Last night I was lucky enough to score an invitation to a pre-opening. It’s like a dress rehearsal, where the show is the food and you get to eat it. You know that things are not going to go exactly right, and sometimes that’s the fun of it.
This place is understated ambiance. The dining room is quite small and the patio is much bigger, with two ultra tall palms and a fire pit in the middle. I can see spending a balmy evening in the summertime, drinking one of those fabulous bar drinks, sitting in one of those low-backed, simply carved wooden chairs. The seating is some of the most comfortable in town.
The menu features the sort of spicey foods that Conde Nast Traveler’s dream about. They’ve got loads of street-cart delicacies from the other side of the world that any food loving traveler would want to sample. So if you’ve used up all your mileage points and you’re stuck here in town, Feniger has put it all together in one place. Her choices are inspired. The sauces are served in little dabs here and there giving little flavor zaps to your palate. Shizo Shrimp was excellent, wrapped in nori, paper-thin pastry and quick fried. This was good-stuff. Washed down with a shocking-pink lemonade resembling a tequila sunrise was deliciously different from the usual. Pani Puri, an addictive crunchy Indian dish should have been better but this place hasn’t even opened yet. So I have to give it another chance.
Saag paneer was terrific, loaded with the cheese and served with yogurt rice and dal on the side. There was certainly enough here to make any vegetarian a happy camper. Korean BBQ short ribs were flanken style, in a pear, rice wine marinade, accompanied by a crunchy Asian pear salad. The presentation was excellent. It’s South Beach diet heaven – just protein and a mildly tart salad. Egyptian style baked fish was perfectly cooked with roasted lemons and sea salt, served with kushary, a street food of spiced rice, lentils and macaroni. Right now, the dishes are a little inconsistent in seasonings. One, a little too salty, another totally lacking. There was, however a cold beet and apple salad with a delicious vinaigrette that makes me want to go back for more.
One final note on the prices. They are pretty high for street cart food. But considering the neighborhood (only a quarter block from Mozza) still, a little steep for a brand new venue. I would lower the prices, but hey – I’m not a great, celebrity chef- She IS. This lady’s concept menu, taste and creative culinary skills are clear and strong. On my driving scale of 1 mile to 10, I give it 10 miles. I plan to drive a few more times just to experience the panoply of street foods she is offering. The question is: how often can I afford the bucks to do it.
Cecilia