Peasant

[yvonne johnson]

Peasant, 194 Elizabeth St (b/w Prince and Spring) 965-9511

What a relief. A chef, Frank DeCarlo, who cooks honest, hearty dishes without frills and more important none of that fusion nonsense.  After reading Jonathan Gold’s review in Gourmet a few months ago, I was intrigued. A restaurant where chefs go after work to eat? From what I can gather from people who’ve worked in restaurants, chefs like to eat simply prepared food. So maybe Peasant would be a place for us?

Two of us had grilled sardines. Three large, juicy fish, the skin crisp on a reduction of, I guessed, tomato were spectacular. Talk often returned to how excellent they were. Two opted for the suckling pig sitting on baked potatoes. I couldn’t resist tasting the crackling. (If I had my way, pork would always be served with it.) I had a very decent piece cod cooked with a variety of vegetables, including pots and onions. Everything appears to be cooked in the open kitchen's wood-burning oven  and comes to the table piping hot. Finished off with stodgy-ish (as I like it) bread pudding, and cheesecake. At 赨 (included tip) for three of us, I’d say it was reasonably priced given we had bottle of red, 2 espressos and two of us had digestifs.

The only recommendation I’d make is that they provide an English translation of the menu that’s in Italian. The poor waiters translate the whole thing. This must be tiresome for them, but customers find it hard to retain everything they say. Aside from that, I'm very glad Peasant exists.

[Fat Guy]

Yvonne, thanks for that report.

One thing I'd add: Pretty much all the heat sources at Peasant (except a gas range for boiling water and the like) are based on natural fuels like wood and charcoal. There's a wood-burning pizza oven, a charcoal-fueled rotisserie, a grill of some sort, and I think maybe one other device. I think that may be one of the things about the restaurant that appeals to chefs. Not only do many chefs eat there, they also like to cook there.

Those kinds of heat sources also dictate a certain kind of simple cuisine, which I think you're right in observing appeals to chefs. I know Ducasse, for example, likes to eat there.

[menton1]

Was watching Food TV's "Best Of" last night, and caught a glimpse of a place called Peasant, on Elizabeth Street near Houston Street. Looked great!!

The chef only has a retro oven, all brick, using only wood, where he cooks everything. (He does have a gas stovetop, though) The food looked spectacular and simple, a lot like the food in Italy. It seems he had also been visited by some Mega-Chefs, like Ducasse and Bocuse, and had passed their muster.

I can't wait to try this place next time I have the opportunity; Why hasn't this restaurant gotten more play in the media and on eG? It seems quite unique and authentic, and worthy of discussion!! Anyone been there?

[Mackey]

Really quite good when it opened almost two years ago-the staff was very knowledgable. Rustic food, simply prepared but with great flavors and clean tastes. Have not been lately-hope they are still doing it well.

[eliotmorgan]

"Peasant" has great food. If anything has changed, I hope it’s the unbelievably pretentious practice of having a menu presented in Italian only, followed by a few minutes wait before the waiter translates the entire menu.

[jeunefilleparis]

i ate at peasant twice now and both meals were great. the atmosphere is very cozy and welcoming. my favorite part is that they give you ricotta cheese to put on your bread:)

[menton1]

Amazing, everything I hear about this place makes it seem as if it is at least as authentic as Babbo, but a lot better food, and a better value as well.

But Babbo gets 12 pages on eG, and Peasant gets 3 responses.....

I guess when you have celebrity it makes up for a lot....

[LESider]

Your right ,the place doesn't get the press(or mentions on EG) it deserves and many other's get the undeserved (Otto) . Guess it's up to you to filter through the dreck. That said, I went to Peasant with six others and we all loved it. real nice service and the room is warm and the smells from the oven great. I had suckling pig with some amazing crackling skin. It's the restaurant I recommend to people when they ask where to eat in Little Italy. (NoLita , NoThinkso.)

[Bux]

Am I the only one who finds it not only a bit noisy, but just too dark? I had a hard time eating with a knife and fork as I couldn't see my plate.

[Stone]

I went here late last night and it was excellent.

