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“Porchetta-- Closed Now”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Italian	Brooklyn	Moderate	Great

George Mendes, Marco Moreira, Colin Alevras, and Dan Barber (shopping for cauliflower no doubt). I’m sure there are more, but these are the guys I see most often. And you’ll find Jason in Chinatown too, searching out the best and most intriguing ingredients and bringing them back to the restaurant where he approaches them like pieces in a puzzle. Everything must fit together to form a compelling symphonic whole. For Neroni, this means contrasting flavors—spicy and sweet, sour and tangy. He adds texture to make sure your mouth wakes up and pays attention, and even plays with ingredients in differing temperatures. This is not a chef who’s going through the same old moves; he’s bringing in a new playbook completely.

His menu at Porchetta, a modern Italian restaurant with tin ceilings, pressed cooper walls and soft globe lighting, is not as slick and highbrow as at 71 Clinton. The style and soul are there, but he’s brought it down a notch making it more rustic and approachable—more Smith Street. But this is not to say it is no less inspired.

A perfect example of Neroni’s approach to food comes through in his smoked sunchoke soup ($9). He pours a velvety smooth, slightly spiced, beautifully smoky sunchoke puree over plump golden raisins, sharp winter chives, and salty, fat nuggets of braised pancetta, and tops it off with a cool dollop of fresh ricotta. Are you getting the effect of all these players working together? You’ve got it all in there—sweet, spicy, smoky, salty, fatty—and the contrast of hot and cold to boot. It all comes together, sort of like your ultimate fantasy football team: Peyton Manning (smoked sunchoke puree), LaDanian Tomlinson (crispy pancetta), Chad Johnson (golden raisins), Tony Gonzalez (winter chives), and the Bears’ defense (ricotta cheese). (The preceding sports information was supplied by Craig. I don’t want any of you to harbor any illusions that I know anything about football. I know nothing about it. I watch merely for its proximity to beer, and him, and not necessarily in that order.)

After the soup was cleared, a large griddle in a wooden tray arrived at the table. It was topped with four slices of warm focaccia, all bubbly with a hot cheesy layer of tallegio and homemade duck proscuitto. What a guilty pleasure—griddled bread topped with gooey cheese, and the warm glossy fat from the proscuitto melting into it. ... [more, click below]

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Posted: November 27, 2006

Other restaurants in Brooklyn :
+ Chickenbone Cafe-- Closed   + Pier 116-- Closed   + Chestnut   + Lunch at Peter Luger's   + 360   + Palo Santo   + The Good Fork   + Porchetta-- Closed Now   + Bocca Lupo   + Flatbush Farm   + DuMont Burger   + Dressler   + Farm on Adderley   + The Grocery   + Saul   + Black Mountain Wine House   + The General Greene   + Char No. 4   + James   + Chestnut   + No. 7   + Vinegar Hill House   + Motorino   + Buttermilk Channel   + Buttermilk Channel   + Vutera   + Watty & Meg    + Prime Meats   + Aqualis Grill   + Jack the Horse Tavern   + Roman's   + Fatty 'Cue   + Thistle Hill Tavern   + Broken English   + Trix, by Dara Pollak   + An Ode to New Orleans in Williamsburg: Maison Premiere, By Dara Pollak   + Brooklyn Wok Shop by Dara Pollak   + Arthur on Smith   + La Vara   + Gran Electrica   + Pok Pok Ny   + Ganso    + Reynard   

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