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“Cru”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	West Village	Break the Bank	Off the Charts

alian take on raw fish. These are magical. A fine, silky slice of kanpachi gets a dusting of lime salt and sprinkle of micro celery; rich, plump langoustines are married with a green-papaya and truffle salad, then cloaked in a gin sauce; glossy rectangles of sheer white tuna are dusted in this wild, earthy powder made of olives, capers and espresso; a stunning sliver of arctic char is lifted up with smoked pepper, apple, endive and a touch of vanilla oil.

The list of first courses begins with organic white polenta and olive oil soup with burrata, lovage and hazelnut ($12). It is miraculous. But it’s not really a soup as much as an ode to burrata. A creamy, butterball of this gorgeous cow’s milk cheese from Puglia is napped in a soft puddle of polenta infused with grassy olive oil, and set in a frothy foam made of toasted bread steeped in milk, olive oil, and a touch of hazelnut oil. Skate, often typecast with lemon and white wine, is thrown into the role of Indie movie star here. Dusted in a light powder of crushed pignoli nuts ($14), the skate is seared just enough to give its flesh a little caramelization and to allow the meat to remain moist and sweet. It is plated with one of the wildest sauces I have ever tasted. It is a Risotto Milanese—classically done with saffron, parmigiano, and bone marrow, and then pureed and passed through a sieve a number of times until it morphs into this intense and vibrant yellow gloss—a feathered boa for the new star.

Another must have is the rabbit cotechino ($14). This is Shea’s take on the classic giant pork sausages in hog casing served with mustarda, lentils, spicy mustard and salsa verde on Christmas eve in Italy. For his riff on the classic, he offers petite rabbit sausages on a bed of Casteluccio lentils dressed with spicy mustard, and tossed with bits of speck, and a small dice of poached rabbit meat—delivering lots of Alsatian-like, pungent flavors.

His pastas, all made in house, illustrate lessons learned at Felidia. The most brilliant of them all is the Vialone Nano Risotto ($14/$23)—a lush, rich risotto topped with west coast sea urchin, folded around a yellow tomato reduction. It tastes exotic, like a far off land, and seduces you—coating your mouth with the velvet brininess of the sea and the sweetness of summer’s best tomatoes.

Another standout was a special—the Fuzi. These are sort of like garganelli—flat, pointed tubes sparingly glossed in a simple but sure sauce ... [more, click below]

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Posted: August 19, 2004

Other restaurants in West Village :
+ Jefferson-- Closed   + La Palapa Rockola   + Sumile   + Babbo   + Tasca   + AOC Bedford   + Home   + The Spotted Pig   + Barbuto   + Numero 26   + Mas   + August   + Alta   + Cru   + Blue Mill Tavern-- Closed   + Employees Only   + Lassi   + Metropol--Closed   + Turks and Frogs   + Bellavitae   + Yumcha-- CLOSED   + Gusto: SEE EARLIER REVIEW; THIS CHEF HAS LEFT GUSTO   + Perry Street   + Home   + Ditch Plains   + The Little Owl   + Cafe Condesa   + Cafe Cluny   + Gusto   + The Waverly Inn   + Morandi   + P*ONG   + Perilla   + Soto   + Market Table   + Centro Vinoteca   + Barfry   + Dell'Anima   + Bar Blanc   + Smith's   + Commerce   + Elettaria   + Bar Q   + Cabrito   + 10 Downing   + Minetta Tavern   + Braeburn   + Scuderia, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Bar Blanc Bistro by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Joseph Leonard   + Bar Henry, by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Kin Shop   + Monument Lane   + Wong   + Bin on Bleecker, by Dara Pollak   + Ristorante Rafele   + Cole's Greenwich Village by Guest Reviewer Claire Jaffe   

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