The menu is all Italian and, yes, the poor waiter has to translate the whole thing. I started with Pulpo in Purgatorio. Grilled baby octopus in a spicy broth. The octopus were terrific -- crunch, fresh and tasty. The broth had real bite without being over powering. I also had an app (can't remember the name) of prosciuto wrapped around a chunk of mozzerlla and baked. Very simple, very good. The white asparagus were terrific. Large shoots, tender and full of flavor.

What I liked best was the bread. Homemade (I believe) with a thick crunchy crust. Instead of butter, they offer a wooden dish of fresh ricotta. It's wonderfully decadent.

[Pan]

Thanks for the report, Stone. What are the prices like?

[Stone]

I think the entrees were around $22. They also serve pretty good pizza for $15ish I think. But I was quite far from sober, and someone else picked up the check.

[hathor]

Had dinner there last night and happy to report its still good. Still too dark to read the menu.

I had the stuffed quail that was just delicious, perfectly done and stuffed with figs and chestnuts. My friend had the roasted squab, which came with their little roasted feet still on. A nice, am-I-back-in-Italy moment. Same good bread, same ricotta spread.

The only problem was that, in the dark, my plate got the quail egg that was supposed to go with the squab....shouldn't they take the shell off the egg before serving it? Guess I got my calcium fix for the day....

Reading thru this thread, seems they haven't changed a thing about the menu.... odd, don't you think?

[banquo]

Went last Saturday. I'd read that the room is dimly lit, but didn't note that at all. The service was merely ok. Our waiter was basically MIA, but that wasn't unexpected given the informality of the setting. We ordered the sardines, octopus, gnocci, pizza, a leg of lamb special, whole grill sea bass and the bistecca. The sardines were terrible. I'd read very good things about them, and I suspect something went wrong with our particular prep. The sardines were pasty and therefore had an unexpected and unappealing texture. Moreover, they were quite bland. The octopus, on the other hand, were 1st rate. Just a touch of spice and acid, along with perfect texture. Yum. Ditto on the gnocci and pizza as well. Really, really good. The entrees, however, did not fair as well. I ordered my bistecca rare, and it was served raw. Along with an impossibly dull steak 'knife' the raw and giant T-bone proved to be uncuttable and barely edible. I would have sent it back for more cooking but by that time, to be honest, I was too full to eat another bite. The good part was that the next day, I stuck it under the broiler for 5 minutes, added some fleur de sel, olive oil and lemon juice, and the steak was absolutely delicious. It had that intoxicating aroma imparted by their wood-burning oven. The lamb suffered from the same undercooking. I didn't try the fish, but it was said to be delicious, if underseasoned. This seemed to be true about most of their dishes. I take it this is an attempt let the natural flavors come through. I wished I had brought along some fleur de sel. We were too full to even look at a dessert menu. We had a bottle of red wine (can't remember the name) recommended by our waiter. I had asked for a recommendation under $40, and he first pointed to a $56 bottle, and then proceeded to praise a $60 bottle. On the strength of his enthusiasm, we ordered it. This was a mistake. It was good, but in the end, rather dull and, we thought, overpriced.

Overall, a good experience and I will definitely be back for their appetizers.

[Noodlebot]

Agree that Peasant is still great. Went about a month ago and stand out dishes were goat lasagna, gnocchi, and bread pudding. I also sympathize w/Banquo's full feeling. With just those three dishes plus a very small app (mozarella wrapped in prosciutto), the two of us were beyond stuffed by the end of the meal. We just couldn't stop eating!

[weinoo]

I didn't try the fish, but it was said to be delicious, if underseasoned.  This seemed to be true about most of their dishes.  I take it this is an attempt let the natural flavors come through.  I wished I had brought along some fleur de sel.  We were too full to even look at a dessert menu.  We had a bottle of red wine (can't remember the name) recommended by our waiter.  I had asked for a recommendation under $40, and he first pointed to a $56 bottle, and then proceeded to praise a $60 bottle.  On the strength of his enthusiasm, we ordered it.  This was a mistake.  It was good, but in the end, rather dull and, we thought, overpriced.

Overall, a good experience and I will definitely be back for their appetizers.

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Please explain how if food was underseasoned, you were steered to a bottle of wine that was a "mistake" and "dull," and "overpriced," this was overall a good experience?

