05.24.08
Review of Elettaria, Wednesday May 2008
33 W.8th St. & Macdougal St. (between 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-677-3833
Great for: fancy cocktails, cilantro and cardamom fanatics, kitchen watching
My best friend E (the one who finished culinary school recently) and I were wandering around the East Village looking for somewhere to eat, when she remembered that Elettaria had just opened. Chef Akhtar Nawab from Craft and some bartenders from Freemans and Death & Co. united to create a ton of foodie buzz. The space is in the middle of that stretch of 8th Street I used to call Stripper Street, which was mainly super-slutty shoe and clothes stores. We’d heard such good things about this place we were really excited. I guess a lot of people had the same idea, since even at 9pm on a Wednesday we had to wait 25 minutes.
E and I both love to eat. We felt hungry enough to get three appetizers to share. The fried quail with pomegranate molasses, bacon and a fried egg over frisée salad was juicy, tender and crispy like wings. It didn’t taste particularly of quail, though. It could have been chicken, ostrich, cuckoo, pheasant – any bird. It was not at all quail-centric. The breaded quail egg on top was good too, but we were expecting more from such a ballyhooed chef. The crab meat resala over gnocchi, turmeric-onion soubise, basil seed and fried herbs was great. As I said to E, it was crispy meets tasty meets lovely crab. The gnocchi of just flour and water were amazingly crisp. Though it could have used some salt, I loved the soubise.
The pork ribs with garam masala and snow peas strips with a dollop of yogurt did not live up to expectations. I have no idea how they managed to make the meat fall off the bones while being a little dry. It was also unevenly salted and had an embarrassment of cardamom. I disliked the yogurt as I expected I would. I’m not much for sourness.
For a main I had the mahi mahi over fried rice with saffron, cipollini onions, poppy seeds, lima beans, and chives. The rice was the best part. The fish by itself was a little bland and dry, much better mixed with a lot of veg. I never thought the day would come when I would want lima beans on my fork. E was persuaded to have the duck slices with keema (a duck leg made into ragout), nettles and yet more cardomom. It tasted like they dumped a whole bottle of the stuff on the duck. A pity, because the non-encrusted pieces were pretty good and tender. The keema was tasty, the nettles buttery, saucy and delicious. Yes, I was surprised too. All I know about nettles is that they sting, and I believe I read a book years ago where someone was beaten with a fistful of nettles. Such a versatile weapon; good for punishment and sustenance. What seemed to be croutons in the sauce may have been crispy duck skin. I liked the texture of the meat but again, it could have been anything. It was just more meat with cardamom.
I know, Elettaria is a genus of cardamom, blah blah – doesn’t mean you have to smother dishes in it. I am aware of the restaurant in which I am eating, I don’t need the food to remind me. Speaking of which, the place could have called itself Cilantro, which came with everything. That excess actually kind of worked though.
I am very happy to report positively about the drinks. I have not had the pleasure of visiting Freemans or Death & Co. (perhaps I should post on Craigslist for a date there before the SLA kills it), so I can’t compare with those establishments, but we had some pretty darn good drinks. The Electric Ladyland of pisco and champagne was somewhat sweet, with a bit of a tang. The Rita Hayworth kind of tasted like a margarita, and we could definitely taste the sage in it. The bartender said it was better before dinner and she was absolutely right. I liked the Ginger Rogers, which was slightly bitter and packed a yummy punch. E’s Navy Grog came in an enormous glass. It was a crazy combination of three rums and some juice and tasted like black cherry if a black cherry went on an epic three-day drinking binge. If I hadn’t had to work the next day I probably would have got the absinthe-including Zombie Punch next.
We had a very friendly and knowledgeable waitress, who felt no need to ask us if we needed anything at any point. It was weird. She was so nice and attentive otherwise. It was as though she was trying to make a point. I liked the cool book-like menu, hardwood ceilings, and spacious bar and dining areas. In the back, the kitchen is totally open – you could practically walk in without realizing you were there.
The whole meal was a lot less creative than we expected it to be. More importantly, some of it just wasn’t very good. E did not even finish her duck, the cardamom was so off-putting. It would be one thing if the restaurant opened a few days ago, or even a few weeks. But I know they opened at the beginning of March. 2.5 months ought to be long enough to get your act straightened out, especially when you’re charging this much. We would only come back for drinks.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Cost $165 (2 cocktails each)
Noise level: fairly noisy
Chance of walking in: very low. Waited 25 minutes at 9pm on a Wednesday. It will probably get better though.
