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Richard Krause, a Wolfgang Puck protégé and former exec chef at Café Luxembourg, is mighty courageous to open a Latin-sounding French bistro in the former Gravy/Big Trout space on Smith Street, which also once served as a spillover room for next-door 'cue joint Since 1963. Those restaurants failed for a number of reasons: poor concept, poor execution, bad biscuits. But Krause has some firepower in Julio Bueno, an underexposed talent who spent almost 20 years (!) as Café Luxembourg’s sous-chef. Now, the chef has a namesake restaurant that will serve the “cuisine of the Romance languages,” according to Krause. Meaning mostly French with Italian and Latin touches.—MR
Starting a star down?
After a modest face-lift—a zinc bar was installed and ragtag banquettes were unified with chocolate-hued tablecloths—there still are some issues with this jinxed joint. It’s almost as if Bueno starts a star down before even serving its first dish. A glowing TV blasting sports and sitcoms strips away any intimacy and seriousness presented by the menu—grilled branzino doesn’t pair well with Joe Buck’s play-by-play. The bathrooms are, simply put, nasty. And then there’s the presumption that this is yet another launch from the team behind the previous fails. Which is untrue. Though Krause is a silent partner at Mexican cantina Pacifico (some people love, most don’t), this is a completely new project from a completely new team. And one with serious ambition. —MR
Good cop: Pan-roasted chicken, Country Salad, mussels in leek cream, seared scallops, pan-roasted chicken, fried oysters, crab cake
Once you get past the off-putting space, though, the food here turns out to be a real charmer. Julio Bueno doesn't do anything too out-there—the menu sticks to familiar stuff (steak frites, pan-roasted fish, burger). But what he does, he does well. Pan-roasted chicken was moist and plump, with aggressively seasoned skin that produced a nice crackle once you bit into it. The "Country Salad" offered up a hearty play on the tired old Cobb salad, mixed with bacon lardons, blue cheese, a poached egg and airy frisée. Interestingly, seafood was a real highlight here: With the exception of a tragically inedible skate, most of the seafood dishes hit the mark. A heaping bowl of mussels and chorizo, bathed in a creamy white-wine-and-leek broth, had a smoky richness, while the scallops—perfectly seared—were topped with crispy shaved parsnip that resembled shoestring fries. Fried Blue Point oysters packed some nice heat, paired with chile-tomato mayo that brought a Latin flair. It was a theme that Bueno carried over to his delicious crab cake: not flaky, not mushy and resting atop what the restaurant likes to call "avocado mousse" but what the rest of civilization calls "guacamole." A quirky pairing, if you ask us, and one that worked surprisingly well . —ALL
Bad cop: Pastas, Cubano at brunch
While most of the menu succeeded in execution and ambition, the pastas lacked both. Fettuccine was overcooked (mushy), as were the clunky hunks of boiled fennel. Ravioli wasn’t much better, with a watery tomato sauce that lacked a cured-cheese charge. The pan-fried skate wing was dressed with a redundant arugula salad (it was also used as a side for the the crab cake) and overcooked to a T. But the biggest failures were at brunch the following weekend. A pressed Cubano with Swiss cheese and parma cotta ham arrived hot on a well-appointed roll. A problem though: The kitchen forgot the pork. If this happened off Calle Ocho, somebody would certainly be getting the “Scarface” treatment. And though the server was beyond friendly, he forgot a side of bacon and has some issues with math. —MR
That said...
When they do get their act together, there's some impressive cooking going on here. Julio Bueno has a flair for nuance and execution that elevates the dishes beyond anything that's been served at this location during its previous incarnations. It's a pity, though, that Bueno is saddled with such an unfortunate space, which seems like a horrible ménage a trois between a bistro, a train car and a sports bar. Bad hookup, bad hookup! We'll try to ignore the distractions and focus on the food, which deserves the kind of home that lives up its chef's talents.—ALL
Photo by Sam Horine
What other people are saying...
saraht from Cobble Hill, Brooklyn - October 21, 2009 at 9:32 AM
I was definitely under the impression that this was just another fourth try at a restaurant from the team behind Gravy/Trout/1963. For a while ther...
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