Patria (Closed)

[cabrales]

Patria is interesting to me because the general "loudness" of the flavors in its cuisine would not ordinarily be to my liking. Yet, after repeated meals there over time, there are a number of dishes there that I like (together with others I do not). My dinner at the Patria bar area recently confirmed that the restaurant has some type of appeal to me that is difficult to rationalize. (As I have noted before, my standards for evaluating cuisine in NY are different than that for restaurants in France. Thus, an indication I like Patria to some extent cannot be meaningfully compared to a statement that I like the cuisine of Edouard Loubet, for example).

I arrived at around 10 pm. The bar area offers access to all the food available to restaurant diners, and, unlike at certain restaurants, is centrally located within the restaurant. In addition to the "regular" menu, there are $10 items available only at the bar, including the skewer-based dish described below. Another $10 bar item that I did not order consisted of three types of empanaditas (smaller versions of a regular menu item): (1) smoked chicken stewed with panica peppers and a crisp green plantain crust, (2) jamon y queso -- manchego cheese and serrano ham with a black pepper crust, and (3) a la criolla -- with roast suckling pig with crisp yuca and a sofrito crust.

Below were the items I took in:

Tasting of Ceviche, at $18/person (choice of 3 among 4 specified; I omitted the shrimp ceviche, with orange, carrot, fennel, lime and habanero)

Ceviche Tiradito: Peruvian style with corvina, lime, ricotto, onions and cilantro with roasted camato and corn nuts

Chifta Ceviche: Tuna with Thai coconut, lemongrass, ginger and basil

Salmon Soy Ceviche: Thinly sliced salmon with citrus and soy over avocado with cucumber, red onion, cilantro and crisp salmon skin

Plato de Pinchos, at $10 for all three items (bar menu)

Chicken and chorizo with saffron aji, amarillo sauce

Shrimp with pickled jalpeno tomato salsa

Beef tenderloin with chipotle chimchurri

Ice cream -- Mole; Blue corn ($7 for 2 scoops; tempted by almond granita alternative)

Glass of Louis Roederer champagne ($15)

Spanish Sherry (under $10)

The kitchen waived the two-person-minimum requirement for the ordering of the ceviche sampler. The sampler arrived as a large platter with three glass bowls on crushed ice. In the middle of the bowls was placed a martini glass with the corn nuts and popcorn-like item (not particularly useful to the sampling of the ceviches). The Tiradito was the same as the one offered by the restaurant at its stall on Restaurant Day last week. (It is a good sign that the restaurant was as generous on Restaurant Day than it is to regular diners.) The bass was fresh and clear, and the thin citrus and herbed thin liquid with the ingredients described in the name of the dish was powerful, without overwhelming the taste of the fish. I liked this ceviche the best among those sampled.

The tuna was nice too, with the coconut base for the saucing (i.e., the thin liquid) sufficiently moderated and the taste of lemongrass being more pleasant than that I normally associate with lemongrass. There was for some reason a nice note of acidity in the saucing. The small shards of coconut meat on top of the tuna ceviche were appropriate.

The salmon was not to my liking. The soy taste was too stark, and the utilization of slices rendered the presentation too similar to sashimi. The red onion strands were a helpful aspect of the dish, though.

While I had originally intended to eat more lightly by stopping after the ceviche sampler, I could not resist sampling the three skewered items in the Plato de Pinchos. This was a very good value at $10, as each of the three skewers was the size of an appetizer dish in a typical NY tasting menu. The chicken and chorizo skewer was the best among the three -- the chorizo was cooked quite a bit (appropriately) and had bacon connotations as a result of the cooking process. It lent interest to the appropriately-prepared chicken pieces on the skewer. The saffron-based saucing was tasty with this dish. The second item on the Plato de Pinchos was a single large grilled prawn. The material inside the head was appropriate-tasting, but the flesh of the prawn was overcooked. Finally, the beef tenderloin included was good-to-very-good (although a bit cooked for my particular tastes; the barman did not ask how I wanted the beef cooked). Like other beef dishes at Patria, this specimen had a wonderful smoked taste and was reported to have been imported from Argentina. The saucing was a dark, jus reduction -- with wonderful thinly sliced small potato discs and some wild mushrooms. The beef dishes at Patria tend to be among the best offerings at the restaurant (together with the ceviches).

The ice cream was average. Mole flavor was interesting, and its spiciness went well with the Spanish sherry ordered. Its texture was creamy, but I did not particularly like its taste. The blue corn ice cream (a pale blue color) had a texture that resembled sorbet more than ice cream, and suffered as a result of that. The taste was rather subtle (in a neutral way).

