Deborah

[Jack Cade]

After what feels like eons of lurking on other food and food BBS sites, I've decided to inaugurate the message posting phase of my life on this site.  So . . . hi!  Great site you've got here!

Okay.  Deep breath. . . .

The critical consensus appears to be that, given the tragic events of the past fall, "comfort food" -- a genre?  a style of cooking? -- is all the rage.  We all know that comfort food has always been something that you could get in restaurants--some restaurants playing the angle more than others.  And what does the term really mean, anyway?  I have friends for whom a chicken teriyaki bento box with a piece of eel sushi is "comfort food," though I understand that most people think "traditional" American "homestyle" food -- mac and cheese, meatloaf, mashed potatoes etc. -- is comfort food.

Which brings me to Deborah (43 Carmine St. btw. Bedford & Bleecker, 242-2606).  Deborah Stanton, a classically trained chef who used to work at Woo Lae Oak, the Soho Korean place, opened this recently with a partner.

I should say up front that service and decor are not really things I focus on in restaurants, unless they are in some way egregious or extraordinary, so I'll skim:  The restaurant is small and cozy, warmly lit, and given to crimson velvet--"minimalistically elegant," I guess.  The service is remarkably professional, attentive and accomodating, given the newness of the place--I get the sense that all the floor staff and the cooks know the chef and came with her from other places.  The night I went, Deborah herself was cooking, in the traditional chef whites, in the tiny open kitchen in the middle of the railroad-style space.  She is very nice.  The restaurant overall appears to be part of a recolonization by small bistro-type places run by a chef with a "vision," such as Cafe Alyss, Camage, and especially Annisa, of the near-West-Village/NYU culinary wasteland.

The food:  This is a menu about comfort food, prepared with good ingredients and classical technique and "intellectual" updating.  The night I went, my companion and I started with two appetizers.  The first was a steak tartare with the de rigueur quail egg . . . but also muddled with a pungent mix of garlic, herbs, and black pepper.  It was crunchy with non-beef savory things.  It was delicious.

The other appetizer was very high-quality giant prawns, each of which was contained in what I can only call a "basket" (a cage?) made from crisply fried shoelace-thin sweet potatoes.  From the top of each basket, tendrils of sweet potato twisted upward crispily, wrapped around themselves into, like, a beggar's purse kind of deal.  An anemone of fried goodness.  I have never had anything like it.  It was fantastic.  By the time we had eaten all four prawns, I was full.

The satiation may have colored my feeling about the main course.  The fish in my fish and chips were perfectly turned out cod specimens in the requisite Brit-nostalgic crunchy-but-smooth batter--again a huge portion--though the fries were overthin, slightly greasy, and slightly overseasoned.  (I had wanted the marinated pork chops, which I had heard were great, but they were already eighty-sixed for the night.)

My friend's "mini-meatloaf"--"mini" b/c prepared in a mini-pan, and thus perfectly crusted all over, as opposed to mere slices from a larger loaf--was one of the best meatloaves I've had in the City.  Perfectly seasoned (though I can imagine someone saying it was too salty or or heavy on the garlic--I also seem to recall that cumin was involved, which I like and others don't) and perfectly cooked (though I like meatloaf that's a little flaky and mushy--you won't be pleased if you like that firm raisin-bread texture in your meatloaf).  It was accompanied by a potato gratinee cut in long, thick Idaho-size slices and made with what I think must have been sour cream or creme fraiche in much higher proportion to cheese than is usual--and it was quite good.  Four large leeks, roughly cut at the stem end and slightly wilted with balsamic, were also good . . . and, um, comforting.

Because I am always attracted to twee precious things on menus, I had to order the "pan-flashed" spinach side dish.  It was slightly overcooked--certainly more "sauteed" than "flashed"--and relatively unimaginatively seasoned with garlic and a touch of crushed red pepper, then drizzled in balsamic vinegar.

We did not have room for dessert, but I must say there wasn't much there--other than the creme brulee--that I would have wanted anyway.  But then I'm not a big dessert guy.

The wine list was short, and as you might expect, oriented toward the kind of simple robust wines that complement this kind of food.  I recall no bottles over ฮ.  We had a decent Syrah; my friend had a Sam Adams pint with the appetizers, a move I wholeheartedly endorse.

In conclusion, I'd have to say that the meal exemplified the problem and the promise of the "comfort food" subdivision of the "New American" genre.  Meat dishes and other fatty, savory dishes were indeed "comforting."  But the very concept--predictable familiarity, homey-ness--works against the ambitions of a chef or customer who wants to do something more with these meals.  You don't go looking for haute cuisine at these places, and they certainly meet a need in a neighborhood where I think virtually nobody cooks at home regularly (for the obvious reasons of mostly single living, rudimentary kitchens, affluence, and/or lack of inclination/skill).

