I have heretofore viewed the stretch of 8th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues merely as a place to get shoes, fake ID’s, and Gray’s Papaya. But one day in late February, while I was shoe shopping, a window display stopped me in my tracks. It wasn’t stilettos that caught my eye, but a sleek new restaurant, all velvet and candlelight—an oasis among the 8th Street shops. The writing on the window said “Elettaria,” and I knew I had to learn more.
I consulted the Strong Buzz, a blog by Andrea Strong, a lawyer-turned-restaurant manager-turned-food writer whose reviews appear weekly in the New York Post. She had deemed Elettaria’s food “fantastic,” and its chef, Akhtar Nawab, as “another name being dropped in foodie circles.” So, apparently, in order to preserve my foodie bona fides, I would just have to try Elettaria. Poor me.
As I walked through the bright red door that heralded my arrival to the restaurant, I tried to drink in the room’s décor. Exposed-brick walls are swathed in gold and red velvet drapes, and wood-paneled walls with low, recessed lighting give the restaurant a rustic, yet undeniably sexy vibe.
Despite this luxurious feast for the eyes, diners are drawn to the well-lit open kitchen in back. Five or six photogenic cooks prepare dishes and seem strangely relaxed—I thought all kitchens were hellish dens where cooks curse and burn themselves, but I guess I was wrong. These chefs move fluidly, almost as if they are performing on stage. In a way, they are, as almost all the chairs in the room afford a clear view of the kitchen.
Ms. Strong wrote of Elettaria’s menu: “you’ll think (a) I’ve never read a menu like this before, and (b) how am I going to decide what to have.” I agree on both counts. The menu looks, and reads like, a little storybook: “Chapter 1: Food; Chapter 2: Drink,” etcetera, with whimsical sketches of spices punctuating the text. I kind of wanted to take it home with me.
Then came the food. Chef Nawab’s menu is a combination of American ingredients and the Indian influences of his youth—lots of cardamom, cumin, and turmeric. Rather than start diners off with a typical bread basket, he serves warm naan, denser than most types found at straight-up Indian restaurants. Ms. Strong warned that she tore through these “in no time.” I did too.
For starters, I tried a dish of two scallops, served with celery root puree, braised oxtail, and topped with slivers of Meyer lemons ($14). Ms. Strong called this “sort of a r
outine dish,” although I have rarely seen scallops paired with slow-cooked meat myself. Perhaps I really don’t belong in the foodie circles Ms. Strong wrote about. Either way, the scallops had a crispy caramelized crust and a smooth texture within, the kind that any foodie expects from a well-executed scallop.
I was a bit skeptical about ordering the steamed rice cakes ($9) as in my college-junior mind, “rice cakes” evokes something dry and tasteless made by a Quaker. But these are far from that—chunks of warm ground rice meal, which I used to scoop up the creamy mixture of stewed lentils and tomatoes that accompanied the dish.
Ms. Strong raved about Chef Nawab’s version of Lugaw, a Filipino soft-boiled rice dish, which Chef Nawab served with tripe, asparagus and a fried quail egg. Okay, it may not seem like something you’d jump to order, but take my (and her) word, it’s amazing. This dish would be my comfort food, had I grown up around a Filipino kitchen. The rice takes on a porridge-like consistency, and when served with the tender tripe, warms you to the core.
A main dish of wild striped bass ($22) also got two thumbs up from Ms. Strong, who called it “luscious.” I will say that the fish itself was wonderfully moist, but the mass of dry basmati rice that accompanied it was too bland. A smattering of sweet cippolini onions helped slightly, but I was put off by the texture, and amount, of rice.
For me, t
he star of the evening was—of all things—the chicken ($23). Roasted to juicy perfection, it was paired with a sweet and sour tomato ravioli and smoked sunchokes. Its skin golden-crisp, the chicken was garnished with cilantro leaves, making it as aesthetically pleasing as it was delicious. Ms. Strong’s assessment of the chicken also happened to be my favorite of her critiques: “Have you ever? No, but you will.”
From the plush interior to the innovative food, Chef Nawab and his team overlook no detail at Elettaria. Maybe my college student status restricts me from being a part of Ms. Strong’s foodie elite. But I won’t be bitter. Instead, I’ll cling to my favorite things: high-heeled shoes, a well-crafted fake ID, and that roasted chicken at Elettaria.
Elettaria
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Hi - just wanted to say good design and blog -…
Hi Ali,
Here’s Elena from Italy, the girl you met in Oslo few weeks ago.
do you remember?
I found this blog and I read information about nice places in NY (the city I’d love to live in!!)you talk about! I hope to see you soon in Italy and to keep in touch with you!
I really can bring you in funny and interesting places in Florence and also in other Cities really really particular and out from the traditional tourist tour!:)
Kisses,
Elena.
ps: I asked Information about NYU, could you advise me for the best choice?
Thanks!
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