Opening one restaurant is crazy. Opening two at the same time is just plain nuts. But restaurateurs Jonathan Calabrese and Joseph Hickey have spent the last two years running their Lakewood bistro, Savory, out of a cramped coffeehouse called Legal Grounds. They needed to spread out, and so to Uptown they went.
Their ambitious State & Allen Restaurant Group has three concepts. One’s a deli called the Allen Street Market. There’s also a bar, the State & Allen Lounge. The third is a bistro, Taste.
At the bar, which has a cool, triangular outdoor patio, you can get a more than decent sandwich or burger. But Taste is where you find the serious food. The menu resembles its Lakewood cousin, with Savory staples such as seared halibut and roasted pork loin presented in imaginative ways and with satisfying, smartly conceived side dishes. However, they’re not identical. Calabrese and Hickey consult with sous chef Bradley Dickens as well as with Savory chef Jennifer Schaertl; at Taste, they unveil a new menu every six weeks.
Pray that the braised veal cheeks are on the menu when you visit. Cross your fingers that they’ll still be paired with diver scallops, as they were when we visited. Truth be told, the scallops were the bait; had it been veal cheeks solo, we might have passed. But they ended up being the high point of a fantastic dinner in which other worthy entrées included beef tenderloin, duck breast, and a flaky mushroom Wellington.
Veal cheeks are a trendy thing. They come from the head portion of a cow—but never mind all that. Focus instead on the fact that these trembling little morsels are infinitely tender, and their only wish is to melt in your mouth selflessly, submissively. Then contemplate the contrast when you follow them with a fat scallop, one whose crisp, browned edges give way to a warm, nearly translucent center that still quivers, barely. The textures of cheek and scallop were nearly identical but not quite, creating a mild dissonance that called for more comparison, more bites. The side item was smashing, too: a red onion, baked until it nearly wobbled, its hollowed center filled with mashed potato that hungrily absorbed the onion’s juices.
Grilled beef tenderloin piled on the decadence with its luscious blue cheese crab sauce. Yet the beef got aced by its accompanying side: corn cannelloni filled with velvety mashed sweet potato, like enchiladas à la Star Canyon (sniff sniff). Happily, there is always a vegetarian entrée, such as mushroom Wellington, on the menu. Pity that the flaky puff pastry overwhelmed the filling of smoked Gouda, onions, and wild seasonal mushrooms.
Desserts revealed a lively imagination, as well. But having a good idea isn’t the same as baking a good cake. For that you need technique, and it seemed to be missing. Is there a more disappointing finish to a meal than a chocolate cake that’s powder dry? And the cranberry “purse” was, like the mushroom Wellington, another puff pastry OD, with hardly a smidge of cranberry goo. Quince crème caramel came closer to fulfilling the vision. The custard jiggled coyly beneath a glistening slice of amber, candied quince—a novel departure from run-of-the-mill berries.
In wine, Taste subscribes to the theory that lower prices encourage more purchases. A 2001 Clos Mogador Priorat, which made Wine Spectator’s Top 10 list for 2003, goes for $105, instead of the $150 it commands at some steakhouses. One of the best values was the Twenty Bench Cabernet, a delicious red for $38. The restaurant does wine dinners every other month.
Taste looks the part of the urban bistro, with its cement floors, too-small tables, and casual, city vibe. The staff suits the environment: young, hip, attractive, funky—like grad school for Whole Foods cashiers. 2400 Allen St. 214-239-1990. $$-$ .