But I constantly got a sense that Deborah (the resto, the chef) yearned to really cut loose with some of the dishes, but felt constrained by the "comfort food" paradigm.  I got the sense that, if the restaurant had opened at a slightly different historical moment, it would have gone in the more Tasting Room/Prune/71 Clinton direction.  And the food would have been even better, by my lights.  But, hey, I'm no mind reader.  And the restaurant has delivery and take-out.  And I'm pretty sure I will be back.  Everybody needs some comfort sometimes.  Or something like that.

I can see now that I will be fired from my job if I keep this up.  I promise less prolixity next time out. . . .

[tommy]

Quote: from Jack Cade on 5:29 pm on Jan. 15, 2002

I promise less prolixity next time out. . . .

please, be as prolixitous as you want, just stop using such big words!!!! ;)

nice review.  you just got me very hungry.  and on behalf of me, may i say "welcome."

[Liza]

Could I get those leeks with the prolixity?

Great first post! And I second the twee side dish thing, too.

[Wilfrid]

Me too.  I must say, I hope more e-gulleters will post notes on restaurants they've visited - not necessarily prolix!  Zagat's is pretty useless, and some other sites (City Search, for example, where I see the ubiquitous Mr Shaw is now posting reviews) are unreliable to the extent that the comments are posted by essentially anonymous users.

I hadn't heard of Deborah's before, and I now have a pretty good idea what it might be like.

More of these revews would be welcome round these parts.

[Steve Klc]

Your post made me want to eat there Jack and thanks for taking the time to share.  however, the food and presentation sounded a bit more interesting than what perhaps appears under the entry for "comfort food" in my dictionary, and certainly less predictable.

you didn't mention prices other than the wine--what were apps and entrees?

also, don't be surprised by underwhelming dessert choices at a small, chef-owned place, it's usually a chef's weakest area and typical not to hire a real pastry chef in the beginning.

Like you, I'd give high points for a visible chef and also a certain degree of latitude.

I suspect she's one place--one restaurant--away from doing more challenging cooking; currently she's limited not by her ability or ideas but by the form, structure and expectations around her.  

[Bux]

I've decided to inaugurate the message posting phase of my life on this site.

Good choice. Your life and this site are the better for it.

[Damian]

Great post, Jack.  I've now got a real feeling for this place.

[Fat Guy]

I'm glad you came out of the woodwork. The site needs more posts like yours and fewer like most of mine. And like Steve Klc I can tell from reading what you wrote that I'd agree with your conclusions if I went to the place. Isn't it amazing how much the language can reveal? When I get e-mail messages or read message board posts recommending or urging avoidance of restaurants, I can sort them into true and not true with an extremely high degree of accuracy. Now what I'd really love to do is hear your opinions on many other restaurants. By the way, in using the term resto, have you indicated that you at one time worked in the business? I rarely hear that term used by civilians in the United States.

[Bux]

Civilians in France use "restau." Then again the French all think they're professional tasters whether they know anything or not, so maybe they're a militia rather then strict civilians.

[Fat Guy]

Yes, I know that from the Capretz Method language videos. As I recall, Mirelle and her friends talk about going to the "Restau-U" (University restaurant/cafeteria). And I've heard it in common usage in Canada. But here you usually only hear restaurant-industry people using resto and reso.

[Bux]

A couple of my French friends have lived in Vancouver, where their French was probably useless and in Montreal, where they become trilingual. The number of UK born participants on this site is rapidly making me bilingual. ;)

[macrosan]

Quote: from Fat Guy on 5:26 am on Jan. 17, 2002

By the way, in using the term resto, have you indicated that you at one time worked in the business? I rarely hear that term used by civilians in the United States.

It's used all the time in the UK, but that may be because we can neither spell, nor pronounce properly, French words.

Great review, Jack. Carmine is on my regular NYC beat, and I will definitely give it a try next month when I'm over, if my already planned food-fest leaves me able :)

[Pan]

I always saw "resto" and not "restau" as the shorthand in France, FWIW.

[Bux]

I always saw "resto" and not "restau" as the shorthand in France, FWIW.

I've only heard it. I presume "resto" is how it's written if that's what you saw. Thanks.

[Jack Cade]

Thanks, everyone, for the warm welcome and kind words!

Steve Klc:  I agree with your comments and thank you for the insights:  I may have gotten carried away with the "theme" (tension between the comfort food concept and a more progressive impulse, just under the surface) at the risk of being overly critical . . . As for prices, I have not had a chance to re-check the menu, but the total bill, with tax and before tip, for the meal I described (two apps, two entrees, one Ů side dish, two glasses of wine and two beers) was about ๥.

Fat Guy and Bux:  (If anyone wants to use that as the title for a buddy-cop movie, let's talk option . . . )  Like Pan, I have only ever seen it spelled "resto."   And though I've heard it used by Brits, I always thought it was a French slang thing.  I did not really think of it as a restaurant business term, just as a snappy abbreviation.

