Pardes, Revisited

Art manifests itself in many forms. There are great composers whose compositions take the listeners to other realms as they touch their soul. There are great painters whose images evoke memories, longings, visions of delight, or just force one to think. There are great Chefs whose creations, though ephemeral by their very nature, leave us craving for more. And then there is Pardes‘ (497 Atlantic Avenue; Brooklyn, NY 11217 – Tel: 718.797.3880) Owner/Chef Moshe Wendel.

I don’t know if Chef Moshe ever jotted down a musical note, or even held a brush to a canvas, but his culinary skills are indisputable, his technique includes all the key elements of the high art crafts…  Chef Moshe‘s canvas is the serving plate, his colors, food; his creations demonstrate a thorough yet delicate understanding of the subtle nuances of the harmony and counterpoint of flavors…

Last evening SYR, her son YR and I, betook ourselves to Pardes. We started our repast with a selection of “little plates.”

Kale Salad with crispy rice, watermelon, red herring, watermelon, radish and lime dressing.

Lentil Soup, black olive broth, poached egg, cherry pepper and croutons
Pastrami Rib, Russian dressing, house kraut, pumpernickel crumb

The Lentil Soup, came together as a carefully orchestrated gentle symphony of unusual flavor combinations culminating in a surprising citrusy grand finale. It left us speechless with delight. The Pastrami Rib brought back sweet memories of a long gone restaurant; nobody ever equaled Shmulke Bernstein‘s pastrami… until now. Yet, it was different, with a few more flavors. we loved it!

We followed, the above, with a Duck Breast, with Brussel sprouts, smoked chestnut, cranberry/cardamon juice and black radish puree. An interesting combination that continued this food concert with incredibly creative and delicious numbers. But, all came to a rousing crescendo as we dug into the Skirt Steak, with kohlrabi salad, pickle gazpacho, and kohlrabi crunch. Skirt steak is usually very salty, but not in this case, it showed an incredibly delicious ensemble of flavors.

We segued with a very juicy, very tender, melt in your mouth, 25oz Grow and Behold Rib Eye, in red wine sauce and superb fries.

Though bursting at the seams by now, we couldn’t resist the Chocolate Mousse, with potato crunch, roasted peanuts, raisin/almond milk puree, celery leaves, olive oil and sea beans. We washed it all down with a glass of Dalton Safsufa Vineyards Chardonnay/Viognier 2011 for SYR, and a Gaffel Kölsch beer for me.

Truly a night to remember! As SYR put it, we’ve done many top restaurants over the years, but none equaled this latest experience.

CS

Young and Classy

Humbly cloistered in the heart of Boro Park, is a secret exclusive grotto of fine dining.

Bistro 1310, (1310 – 40th Street; Brooklyn, NY 11218; Telephone: 718.483.8792), right off 13th Avenue, has the look and feel of a higher end city eatery.  Its glazed brick walls, warm chestnut and russet colored interior along with the glass waterfall wall and soft music melts the tension of the surrounding outer world, giving one the feeling of sanctuary.

Bistro 1310's ground floor

Bistro 1310’s menu is evolving, a work in progress; as they engage in exacting their culinary coordinates for this new venue. This young eatery presently offers an amalgam of flavors from around the world, offering specially aged grilled meats as well as chicken and fish dishes spiced with Indian and Asian influences.

We sampled two appetizers Tandoori Chicken – thin bread crumb crusted chicken breast pieces with a blend of Indian spices and mayo based curry dipping sauce; tasty! Our second appetizer was a Tuscan Steak Salad served with field greens, red onion, roasted pepper in a lemon vinaigrette; the thinly sliced aged meat was delicious and well appointed.

Tuscan Steak Salad

For our main we ordered two of Bistro 1310 early favorites. Teriyaki Chicken with sautéed vegetables and white rice, and Skirt Steak with mashed potatoes. The chicken was flavorful, the teriyaki sauce a tad sweet for my taste; the white rice was cooked just right, with light lovely seasoning that was delicious. CS by nature is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, so he loved the Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and the very tender Skirt Steak. I sampled a piece, and found it slightly salty.

