Barfry

[Nathan]

stopped in here last night. BYO for now...they expect their liquor license on Wednesday.

the prospective wine and beer list is small but appears like it should work fine with the food.

the cocktail list looks awful (more of that sugary crap done at too many "Asian fusion' restaurants).

tempura orders include a variety of dipping sauces...all worth trying. we checked out a variety of items...all fried competently with quality ingredients. of special note were the "beef beignets"....not very similar to the DuMonde breakfast original...more like a beef stuffed arepa.

there is also a selection of po'boys and boxes incorporating fried items.

after we ordered we realized that the real action was on the specials listed on a blackboard on the back wall....what appears to be some more complex and creative compositions.

didn't try any desserts but they have an interesting selection of ice creams and sorbets (basil leaf and the like).

prices were reasonable.

I think this place will be best with a small group so you can just try everything...

[Fat Guy]

after we ordered we realized that the real action was on the specials listed on a blackboard on the back wall....what appears to be some more complex and creative compositions.

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Yes, I was lucky in that when I went I was armed with this information. You figured it out, and so did most critics who've covered the place. So I was able to enjoy a lot of non-fried stuff, all of which was better than the fried stuff. And, it seems, the regulars sitting at the bar were ordering the non-fried stuff too.

One thing I noticed that seemed odd: they deliver. I just can't imagine the fried food holding up well in that format. At one point in the meal I had to take a short cell-phone call and by the time I got back all the fried food had significantly deteriorated.

I'd recommend focusing on the specials board: get any raw-fish items, plus the big fried oysters if they have them. From the regular menu, I think the best fried item is -- curiously -- the pumpkin. If you have a group big enough to taste a lot of stuff, get one of the po' boys.

[raji]

The strength of the sushi and sashimi creations makes sense to me - it's a continuation of what he was doing at Sumile. Which is co-owned by Miwa Yoshida of the Japanese pop supergroup Dreams Come True. Which I mention because if you saw her, you'd see it was pretty obvious she's not eating any fried food.

Been meaning to check out the non-fried food there, but if I was involved with that restaurant, I would run a proper, authentic Japanese tempura station. This is where the oil is usually heated in a huge wok, fresh ingredients at arm's length like a Robatayaki like Aburiya Kinnosuke, everything cooked to order and delivered immediately - are they doing anything like that?

[Fat Guy]

The frying operation is totally behind closed doors.

[Nathan]

Stopped in here last night with three others...one of them Dave H who will hopefully post his thoughts.

We tried:

fluke sashimi (pretty good...maybe a tad too much acidity...but a standard dish these days).

gyoza composed of shrimp and something else...(very good...not standard gyoza but more ravioli)

house made tofu with dashi and wasabi (terrific...kind of reminded me of the type of dishes you get at Tsukushi)

crispy shrimp (a generous bowl...good but nothing special)

sauteed pea shoots...(very good)

house pickles (fine)

and a variety of tempura...the best were the skookum oysters (these are really really good)...and the peppers.

the meat tempura options (specifically the chicken and pork cutlets) were kind of bland.

the menu has expanded significantly...including a couple traditional entree choices....not just the blackboard options and the tempura (the blackboard options are now on the daily printed menu as well). there's also a $50 tasting menu. the cocktail list still looks like a bad hangover from an Asian fusion restaurant of five years ago. service was solid.

I'll return again.

Edited December 19, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[Fat Guy]

Agree on all shared data points except the peppers. Mine were limp, soggy, oily and unappetizing.

The New Yorker, admittedly not a serious restaurant-review source, really reamed Barfry this week:

More to the point, who wants to eat food that hasn’t been fried well? Here, the tempura batter tended to be thick, wet, and tasteless, and turned things as disparate as pumpkin and avocado into indistinguishable lumps. The kitchen doesn’t bother with timing and everything comes out in one fell swoop, often leaving the tempura lingering long past its optimal consumption time.

[raji]

That's really a shame. That means the best tempura you can get in NYC is probably still at Nobu. They could really carve themselves out a niche as Totto has done with Yakitori. Simple solution to me - elminate the lag on bringing the tempura out, and/or bring it closer to the customers -

[Daniel]

Nobu is better then http://www.inagiku.com/ at tempura?

[Fat Guy]

Inagiku's tempura is technically excellent, but limited. At least it was last time I was there. Whereas Nobu has a very good selection -- probably 25 choices if you add the tempura section of the menu to the various tempura stragglers elsewhere on the menu -- including the amazing sea urchin tempura and the signature rock-shrimp tempura.

[Daniel]

I had only been once but, enjoyed my food.. It was an interesting concept and its sad to see anyone fail.. I wonder if its the space.. The night we went, a week night, the street was completely dead with just a ratty bodega open.. Sorry they had to close..

[Nathan]

I had only been once but, enjoyed my food.. It was an interesting concept and its sad to see anyone fail.. I wonder if its the space.. The night we went, a week night, the street was completely dead with just a ratty bodega open..  Sorry they had to close..

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DeChellis' explanation is here:

http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/04/barfry..._the_ghost.html

I don't think it's the space. Market Table is right next door and doing plenty of business. Deborah is across the street and usually packed. it's only a stone's throw from the restaurant row of Bedford.

[Fat Guy]

I think it's unfortunate that he thinks the restaurant failed because it didn't open with a liquor license. While that may have been part of the problem, BarFry was flawed on many levels.

[oakapple]

I think it's unfortunate that he thinks the restaurant failed because it didn't open with a liquor license. While that may have been part of the problem, BarFry was flawed on many levels.

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It's hard to say what's in DeChellis's head, because such statements are always part self-justification, part posturing for the next project. Funnily enough, "My food sucked" is never part of the explanation.

And let's face it, this isn't the first failed project with Josh DeChellis's name on it.

[raji]

Nobu is better then http://www.inagiku.com/ at tempura?

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Some of my Japanese friends suggest that Inagiku should be the best, it's been so long since I've had it. Nobu's is technically very very good.

Not sure why DeChellis didn't push the Japanese angle more, even though there are more than enough stylized Japanese "scenes" open on the west side of manhattan...

[docsconz]

According to Florence Fabricant, Barfly is now officially closed.

[Nathan]

yeah, it was all over Eater last week.

[docsconz]

yeah, it was all over Eater last week.

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Thanks, Nathan. I was just pointing out to anyone who might not be a regular reader of Eater that the restaurant is now officially closed, should anyone be interested. Prior discussion on this site centered on how the restaurant would be closing. Since I did not have first hand knowledge of the closure, I cited my source. I have no doubt that you knew of it well before this.

[Nathan]

yeah, it was all over Eater last week.

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Thanks, Nathan. I was just pointing out to anyone who might not be a regular reader of Eater that the restaurant is now officially closed, should anyone be interested. Prior discussion on this site centered on how the restaurant would be closing. Since I did not have first hand knowledge of the closure, I cited my source. I have no doubt that you knew of it well before this.

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sorry. it usually seems like everyone here reads Eater daily. just trying to avoid redundancy.