Overall, a good meal at a restaurant to which I will return. On my next visit, it will be the beef entree with a nice red.

[Jinmyo]

cabrales, I'm surprised but pleased that you enjoyed this.

Do keep us up to date on your next visit.

[cabrales]

Jinmyo -- Yes, I am surprised every time I visit Patria that I still enjoy it. Cello would be much more along the lines of restaurants I typically appreciate. I have visited Patria around six or seven times over the course of time. Note I do tend to order the same types of dishes -- the beef and the ceviches.

[Rosie]

Always enjoyed Patria. The chef will be at a charity event I am attending in a few weeks. Last year he made mojito's by squeezing the juices out of sugar cane with a special machine. It was wonderful.

[cabrales]

Always enjoyed Patria. The chef will be at a charity event I am attending in a few weeks.

Rosie -- When you have a chance, please describe what charity event you will be attending and whether members of the public are permitted to participate (incl., as relevant, cost, date and location details).

[jordyn]

Last Friday, I visited Patria. On my last visit to Patria, we arrived late on a weekday and found the restaurant practically deserted. This time around, at prime time on a Friday night, the restaurant was jammed. With blaring music and a large room, the result was an extremely loud level of noise, which occasionally threated to make conversation difficult. The noise and the vibe at Patria gives the place the feel of a large, boisterous party, and this suits the food quite well. The food is loud, bold, and generally quite good. All the noise in the room and on the plate could be Patria's way of covering up an otherwise mediocre effort from the kitchen, but generally the nuevo Latino cuisine seems to be well executed and of high quality. It's the sort of party you're pleasantly surprised to show up at.

Patria offers five and seven course tasting menus, as well as vegetarian tasting menu options. Wine pairings are offered with the tasting menus, and here is where the first real choice arises. Wine pairings are offered at four "levels", such as "reserva" and "grand reserva". For a seven course meal, the price of the pairings ranged from $50 to $225 per person. We opted for the "reserva" option at $85, and were generally quite pleased with the results.

The meal started with an amuse of coconut roasted salmon over a sprout salad with habanero salsa, which was fairly insipid and with little flavor from either the coconut or the salmon. Fortunately, the salmon was immediately followed by a ceviche tasting that was quite good. Two of the three ceviches presented (ceviche tiradito and chifa ceviche) have previously been described by Cabrales; the third, a shrimp ceviche with orange, carrot, lime and habanero over a julienned salad of carrot and fennel, was the least interesting, with the ceviche completely overpowering the shrimp. Of note, although the tasting was served with an accompinament of popcorn and corn nuts to "take off the heat", none of these ceviches was particularly spicy. I found this mildly disappointing.

Next up were two oysters, presented differently. The first was fried in yucca with habanero and chile poblano. The other was baked, with watercress, mustard and roasted shallot cream, gratineed with crispy plantain and bacon, and a sweet plantain corn salsa. Oysters are a food item that I have been struggling to develop an appreciation of, and I enjoyed this dish very much because it made the oysters very accessible and quite tasty, although perhaps without the typical flavor that someone that usually enjoys oysters might appreciate.

Merlusa served two ways (one to each diner). First, over camarones with tomato, onions, and pepper. Second, over lobster, chorizo and salad. This was a nice piece of fish. Both of us preferred the version over lobster and chorizo, which was quite intensely flavored and rich.

The fourth course was a selection of game. 1) Grilled quail over arugula and red onion salad. 2) Rabbit terrine 3) Seared duck breast with duck jus 4) Quail egg. All of this was served with a dollop of pineapple marmalade in the middle of the plate. All of these items were good, although none of them really transcended the basic description that I've provided here.. All of this was served with a dollop of pineapple marmalade in the middle of the plate. All of these items were good, although none of them really transcended the basic description that I've provided here.

Fifth course was meat. My dining companion was served Argentinean beef grilled with chimichurri and bone marrow wine sauce, over slices of blue and yellow potatoes, cooked together with mushrooms; accompanied by roasted plum tomatoes and topped with palanga colored with beet juice. I received a lamb loin over black barley, mushrooms and spinach. Salad of radish, spinach and queso blanco. I did not sample the beef, but my experiences with lamb at Patria have always been quite good, and this was no exception. The meat has a very natural flavor, although I prefer the treatment that they give to lamb of rack at Patria.

Next, cheese. Here my notes start to break down. I know the plate included four cheeses, two of which were manchego and cabrales. I found all of the cheeses to be fairly good, and one (which I don't remember the name of) to be very good.