Skirt Steak

We ended our meal with a Tiramisu boxed in chocolate. The quality of the chocolate was superb and the Tiramisu was very respectable.

Tiramisu

This young chic bistro is a hidden treasure of Boro Park and has a promising future. We will revisit it again as it hones in on its niche in the beau monde of Kosher fine dining.

SYR

The Pasta Factory

One of the greatest joys of preparing entries for The Kosher Scene blog has been meeting the talented seasoned restaurateurs and chefs along the way.  Sol Kirschenbaum, owner of The Pasta Factory (1400 Palisade Avenue; Teaneck, NJ 07666, Telephone: 201.837.1000) and former partner of Levana’s has just an amazingly vast knowledge of the kosher restaurant business. Sol’s also an incredible wine connoisseur; he loves his reds especially those from the lesser known Israeli wineries; his many years in the fine kosher dining business and vast experience with what makes for fine food, were just the recipe for a great evening of food talk and tasting.

It was one of those freezing, weather is frightful, 20°, teeth chattering, winter nights. Chef Chase Sanders prepared a lovely Roasted Truffle Butternut Squash with Basil soup. This creamy soup had just the right blend of sweetness and the basil overtones were delicious; and it was hot.

Appetizers followed. We split the Grilled Chicken Quesadilla, tender bites of grilled breast with tricolor salad and balsamic dressing. The combined flavors and crispness of the quesadilla were flavorful and authentic. The second appetizer was a Lamb Merguez Pizza with arugula, olives, capers and shallots drizzled with Tahina.  This dish demonstrates Chef Sanders adaptive and creative talents in executing an authentic Mediterranean dish modified to meet the strict standards of the kosher cuisine. It looked great, the tahina resembled drizzled cheese, and the combination of flavors really worked!

Grilled Chicken Quesadilla

Lamb Merguez Pizza

At some point, someone brought us two great glasses of wine. I had a Dalton Safsufa Cabernet Sauvignon, very solid and flavorful, while CS had a Herzog Selection Merlot, also quite good. At this point my feet were thawed and I was ready for the main course.

The waiter brought out a Crispy Breast of Chicken with asparagus risotto, seasoned with preserved lemon. I’m still a little floored as to how he made simple chicken taste so good, (must be that special ingredient he adds to his dishes; (see our little piece on Chef Sanders that will follow next week, if you want to find out), but it was simple and savory. The risotto was cooked to perfection and I loved the asparagus accent; gave it great flavor. CS had a fabulous Skirt Steak marinated in molasses and shallots. He reluctantly gave me piece to taste, (South Americans are so possessive with their beef), and the blend of flavors was terrific. Presentation on all our dishes was simple and elegant

Skirt Steak

I’m really dating myself here, but does anyone out there remember “Felix the cat, the wonderful, wonderful cat. Whenever he gets in a fix he reaches into his bag of tricks.”  Well… let me tell you about Pasta Factory’s dessert chef, Felix. Forget tricks, this man is a magician. His desserts taste sinfully milchig – dairy…oh…the creams….the chocolate…. the mousse…the taste….oh my! We were served a flourless Triple Chocolate Cake and a dish of Butterscotch Cream. I was gonna have to pay for this with an additional forty laps in the pool next day, but it was all well worth the calories. Pastry Chef Felix’ 14 years of experience at the 4 Seasons really showed in his presentation and mouth-watering desserts.

Tricolor Chocolate Cake

The Pasta Factory has a warm brick interior, a lovely quiet ambiance suitable for family and one on one dining. They are also the only kosher restaurant in Bergen County with a liquor license. They boast a diverse, exciting menu of delicious food, and beautifully served ample portions. Enjoy. We certainly did.

SYR