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“Top Chef's Dale Talde Goes East to Park Slope with Talde”

It’s common for a Top Chef alum to flock to Manhattan after an appearance on the Bravo reality show to open a restaurant and attempt making a mark on the culinary landscape. But Dale Talde, and a seemingly growing number of his fellow competitors, decided on crossing the East River to open Talde on Park Slope’s Seventh Avenue this week. 

The 65-seat restaurant is focused on offering Asian-American dishes reflecting Talde’s diverse background (he was raised by first-generation Filipino immigrants and worked at Buddakan and with chefs like Carrie Nahabedian, Morimoto and Shawn McClain). He’s partnered with John Bush, a punk rock photographer and bartender, and David Massoni, both whom own Thistle Hill Tavern, a Strong Buzz favorite. They salvaged some antiques to decorate the space with Asian mahogany wood carvings serving as wall coverings, window frames, mantle pieces and more. There’s also a six-seat chef’s counter where you can have views of the open kitchen and have a more interactive experience with the kitchen. 

Talde’s cooking has a strong Asian influence but also draws on local ingredients. Some of the current selections include pretzel pork and chive dumplings, a seasonal ramen topped with smoked tofu and an ice wedge salad with Chinese bacon “Sri-Rancha” (a mix of hot Sriracha sauce and ranch dressing). On the dessert menu, his take on the traditional Filipino Halo-Halo arrives as a shaved ice sundae with Cap’n Crunch and Coconut. On the drinks side, there’s a 75-bottle wine list of Old and New World varietals in addition to some from China. Ten beers will be on tap. Dinner is being served 5 p.m. to midnight daily but lunch and brunch are planned.
 
Talde is located at 369 Seventh Avenue (at the corner of 11th Street) in Park Slope, Brooklyn, 347-916-0031, www.taldebrooklyn.com.
 
— Bao Ong
 

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