[banquo]

I didn't try the fish, but it was said to be delicious, if underseasoned.  This seemed to be true about most of their dishes.  I take it this is an attempt let the natural flavors come through.  I wished I had brought along some fleur de sel.  We were too full to even look at a dessert menu.  We had a bottle of red wine (can't remember the name) recommended by our waiter.  I had asked for a recommendation under $40, and he first pointed to a $56 bottle, and then proceeded to praise a $60 bottle.  On the strength of his enthusiasm, we ordered it.  This was a mistake.  It was good, but in the end, rather dull and, we thought, overpriced.

Overall, a good experience and I will definitely be back for their appetizers.

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Please explain how if food was underseasoned, you were steered to a bottle of wine that was a "mistake" and "dull," and "overpriced," this was overall a good experience?

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Regarding the wine, that was our mistake for having gone way over our intended price point. If it had been under $40, it still would have been dull, but I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought. Not all of the food was underseasoned. The octopus, pizza and gnocci were, as I said, fantastic. And when I say underseasoned, I didn't mean to imply that there was no flavor. I just thought that with a bit more agressive seasoning, the existing flavors would have hit their peak. We had an overall good experience because the room was festive, some of the food was excellent, and the conversation was good. Next time we will definitely order more in line with our appetites, and I think that will result in an even finer experience--it's difficult to crave and appreciate a giant steak when one's stomach is about to burst from eating too many gnocci.

[coughy]

Taking friends in from the midwest this weekend and would like some information.

Thanks

[coughy]

We had dinner here tonight and were very happy. The restaurant is very comfortable and our waiter was very nice and attentive. There were 6 in our party and we shared a bunch of appetizers. The pizzas were OUTSTANDING as was the mozzarella wrapped in proscuitto. I ordered Orata fish and asked for it to be fileted. Whoever did it needs a few lessons. The taste, despite the bones, was very fresh. My husband had the 28 oz. steak which was good. The sides we ordered, broccoli rabe, string beans and parmigiana polenta were also very good. Desserts were good.

The best part of the whole meal was the bread and ricotta. We decided that this would not be a restaurant to run back to.

[Artichoke]

I ate at Peasant on Saturday night, I have been eating there occsionaly since it opened, my previous visit was a little under a year ago.

The food as usual was mostly very good and certain items were improved upon since my last visit. As always, the bread is excellent, crusty loaves with a well developed char, accompanied by a wooden bowl of creamy ricotta.

I started with the trippa alla Fiorentina, tripe stewed in a crushed tomato sauce, topped with a bit of cheese and baked in the oven. I was dissapointed by this dish the last time I had it here because the sauce tasted very flat. This time the addition of a bit of crushed red pepper flakes added just the right amount of zing it needed. The tripe itself was cooked perfectly, tender and delicious.

My fiancee ordered the asparagus which was topped with a sprinkling of cheese, a fried egg, and also baked in the oven. This dish was completely devoid of flavor. The asparagus were beautiful to look at, extremely fat, perfectly cooked, but no one seasoned them, you must season the water you cook vegetables in. The fried egg was a nice touch, but also needed a sprinkling of salt.

We shared an order of cannolicchi, razor clams. Since Peaant opened, this has been a consistant winner there. Prepared simply with oilive oil, white wine, a touch of garlic, a light dusting of bread crumbs and then baked in an earthenware dish. The clams are always perfectly cooked, sweet and tender. The one thing that occasionaly mars these clams is the presence of a bit of grit. Having never prepared razor clams myself, I do not know if there is a fool proof method to purge them of sand or not. The broth in the bottom of the dish is excellent when soaked up with the bread.

For entrees, my fiance ordered a simple, but wonderful dish of spaghetti with white wine, garlic, crushed red peper and clams. It was everything that dish should be, the clams perfectly cooked and tender. I had the porchetta arrosto, roast pork. Tender, pulled chunks of what I believe was pork shoulder resting on top of fingerling potatoes, topped with an ethereal shell of crisped pork skin. The skin made the dish, it had been roaasted until crackling, and had a tender blanket of fat attached beneath it. It was the kind of thing where you have to close your eyes as you eat it. So simple, nothing more than pork skin, salt and a hot oven, so good.