Finally, I'm sure we had some dessert, but I neither noted, nor do I recall, what they were. My memory after nine glasses of wine is apparently not to be trusted.

Patria is clearly not operating at the same level as some of the top restaurants in the City, but the kitchen has a clear vision of what they want to turn out, and the results are generally quite compelling. Whenever you've got the urge for an upscale Latin party on your plate, Patria probably fits the bill.

[Steve Plotnicki]

I love Patria. I've been eating Douglas Rodriguez's food since he was at Yuca in Coral Gables, Florida. It must be well over 10 years ago. And although he isn't there anymore, the kitchen still practices the cuisine he invented. "Invented," that's the key to Patria for me because there aren't many restaurants in town where they have invented a cuisine. My last meal there during the winter, although not at the level of refinment the cuisine had when Douglas was cooking, was still terrific. It's a little bit dated by now but it is, and will always be a classic. Just the sweet arepas alone are worth the price of admission.

[Wilfrid]

Any news on Rodriguez's plan to open a grand old-Havana style restaurant in Manhattan? I haven't heard a thing for months.

[Mao]

Cabrales. Apologies for asking you to repeat yourself, but in what way are your standards between France and NYC meals different?

[cabrales]

Mao -- The standards I utilize for restaurants in France are considerably more stringent. I subjectively believe that French cuisine in France is markedly superior to cuisine one can find in the US.

[yvonne johnson]

Every now and then we have lunch or dinner at Patria (250 Park Ave South, 212-777-6211), and over the dozen or more times we've been (while Rodgriguez was running the show and now DiCataldo) it has ranged from excellent, to excellent in places, to (though rarer) disappointing in general. Last week-end's dinner fell into the last category.

I went for fried oysters to start. They were sitting on their shells, were lukewarm, almost raw, and the green sauce on top was non-descript. After one of the six, I knew I'd never get through them. Without making a complaint, I simply asked our waiter if I could order something else. Of course, he said, and I ordered salmon ceviche. In stark contrast, this looked wonderful--an oblong plate with medium-sized pieces of salmon leaning on slices of avocado and a sour vinagrette around about. Delicious. G's oxtail empanada was very good. (Starters c$12)

Next, I had the special main course, skate with a crab cake, the description of which sounded appealing. A huge square plate arrived with a humongous skate wing, which tasted quite good and fresh, next to this was a cake of crab meat inside a few spinach leaves, and next to this were bundles of tiny asparagus wrapped in pancetta. The whole had been doused in lemon/lime juice. I'm a decent eater but there was no way I could've eaten all of this, added to which the combination wasn't quite right. If this was Nuevo Latino cooking then it had lost its way. The dish could've done with some crispy textures. G. had the suckling pig and the meat was nice and tender, though there was a star anisse reduced sauce that was unpleasant. (Mains upper $20s-$30)

Dessert: ducle de leche fudge-like dainties covered in chocolate with very good vanilla ice cream under which were stewed cherries. (It resembled Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream when it used to be good.)

Glasses of house champagne, and a red Maipo Valley (Chile) were good.

The dining room continues to have a bit of a buzz, the breads are good, our waiter was on his toes, and we weren't charged for the appetizer that I returned (and we appreciated the way that was handled, no questions asked). We left feeling let down nonetheless.

Patria's website:

http://www.patrianyc.com/1.html

Cabrales' report of meal she had at the bar a few months back

http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?s=...=7794&hl=patria

[Wilfrid]

What a shame. We haven't been back since Rodriguez left (ages ago), but had heard good things. Is it still all prix fixe, though? - I noticed you mentioned the price of starters.

[yvonne johnson]

Wilfrid, there are a couple of tasting menus (we went for the regular menu). I was talking about Patria with consort last night, and I think we agree that under both Rodriquez and DiCataldo Patria has tended to go up and down. Some days you get the wow factor in all dishes, but sometimes a dish comes out ordinary, if not a bit dull. For several years Patria used to be one of my favorite restaurants. I still like it very much for its exciting flavors, but the inconsistency bothers me. I'll be back no doubt, but you know that feeling of anticipation when you phone for a reseravation at a place you can't wait to return to?.....well, I'm starting to think, "Will I take the chance?"

[Wilfrid]

I think that's consistent with our experience. It's been a long time though, and maybe we're due to try it again.

I have asked elsewhere on the Board, with no response, but I suppose no news about Rodriguez's grand old-Havana style restaurant opening?

[yvonne johnson]

I did some investigation as I was interested. I phoned Chicama and they told me that Rodriguez opened a third (in addition to Pipa) restuarant in the Trump Tower but it is now closed. He has opened a new restaurant in Philadelphia called Alma de Cuba. (Is Philly becoming a dining scene? Didn't Moromoto go there?)

