Dinner At Tappo

[Christopher]

I get comped a lot.

It's the nature of the business where Quid pro quo is necessary and expected.

It's rare, though, that what is provided elicits the paralinguistic response I gave to the amuse sent over to me by chef. I popped into my mouth a bite of salmon with yoghurt and red beet supported by a crouton size cube of bread. I uttered an impulsive Wow, causing a smile on the face of chef. I've had this pairing of salmon with beet and some sort of sour dairy in the past but for some reason it worked better tonight than before.

I elected to sit at the counter of TAPPO (East 12th and 1st Ave) one of the many choices of seats offered by the eye candy hostesses (yeah, I'm a pig that way) and even though I am watching the chef less than five feet in front of me there is a waiter coming 'round to serve me and take my order. A very good waiter BTW who steered me into two nice glasses of wine and more importantly, away from one that looked promising. He had that great combination of enthusiasm and knowlegde. The bottled list was extensive, quirky (some from Croatia!) and I look forward to returning with a group to work through some of the selections.

I initially balked at the $4. charge for olives seeing as how they arrive complimentary at many establishments but my objection eroded when the generous plate was sevred. I identified Gaeta, Picholine, Nicoise, Berguette, Grossane, Verdale des Bouches-du-Rhône, but there were others. In short this was a sensational tasting of olives.

A non descript basket of warm bread arrived served with the obligatory plate of olive oil, only this one had a dime's worth of balsamico in it. Clean, as far as EVOOs go, not nearly green enough for my taste and so the vinegar sent it over into the 'too sweet' category.

My order placed, a second amuse arrived. A composed to order chestnut soup with jerusalem artichoke puree and poached lobster. The lobster meat was so succulent and really came through the puree. I asked chef about this and he said that as opposed to boiling the meat, he poaches slowly in a lobster stock to heighten the rich sweetness of the meat. This was damn good and I was sorry I hadn't asked the chef to prepare a tasting for me.

I elected the 1st course special of Porcicni Risotto because I generally hate risotto. My experince thus far with the canapes led me to believe that if I was going to like it, it was going to like it here.

I did.

I usually find risotto way too cloying and heavy. It puts me in the mind of over- done cream of wheat. This was an elegant preparation and the earthy musrooms were well incorporated.

A main course of duck was beyond ample. Confit with Roasted Breast is common enough but again the execution was flawless. Only after I began eating the medium rare breast (under a generous layer of scored and seared fat) did I realize that I was never given a choice of how I wanted it to be cooked. Did the waiter forget? Or was this by design, a chef making a decision as to how he wanted the dish to be served? The confit was less salty than I am accustomed to and so therefore did not offset the roasted meat as sharply as I've experienced before, but the flavour was there so - no quibbles.

In such as case as this, it is what the bird is paired with that makes the meal. The vegetables here could stand alone: A half bulb of slow cooked fennel with roasted brussels sprouts and a sauce of Sumac, which was new to me. This is component cooking at it's best. The mixed preparation of the proteins with the anise/bitter/sour quality of the garnish provided a complex main course washed down with a now forgotton Sicilian Red.

The wines by the glass are really by the 9oz carafe and offer good value although I would have liked more from Piemonte given the white truffle special ($35 risotto) which I passed on precisely because there were no nebbiolos, dolcettos, or barberas.

Dessert was an honorable mention poached granny smith apple mille-feuille. The highlight being a dense, just made, almond ice cream. What worked was the searing acidity of the granny smith just barely tamed through poaching and ice cream

Micella d'Oro was the name on the esspresso cup and it erred on the side of bitter with a light crema.

The chef, formerly a sous at Atlas and originally from Israel, is cooking with intellegence, passion and care. I look forward to a return visit and given that Tappo has large communal tables, suggest it for an NYC egullet gathering.

[yvonne johnson]

Sounds interesting. Will give it a try.

Couple of tangential thoughts. I've not found good Brussels sprouts this fall--loose or on the stalk. Any idea where they were from? Second, on the sumac, Jarnac used it (still uses it?) on their steak, but before I read their menu it was new to me and I've not seen it elsewhere.

[Steve Plotnicki]

I recently (a month ago) had a sumac dusted steak at Jarnac. It's a dish that's on their menu between 2-3 times a year. They change their menus monthly.

[Liza]

Yvonne, Stan-Pat farms has some lovely brussel sprouts sold on the stalk. They're at the Tribeca farmer's market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I'll bet Paffenroth has some up at Union Square, too. And if he does, they're sure to be terrific.

Christopher, what an inciteful review. I especially appreciated hearing about your reasons behind the order. I'd definitely be interested in a visit to Tappo now. Many thanks.

[Christopher]

I've not found good Brussels sprouts this fall--loose or on the stalk.  Any idea where they were from?  

I didn't think to ask.

These had been wood roasted and I ate them with the other vegetables so it's quite possible they were helped along by the company they kept.

[Bux]

I've not found good Brussels sprouts this fall--loose or on the stalk.  Any idea where they were from?  

I didn't think to ask.

These had been wood roasted and I ate them with the other vegetables so it's quite possible they were helped along by the company they kept.

Christopher, thank you for that. To respond to the last posts, I saw Brussel sprouts in the greenmarket this morning. I did not look closely at them as I am not cooking the vegetables this Thursday. Come to think of it, we had wonderful Brussel sprouts last year. The leaves were all separated and formed part of a melange of things including bacon or pancetta, as I recall, but a dominant part. They were prepared by a professional cook, and another cuisiner at the table joined my protest at the inclusion of red grapes that were halved and seeded. We were sure it would ruin the dish, but in fact, it was sensational. There are times when complexity really works.

[Rail Paul]

Thanks for the report.

The Croatian angle sounds intriguing. Dee and I stopped by Kyuna (8th ave at 47th) the other night after Vampires and were presented with a Cypriot beer. (Didn't know they make beer in Cyprus, tasted like the Italian Moretti)

[eatpie]

Just need to point out that although Tappo has often been mentioned in a positive light they are wildly incositent and occasionably offensively rude. I eat out every meal and NEVER walked out on a meal until one fateful evening at Tappo where I received what could be best described as "Chicken Sashimi."

We had ordered a beautiful $100 bottle of win. It was a bit much when they charged us for our apps as well. Im not looking for any handouts but in this case a $130 meal seemed a bit ridiculous.