We did not have room for dessert, although by the time we walked over to Mulberry street, we had the appetite for a few zeppolies at a street fair. Not at all the Little Italy of my youth, but that is for another thread.

Two things prevented things prevented this from being a great dinner. One was the seating. If you dine at Peasant during the spring and summer, insist on not being seated at the two tables closest to the open kitchen. The heat was simply unbearable. Aside from the high heat associated with a proffessional kitchen in full swing, Peasant has a wood burning oven which gives off a tremendous amount of heat. Beads of sweat were literally forming on my forehead and my flushed fiancee was sitting there holding her hair off of the back of her neck. The waitress said the air conditioning was at full blast . Our table was closest to the kitchen, the couple at the two top next to us got up and left when told there was no where else to seat them. I finally called the manager over and asked to be seated at the bar, which we were. It was a hell of a lot cooler there. I do not mind eating at a bar, but Peasant's bar scene can be very active and it does not lend itself to the nicest dining experience.

My other issue is one I have had with Peasant since it opened, why the hell do they insist on a menu with no translations. I dine out and cook a great deal, I have over the years made a point of teaching myself food and cooking terms, in French, Italian, Japanese, etc., but I struggle with parts of Peasant's menu, let alone what the majority of people dining there must go through. It does not dumb down your restaurant to have translations and it is asinine to have a waiter run through the entire menu, which is what happened at the tables surrounding mine. I guarantee that the majority of people eating at Peasant do not know the Italian words for, lamb, squab, razor clam, rabbitt, beets, etc. It makes patrons uncomfortable, not too mention that instead of relaxing, soon after settling in, they are forced to try and memorize the menu items being translated for them. It is pointless and frankly a bit obnoxious.

[scottie]

I started with the trippa alla Fiorentina, tripe stewed in a crushed tomato sauce, topped with a bit of cheese and baked in the oven.  I was dissapointed by this dish the last time I had it here because the sauce tasted very flat.  This time the addition of a bit of crushed red pepper flakes added just the right amount of zing it needed.  The tripe itself was cooked perfectly, tender and delicious.

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A little OT, but I've been wanting to try tripe, yet it seems to me to be the sort of thing one would eat in colder weather- you know, long-braised comfort food. I'm too chicken to try cold tripe for my first experience with it.

Especially since you mention the unbearable heat later in your thread, I must ask:

Did you find that the tripe dish you had was suited to the current weather? Did it seem too heavy?

I'm glad this thread got bumped up, I'd never heard of the place but it sounds like food I'd enjoy.

[Artichoke]

I started with the trippa alla Fiorentina, tripe stewed in a crushed tomato sauce, topped with a bit of cheese and baked in the oven.  I was dissapointed by this dish the last time I had it here because the sauce tasted very flat.  This time the addition of a bit of crushed red pepper flakes added just the right amount of zing it needed.  The tripe itself was cooked perfectly, tender and delicious.

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A little OT, but I've been wanting to try tripe, yet it seems to me to be the sort of thing one would eat in colder weather- you know, long-braised comfort food. I'm too chicken to try cold tripe for my first experience with it.

Especially since you mention the unbearable heat later in your thread, I must ask:

Did you find that the tripe dish you had was suited to the current weather? Did it seem too heavy?

I'm glad this thread got bumped up, I'd never heard of the place but it sounds like food I'd enjoy.

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I know that people often do, but I have never been one to alter my eating habits as the weather changes. My favorite type of cooking is slow cooked, braised dishes, the weather does not effect that. My table felt as if it were next to a blast furnace, it would have been the same had I been eating tripe or a salad.

By all means, you should try Peasant and you should try tripe, both are great. I have enjoyed some cold Szechuan tripe dishes that are very good.

[Nathan]

Bruni writes up Peasant here (very accurately I must say):

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/200...e/index.html?hp

[oakapple]

Bruni writes up Peasant here (very accurately I must say):

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/200...e/index.html?hp

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Consistent with my experience too...but then, this is the kind of restaurant that Bruni usually nails.

[LPShanet]

Does anyone here happen to have an email address or direct contact info for Frank DeCarlo? His restaurant sites' email addresses are all general addresses, and often not monitored, and I was hoping to write him directly. The old address I have for him doesn't work.