[Suvir Saran]

Every now and then we have lunch or dinner at Patria (250 Park Ave South, 212-777-6211), and over the dozen or more times we've been (while Rodgriguez was running the show and now DiCataldo) it has ranged from excellent, to excellent in places, to (though rarer) disappointing in general.  Last week-end's dinner fell into the last category.

Sadly you have said it as it seems to be. I was once very fond of Patria.

And now, it is incosistent and unpredictable.

[cabrales]

Andrew DiCataldo of Patria is cooking at the James Beard House on Saturday, November 9. In this Wine Lovers' Dinner, Santa Julia Vineyards of Argentina is providing the wines. I had originally not considered this dinner sufficiently attractive, but the menu was released recently and appears fairly interesting. Tickets are $95 for members, and $120 for guests.

-- Reception

Lobster Tostada with Sevruga Caviar Salsa

Argnetine Beef Tartare with Black Truffle Mojo on Malanga Chips

Tuna Con Tuna Rolls

Foie Gras and Chestnut-Stuffed Mushrooms

Santa Julia Sauvignon Blanc 2001

Santa Julia Bonarda Sangiovese 2000

-- Dinner

A. Seviche Tasting

Dayboat scallops with fresh cranberry, basil and lime

Argentine Langostino with delicata squash and pipian oil

Chilean merlusa with green apple, jalapeno, ginger and mint

Santa Julia Torrontes 2000

B. Pirarucu (?)

Red mullet with vatapa, house made farfoa de yuca, and salad of heaerts of plam and dates

Santa Julia Reserva Chardonnay 2000

C. Albondigas de Conejo

Rabbit meatballs with malanga bnocchi, oyster mushrooms, roasted plum tomatoes, capers and shaved Argentine Parmesan

Santa Juluia Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

D. Beef Churrasco with Anchovy Chimichurri, Roasted Beefs, Whipped Potatoes and Bone Marrow-Wine Sauce

Santa Julia Reserva Malbec 2000

E. Calabaza Flan with Pecan-Panlea Sauce

Santa Julia Tardio Late-Harvest Torrontes 2001

[Suzanne F]

Cabrales, I hate you. Now I'm going to have to join JBF to have access to these dinners. Wow!! Except for the "Argentine Parmesan" -- um, ain't nothin' like the real thing.

[cabrales]

Suzanne -- I know you're likely joking re: JBF. Note, however, that membership at regular levels was frustrating for me. I had to join as a fellow to gain access to many of the dinners; otherwise, the best dinners get sold out. Many of the dinners are on weekdays -- this one was an exception, and they are not a substitute by any means for visits to the applicable restaurants.

[rgruby]

Hi,

Thinking of Patria rather than high-end Mexican (viz an earlier thread of mine)when I visit NYC in a couple of weeks.

any thoughts, opinions etc. Anyone been lately? Recommended dishes?

Thanks,

Geoff Ruby

[alacarte]

I'm a big fan of Patria -- though the high price tag keeps me from going too often, I'm a repeat customer, and I've never been disappointed. I especially love their ceviches and empanada appetizers, and you can't go wrong with any fish on their menu.

Mmmm...I remember particularly fondly a tuna ceviche with chiles served over shaved ice and coconut, served in a martini glass...they sprinkle popcorn on the plate, everything is presented attractively.

Kick-ass mojitos too.

Make a reservation, they can be packed full at peak dining hours, but the bar is a pleasant place to wait, you can order apps there too.

[Bond Girl]

I second alacarte's opinion on Patria. The empanadas are to die for and Patria's rice and beans will make you re-think how you make rice and beans. Most dishes has nice round flavors with lots of depth, not haute cuisine but definitely extraordinary and inventive. Order one of those frozen pineapple drinks with lots of cocnut curls on top of it.

[mikeycook]

I will third the comments on Patria (I know you can second, but can you third?)

It's been a couple of years since we've been, but I loved the food. The drinks are good, too.

It's one of the few good places right on Park Ave. in that area (although there are several good spots just off Park.)

[Bux]

...they sprinkle popcorn on the plate, everything is presented attractively.

Make up your mind. Which is it?

[boaziko]

Both. it is a mix of few kinds of PC, and a nice crunch along the other ingrediants.

I like Patria very much, and go there whenever in NYC which i guess is about 6-7 times at the last 4-5 years.

Always very good quality and new tsates.

Love their "trio" of ceviches and the bread rolls that accompany butter with carmelized (slightly sweet) garlic.