those who abide by dietary restrictions can appreciate the sheer elation I experienced upon learning the risotto was prepared with a mushroom—not beef, chick, or veal—stock! The risotto, topped with a generous dollop of chèvre, lacked the creaminess typically associated with the dish: the Arborio rice kernels were on the crunchy side. Also, I counted a whopping four porcinis in my entire bowl! I contemplated sending it back, but decided against doing so, as I couldn’t refrain from dipping slice after slice of crusty French bread (served with a luscious garlic creamed cheese and duck paté) into the residual broth (shouldn’t that have been absorbed by the rice?? Perhaps an explanation for the crunchiness…). Despite the lack of porcinis and the rice’s disconcerting texture, the dish was perfectly seasoned and satisfying.
Before moving on to dessert, I partook with the rest of the table in a well-balanced selection of four cheeses—a steal for $12! I was initially drawn to the apple and quince strudel but, sadly, a bacon streusel (I’m sure the smoky-sweet combination is divine!) adorned its surface. I settled for the second option, a pistachio-topped (making their second appearance) cherry rice pudding. The dish was artfully plated—a delicate liqueur glass filled with pudding and topped with pistachios placed atop a plate dusted with finely-ground pistachios and adorned with desiccated cherries—but its flavor was off-putting: the mélange of sweet rice, sour cherries and salty pistachios just didn’t mesh well.
While my meal wasn’t stellar, my fellow diners were very pleased with their selections (see my counterpart’s comments; the duck looked FANTASTIC). The restaurant has received much positive press, and I intend to dine there in the future, free from the constraints of Restaurant Week.
Reccomended Dish(es)/Butternut Squash Soup
Rating/
Un/Kosher
Although a daily changing menu may make a review of this restaurant hard to peg down, my experience was pretty inspired. While the menu may change night to night, the general oeuvre of each dish stays the same.
For example, on the night we went the perfectly seared diver scallops were served with a side of mascarpone polenta and a smear of red beet vinaigrette across the plate. As of writing this post, the dish is now served with roasted oyster mushrooms, an olive tapanade in parsley oil.
The dishes themselves, for the most part, are well executed. The rabbit galettes were dry and less flavorful then the rest of the dishes. However, the duck breast was served slightly crispy on the outside, yet moist and rare on the inside. Most dishes generally involve the mixing different types of meats and shellfish which means that it was amazing. Prices are high for the area, but its well worth the trip. I also have to say that I did the restaurant week menu, so my experience was slightly limited which makes me want a return trip as soon as possible.
Reccomended Dish(es)/ Diver Maine Scallop appetizer & Roasted Duck
Rating/
Cuisine/ Rustic American
Price/ $$$
Location/ 105 11th St. Brooklyn, NY
