05.30.08
Review of Buzina Pop, Friday May 2008
1022A Lexington Ave. & 73rd St., 212-879-6190
Great for: sharing lots of appetizers, wonderful cocktails, drunken shopping after dinner
My friend L invited me to girls’ night with her friends J and S, and I like her so much I actually went all the way uptown to see her. With four hot women at one table, our poor waiter had difficulty concentrating on his job, especially since he could hear our raunchy conversation – we had an early reservation and the restaurant was pretty quiet. When I lived uptown for four years I had this place on my list and never visited; now that I live 80 blocks south I finally managed to come here.
L and J went a little crazy ordering apps. We ended up with six for the four of us. I’m glad there were two tuna tartars with foie gras, cachaça-molasses reduction and sesame seeds. They were pretty good, and an interesting choice to pair the foie gras with tuna. They have a lot in common – both fatty, creamy and with guilt to go around. I found the molasses sauce far too sweet, though. I like my candy to stay in the candy aisle. The warm fresh calamari salad with cherry tomatoes, arugula, parsley, garlic and lemon-lime juices was too frightening to eat. I bravely tried a leftover tentacle, because the rest of the bits looked disturbingly like mini octopi. In the chef’s defense, it was soft with a tastily burnt sauce and tender spinach. In my defense, I just read a book about how intelligent, agile and sensitive the octopus is.
The girls liked the Paulistana salad of baked tomatoes on the vine, mozzarella di bufalo, butter head lettuce, balsamic caramel dressing and crispy chopped garlic on top. (I don’t eat whole tomatoes, so I can only take their word for it.) The dish is exactly as described – the tomatoes are somehow still on the vine though a bit cooked. I can heartily recommend the very soft cheese and greens. I saved our two favorite starters for last. The carne seca, which was seasoned shredded beef, garlic persillade, cherry tomatoes and onions with manioc fries was just terrific. The fries were a bit bland, but what did we care with a whole pepper-shaped pot full of yummy, salty, spicy corned beef-looking stuff to attend to. I must confess to polishing off this one (there were only a few shards left, really, I swear). The bacalhau brandade, which was salty cod purée, black beans broth, crispy collard greens and bone marrow was also so good we couldn’t stop eating it. The fish was creamy and flaky while the collard’s crispiness invited overeating.
L and I went for the Friday special of moqueca, a stew with cod, one enormous shrimp, coconut and dende oil. It was tasty and a bit spicy. I liked it despite the coconut. However, the fish and shrimp were a little undercooked. I couldn’t finish my dish for that reason, afraid I would pay for it later. I contented myself with sauce on a tiny bit of the accompanying white rice. J’s steamed fresh herbs-encrusted salmon with baby vegetables in papillotte (a little parchment pouch), ginger, parsley butter, roasted apples and spicy sauce was terrific. The fish was not only tender, it somehow tasted a bit creamy as well. S had the roasted organic Cornish hen with fig juice, sautéed baby vegetables and yam purée. The chicken was a good texture, but really difficult to cut with all those bones in the way. She had the waiter do it. The fig juice was a crazy and bad choice on the chef’s part.
We very much enjoyed our strawberry sake caipirinhas. I also branched out to the equally delicious Dona Flor cocktail, which was, according to my notes, “Whoo! Drunky drunky yummy with a kick.” It’s definitely only for the members of your party who can hold their alcohol. Combining 42 Below honey vodka, triple sec, Chambord, simple syrup, passion fruit purée and fresh strawberries is pretty lethal.
Our waiter was just lovely. He cut up S’s food, advised us, and offered his extracurricular services when he heard some of us were looking for boyfriends. Also super cool: the black paper in the bathrooms. Because a restaurant named after a happy Brazilian-French clown needs dark goth toilet paper, obviously. Additionally, there was a store in the corner before the stairs. In case you’ve forgotten your bikini or some other tropical article of clothing, you can get it right there. They must have so many drunken purchases.
I’d like to, but I can’t say the food was really worth the effort. I’d come back this far uptown if someone got me the carne seca, bacalhau brandade, salmon and the $200 dress I was eyeing on the mannequin. And of course, several special cocktails.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $370 (4 people, 2.5 cocktails each, 6 apps)
Noise level: quiet when it’s early
Chance of walking in: medium.