I guess I do have a tendency to lard my restaurant talk with industry terms (I see that I described a dish as "eighty-sixed" to mean that "the restaurant had run out of the dish"), more out of (I hope forgivable) pretentiousness and (in other contexts) a desire to cozy up to restaurant workers than out of any current or real life experience.  In the late 80's/early 90's, I worked as a waiter in Massachusetts and then as a bartender in NYC (where "eighty-six" could mean either the exhaustion of the supply of something or the banning of a person from the place), but I have not done so since 1992.

It has also been years since I traveled in Europe for pleasure.  Sigh.  Now I work in an office and am at my desk on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, stealing glances outside at the perfect white snow melting on the New York Public Library roof under a beautiful cloudless sky.  As Rilke wrote to the young poet, "You must change your life."  Double sigh.

Less forgivable pretentiousness.

Ahem.

Another digression:  Having learned so much from the old shaw-review/fat-guy site, I'd add this to the list of possible ways to upgrade one's experience of NYC restaurants:  if you are able to do so naturally and comfortably, whether as a result of working in the business or as a result of going to restaurants a lot, I think it can help to use the jargon--judiciously--in talking to captains, waiters, hostesses, etc.  E.g., "Any chance you could just squeeze us in for a two-top before the rush?  We'll be a short turn, I promise."  I speculate this is primarily because, in my own and others' observed experience, people who work or have worked in "the hospitality industry"--or are unusually familiar with eating out--tend to be generous, even over-generous, tippers.  I know I am: I am well aware that working in a restaurant can be a very hard and sometimes thankless job.

Or I may be wrong about this advice.  My knowledge of the business (and the jargon) is far from encyclopedic:  I can imagine being a harried waiter irritated by some suit (like me) trying to kiss ass in this way.  Dunno.  Maybe it comes down to tone of voice and the other obvious things ("niceness," humility, sympathy, etc.).  Okay, forget what I said.

[Bux]

 Like Pan, I have only ever seen it spelled "resto."

In fact, I've discovered that I've used it that way in my notes and am curious as to what made me stop and think and write "restau."

[Liza]

Went last night with my mom. The room is simple white walls with red banquettes and red touches elsewhere. The three paintings of red on white were done by the chef herself!

Apps of vegetable tempura, with not the usual veggies; kale, asparagus were the ones my mom let me try. They use a slightly thicker batter here and mom loved it. I had a caesar salad with real anchovies and nice lettuce. The dressing was presented in a lettuce cup, which I thought was clever.

Entrees: Mom had the appetizer portion of steak tartare topped with quail's egg and wouldn't let me have any. I had braised short ribs served atop polenta and kale. Atop the ribs was a julienne of roasted beets, served intentionally cool to upset the temperature expectations.

Deborah was there and couldn't be more charming and funny. She's very supportive of sustainable agriculture and of the Greenmarket.

[elicious]

Ate here on Saturday night. Had been about a year ago with family and remembered liking the food so wanted to try it again.

The place is very small, so when we were seated next to a large, loud party in the front room, we asked to be moved to the back but there was no room. We adjusted and the party ended up quieting down after a while.

We started with the romaine-radicchio caesar salad with strips of anchovy on top. The salad was huge and came with dressing lightly drizzled on the salad and then a cup with more dressing on the side. Very good.

For our entrees, I had the mac and cheese with turkey kielbasa. Really delicious and creamy, with lots of cheddar on top. And the kielbasa was delicious. Boyfriend had the steak, sirloin maybe, with fries which he really enjoyed. Huge portions of food.

We looked at the dessert menu but were too full, although the desserts looked wonderful so we may have to go back and try them.

Overall, a very nice meal.

[Noodlebot]

Going to brunch at Deborah today only me made regret waiting so long to return since my last visit in winter 2005. Before today, I had been to Deborah twice, once for dinner last January, and then for Valentine's Day a few weeks later. Despite my year-plus absence, Deborah and her partner David Oh both recognized me and said it was nice to see me again. Those two certainly know how to make a customer feel welcome! Overall, brunch was wonderful, and I'll definitely be back to Deborah before another year passes.

I ordered the french toast “Sweet Challah Style” with caramelized bananas, toasted walnuts, fresh berries, and maple syrup. This was seriously delicious. The french toast was rich and eggy, the bananas incredibly soft and flavorful, the walnuts had a slightly spicy kick... even the fresh strawberries were great. My boyfriend ordered the homemade buttermilk biscuit sandwiches with sausage and cheese, scrambled eggs, and mesclun salad. The scrambled eggs were perfectly fluffy--I never knew plain scrambled eggs could taste so good. The sandwiches were two small biscuits, each loaded with two large pieces of sausage and cheddar cheese. As my boyfriend said, everything we had tasted wholesome, with fresh ingredients lovingly prepared. I can't recommend this brunch highly enough!